Fitness professionals and weight room aficionados alike dismiss abs as ineffective and useless. Almost everyone, even those who don’t go to the gym regularly, has probably heard that there are better exercises for your abs.
Sit-ups have, unfortunately, a bad reputation because movement has little to do with endurance, strength, stability or mobility of the actual core. Traditionally, the movement is generally performed for high repetitions and speed, and this can lead to poor technique and therefore injury.
However, sit ups are not bad , like all exercises, what matters most is your technique.
When done correctly, the abs offer some functionality and can help improve your core strength. But when done poorly, you risk hurting your spine without much reward in terms of strength or other improvements in fitness.
What benefits does it bring?
They can improve core strength
If you are going to do sit-ups, it is important that your technique is correct:
- Lie on your back and lock your feet under a bench or other low space, or ask a partner to hold your feet.
- Make sure you are completely warm and your core is tight so you don’t force your back as you lift your torso off the ground with your hands at your sides or behind your neck.
- Never pull on your neck, stretch your neck, or tuck your chin, as this creates pressure on the cervical spine.
- When you lower your body to the starting position, lie down fully to free your muscles before doing another repetition.
When performed with perfect technique, sit-ups can be part of a complete core workout, but they are not the most effective exercise for improving core strength.
Core stabilization exercises, which target core muscles without placing any load on the spine, are more effective, according to an older randomized controlled trial published in December 2009 in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
Improve everyday movement
It is beneficial to include this exercise because the abdominals translate into something that we all do every day, sometimes several times a day: sit down and sit up.
We all need to know how to get up from a lying position without getting injured, and sit ups are a good way to learn or refine that skill when done with good technique.
A common form of injury is to wave your arms from side to side to gain momentum . If you have to use your arms to get up and down, chances are you’re not ready for them yet. If you can’t make a move slowly, you probably shouldn’t do it fast.
To make sit ups more comfortable, try doing them on a thick mat or towel or even a fitball, which supports the natural curve of your spine and protects it from excessive pressure.
Do they create problems?
They can cause injuries when done incorrectly
Part of the reason why sit-ups have a bad reputation is due to the emphasis on flexing the spine, or bending over or leaning forward. Excessive spinal flexion is known to put pressure on the spine and cause back injuries .
This is in part because squats actually target the hip flexors, the muscles that flex the hip, including the quadriceps, rather than the abdominal muscles. Because the hip flexors adhere to the front of the lumbar spine, they can pull on the spine if they become too tight or stiff, which can lead to lower back pain and eventually injury.
They can reinforce bad posture
If you are squatting with poor technique, there is a possibility that you will continue to do poorly outside the gym. When you exercise, you should try to compensate for the bad posture you can have all day sitting at a desk or resting, without continuing to reinforce bad habits.
You should not “practice” postural mistakes like stretching your neck or tilting your hips in life or in your abdominal exercises.
They tend to be an “exercise of the ego”
The first thing you should check before doing sit-ups is your ego. If that sounds harsh, it’s only because sit-ups tend to be an “ego exercise,” or one that people associate with competencies and feel the need to do too much. Do you have memories of physical exams in gym class at school? You’re probably not the only one.
The ego can play a very important role in how intensity is treated, so it is pertinent to check that first. Tempo and control in both the eccentric phase (the way down) and the concentric phase (the way up) are crucial when performing a sit up.
