Sit-Ups

[pubert]

Anyone else have problems when doing sit-ups that the bottom of your back goes red, and hurts when you touch it, after doing sit-ups??

i've never had problems before :S

[Ryan]

usually down to a weak core, in most people and improper technique.

get this checked out incase.

[Barry123]

Sounds like you're just lying on the floor and doing it. get a gym mat or use several towels layered up to cushion your back.

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[rushy_23]

Sounds like to me your using the wrong technique.
I do situps on the carpet, do usually 200 in one go, then rest then repeat.
Never have any issues with my back.

But saying that I remember when I first started and my spine used to kill.
That again was down to bad technique.

Read up on it and make sure you feel comfortable while doing situps, if it
hurts then its not correct.

[Ryan]

carrrrpppeeettt burns :P

[Clone]

200 at a time, i havn't done them in a while perhaps i should start, but i have started press-ups now...

[WestyVTR]

Sounds like to me your using the wrong technique.
I do situps on the carpet, do usually 200 in one go, then rest then repeat.
Never have any issues with my back.

But saying that I remember when I first started and my spine used to kill.
That again was down to bad technique.

Read up on it and make sure you feel comfortable while doing situps, if it
hurts then its not correct.

if ur doing200 sits ups in 1 hit u aint doin them right! sorry but ur technique cant b 100percent correct. . . . .

[WestyVTR]

the sorness ur getting, im guessing is from where ur rubbin the floor, slow down. . . the motion shoud b smooth and conrolled! its no race, take ur time wen doin them!!

[Saxo-Slag]

I used to do 100+ everyday but i was Tae Kwon Do three times a week so was mega fit.

[rushy_23]

if ur doing200 sits ups in 1 hit u aint doin them right! sorry but ur technique cant b 100percent correct. . . . .

Dont know where u got the from bud...

Only thing that hurts after 200 situps is my abs (:p lol sounds so gay). I Can
feel the muscles have been worked!
My situps consist of only a slight lift of the neck area, I dont actually lift my
whole body up vertically as this is what caused me lots of pain in my spine/back.

Plus I do them quite slowly so that each rep is comfortable and doesnt cause
any strain.

One last thing, I have also noticed over time that having your legs straight/flat
is no good, keeping them angled like above also seems to aid comfort...

Similar to this but with my hands at each side of my head:

http://www.abc.net.au/northqld/stories/sit_ups_m1023444.jpg

After years of trying different styles of situps I found this the most effective
and most comfortable.

[Leo]

Dont know where u got the from bud...

Only thing that hurts after 200 situps is my abs (:p lol sounds so gay). I Can
feel the muscles have been worked!
My situps consist of only a slight lift of the neck area, I dont actually lift my
whole body up vertically as this is what caused me lots of pain in my spine/back.

Plus I do them quite slowly so that each rep is comfortable and doesnt cause
any strain.

One last thing, I have also noticed over time that having your legs straight/flat
is no good, keeping them angled like above also seems to aid comfort...

Similar to this but with my hands at each side of my head:

http://www.abc.net.au/northqld/stories/sit_ups_m1023444.jpg

After years of trying different styles of situps I found this the most effective
and most comfortable.

they are crunchs not situps, 200 situps with good form would be pretty amazing.

[rushy_23]

Ak okay, thanks Leo for clearing that up.
Also proved im not BS'ing :p

[WestyVTR]

Where did i get it from.... LOL. Possibly my 8 years experience of being in the fitness industry and my pilates, personal training and teaching qualifications.


200 sit ups.... could wrote an essay on y your abs wont be able to do 200 sit ups easily! Simply you will be using your hip flexors as these are easily facilitated muscles. excessive use of these can cause lordosis and back pain!

i hope you place your toungue on the roof of your mouth when you do your ab work........! y!????? to stabilise your neck properly otherwise you may get neck pain!

wish i had time to write the essay but im at work ATM and usually when im on here... oh oh oh read the core sticky......

please also note the slight pelvic tilt of your diagramme lady in teh first pic the pelvis is slightly different to the second! could this be anything to do with her hip flexors....??

read the book muslces funtion & testing by flaurance kendle - great read!

[Leo]

Where did i get it from.... LOL. Possibly my 8 years experience of being in the fitness industry and my pilates, personal training and teaching qualifications.


