Decline Sit Up

How to do it

1. Lock your feet under the rollers of a decline bench and lie back with the head at the low end.
2. Cross the arms over the chest.
3. Curl the head and shoulders up first, then keep rising until the torso is upright.
4. Pause briefly at the top with the chest over the thighs.
5. Lower back down slowly, rolling the spine onto the pad from the lower back up.

Tips

• Curl up rather than jerking up with a straight back.
• Control the lowering, that is where most of the work is.

Common mistakes

• Throwing the arms forward to build momentum.
• Dropping onto the pad at the bottom.
• Hooking the feet so hard that the legs pull the body up.

Muscles worked by the Decline Sit Up

• Upper abs Primary37%
• Lower abs Primary31%
• Obliques Secondary19%
• Hip flexors Minor9%
• Quads (rectus femoris) Minor4%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

Sitting all the way up adds hip flexion (Escamilla 2006). A decline bench increases the range against gravity. Curling the ribcage toward the pelvis is spinal flexion by rectus abdominis, with the obliques assisting; a full sit up adds the hip flexors.

Decline Sit Up alternatives

Same equipment

• Decline CrunchBodyweight

Different equipment

• Decline Weighted Sit UpOther equipment
• Decline Bench CrunchOther equipment
• Weighted Decline CrunchOther equipment

Easier

• Butterfly Sit UpBodyweight
• Long Arm CrunchBodyweight

Make it harder

• Decline Weighted Sit UpOther equipment
• Weighted Decline CrunchOther equipment
• V-UpBodyweight
• Weighted CrunchOther equipment

Make it easier

• Butterfly Sit UpBodyweight
• Long Arm CrunchBodyweight
• Toe Touch CrunchBodyweight
• Ab Crunch MachineMachine

Similar exercises

• Jackknife Sit UpBodyweight
• Tuck UpBodyweight

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Decline Sit Up work?

Mainly the upper abs and lower abs. The obliques assist.

Is the Decline Sit Up good for beginners?

The Decline Sit Up is rated intermediate. If you are new, learn the Butterfly Sit Up first and build up from there.

What is a good alternative to the Decline Sit Up?

For example the Decline Weighted Sit Up, Decline Bench Crunch and Weighted Decline Crunch. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

How do you make the Decline Sit Up harder?

Add weight or reps, or move on to the Decline Weighted Sit Up and Weighted Decline Crunch.

Sources

• Escamilla et al. 2006, Phys Ther 86(5):656-671 (traditional and nontraditional abdominal exercises)

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