How to do a sit-up
What is a sit-up?
There is a reason the sit-up has been around forever. It’s simple, equipment free and it works. Using nothing more than your own bodyweight, you can easily modify the core crunching exercise to keep challenging yourself as your strength improves.
The perfect sit-up is simple. Just keep your feet, hips and knees aligned, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. As you exhale raise your torso and chin up towards your knees, then inhale as you lower back down to the floor. Find a few of our favorite variations below.
SIT-UP TIPS
- Keep it controlled. You’ll get the most out of each movement if you exercise slowly and engage your core with each crunch.
- Stay headstrong. Using your arms to pull up your head can strain your neck. Instead, make sure your entire chest is lifting off the ground to fully engage your midsection.
- Rest and recover. Targeting a new muscle group means you’ll likely be sore. Make sure to add a rest day in between to give your body time to recover.
SIT-UP VARIATIONS
SIT-UP
Level: Beginners
Equipment: No equipment required
- Lie on the floor facing the ceiling with a slight bend in your knees. Have your arms bent at the elbows and hands lightly touching your head by the ears.
- Engage your core and lift your upper body so your right elbow touches your left knee.
- Return to the start position and then lift your upper body so your left elbow touches your right knee.
- Return to the starting position.
PULSE SIT-UPS
Level: Beginners
Equipment: No equipment required
- Lie on the floor facing the ceiling with a slight bend in your knees. Have your arms bent at the elbows and hands lightly touching your head by the ears.
- Engage your core and lift your upper body towards your knees.
- Rather than returning to the starting position, lean back slightly and then forward again in a quick pulse fashion.
V SIT-UP
Level: Intermediate
Equipment: You can perform this exercise without any equipment or you can make it more challenging by using a pair of dumbbells, a barbell or weighted plate.
- Lie flat on the floor facing the ceiling. Extend your arms overhead, hands touching the floor.
- Squeeze your abs and lift your shoulders and legs off the floor at the same time, creating a V shape with your body. Try to reach your hands to your feet.
- Slowly return to starting position.
- If you'd like to make this ab exercise more challenging, hold a weighted dumbbell or weighted plate with both hands as you do the movement.