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Abs

Sit Up

The Sit Up is a strength exercise with no equipment for your abs. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: upper abs 38%, lower abs 24% and obliques 19%.

Also known as: buikspieren, situp, situps

Level: BeginnerEquipment: BodyweightMulti-joint (compound)

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back on a mat with knees bent and feet flat, anchored under a bar or held by a partner if needed.
  2. Cross the arms over the chest or rest the fingertips beside the ears.
  3. Curl the head and shoulders up, then keep rising until the torso is upright.
  4. Pause with the chest over the thighs.
  5. Roll back down slowly until the shoulders touch the mat.

Tips

  • Curl the spine up one section at a time rather than lifting with a flat back.
  • Breathe out on the way up.

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the head forward with the hands.
  • Flopping back down to the floor.
  • Swinging the arms to get up.

Muscles worked by the Sit Up

  • Upper abs Primary38%
  • Lower abs Primary24%
  • Obliques Secondary19%
  • Hip flexors Secondary15%
  • 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). Curling the ribcage toward the pelvis is spinal flexion by rectus abdominis, with the obliques assisting; a full sit up adds the hip flexors.

Sit Up alternatives

Same equipment

Different equipment

Make it harder

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Sit Up work?

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

Is the Sit Up good for beginners?

Yes. The Sit Up is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.

What is a good alternative to the Sit Up?

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

How do you make the Sit Up harder?

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

Sources

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

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