Sit-ups
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat or anchored. Cross arms over chest or place hands lightly behind head. Brace your core and curl your torso all the way up to your knees, then lower with control. Keep feet grounded and avoid pulling on your neck. Builds abs and hip flexor strength.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Equipment
How to do it
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat or anchored.
- Cross the arms over the chest or rest hands lightly behind the head.
- Brace the core and curl the spine up segment by segment toward the knees.
- Keep going until the torso is upright over the hips.
- Lower under control all the way back to the floor.
- Reset the brace before the next rep.
Watch for
- Pulling on the neck with the hands.
- Using momentum to launch off the floor.
- Letting the low back arch hard at the bottom.
Breathing
Exhale as you curl up, inhale as you lower.
Tip
Anchor the feet only if you cannot keep them down without it. Free feet bias the abs over the hip flexors.
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