200 sit ups.... could wrote an essay on y your abs wont be able to do 200 sit ups easily! Simply you will be using your hip flexors as these are easily facilitated muscles. excessive use of these can cause lordosis and back pain!

i hope you place your toungue on the roof of your mouth when you do your ab work........! y!????? to stabilise your neck properly otherwise you may get neck pain!

wish i had time to write the essay but im at work ATM and usually when im on here... oh oh oh read the core sticky......

please also note the slight pelvic tilt of your diagramme lady in teh first pic the pelvis is slightly different to the second! could this be anything to do with her hip flexors....??

read the book muslces funtion & testing by flaurance kendle - great read!

How does moving your tounge to the top off your mouth help prevent neck pain ???-(interested) also if you are moving your neck when you do situps its time to have a rest as your forms slipped, you should be still, including neck. Infact if your moving your neck you are probley "throwing" youself up, thus cheating. No?

[Clone]

You know your stuff! :P

[WestyVTR]

How does moving your tounge to the top off your mouth help prevent neck pain ???-(interested) also if you are moving your neck when you do situps its time to have a rest as your forms slipped, you should be still, including neck. Infact if your moving your neck you are probley "throwing" youself up, thus cheating. No?


placing your toungue on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth engagues a muscle called omahoioid muscle (sp) this stabilises you neck. if not your sternomastoid muscle will stabilise the neck, stregthening your sternomastoid muscle may cause forward head posture - neck pain! must ppl will hold the head - thus not stregthenimg any neck muscles so when they do try with our holding the head - neck pain!

sit ups should be performed over a fitball this is so full range of motion can be achieved providing you have 100% ROM in your spine 45 degrees of motion will be found backwards and 35 degrees forwards, moving the head infact allows fuller range of motion! Try it!! when you come over the fitball - look behind you!!..... this illustrates that ab curls off the floor is already restricting your ROM by more than 50%!

[Leo]

placing your toungue on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth engagues a muscle called omahoioid muscle (sp) this stabilises you neck. if not your sternomastoid muscle will stabilise the neck, stregthening your sternomastoid muscle may cause forward head posture - neck pain! must ppl will hold the head - thus not stregthenimg any neck muscles so when they do try with our holding the head - neck pain!

sit ups should be performed over a fitball this is so full range of motion can be achieved providing you have 100% ROM in your spine 45 degrees of motion will be found backwards and 35 degrees forwards, moving the head infact allows fuller range of motion! Try it!! when you come over the fitball - look behind you!!..... this illustrates that ab curls off the floor is already restricting your ROM by more than 50%!

Interesting stuff, asked my old man about the tounge thing he said it can also help people sleep/relax

[rushy_23]

Westy, if you actually read the thread properly you will notice that
Leo corrected me and said im not actually doing 200 situps mate,
its crunches im performing...

[tom_mk1vtr]

they are crunchs not situps, 200 situps with good form would be pretty amazing.

In the diagram it is kind of a mix between crunches and sit ups, as she is raising too high (and has terrible form - crunches should not be done like this) She is arching her back meaning she is using the back muscles to aid her - the whole point of crunches is they are supposed to work the abs and obs.

To do an effective crunch correctly you should have your hands by your sides or accross your chest, or stretched out behind your head (which ever feels more comfortable), and just raise your shoulders/upper torso 3 inches without bending or arching your neck/back, or lifting your head...so everything stays in line. This purely targets your abdominals/obliques as you are pivoting from the waist rather than bending your back to cause the movement, and you will feel your abs shaking if you have done it correctly.

As WestyVTR said using a fit ball is alot better, aslong as you keep the upper torso straight and inline, so you are pivoting from the waist rather than arching your back or swinging.

If the crunches are done correctly as above I Very much doubt you are doing 200. To be doing 200 I would say you are using/arching your back to help (sit ups), in which case you could be doing damage to your erector spinae muscle and neck muscles. Also sit ups are pretty useless as you are hardly targeting your abs at all, and why I get my clients doing crunches instead.

^^bit of an essay soz!

[Leo]

In the diagram it is kind of a mix between crunches and sit ups, as she is raising too high (and has terrible form - crunches should not be done like this) She is arching her back meaning she is using the back muscles to aid her - the whole point of crunches is they are supposed to work the abs and obs.

To do an effective crunch correctly you should have your hands by your sides or accross your chest, or stretched out behind your head (which ever feels more comfortable), and just raise your shoulders/upper torso 3 inches without bending or arching your neck/back, or lifting your head...so everything stays in line. This purely targets your abdominals/obliques as you are pivoting from the waist rather than bending your back to cause the movement, and you will feel your abs shaking if you have done it correctly.

As WestyVTR said using a fit ball is alot better, aslong as you keep the upper torso straight and inline, so you are pivoting from the waist rather than arching your back or swinging.

If the crunches are done correctly as above I Very much doubt you are doing 200. To be doing 200 I would say you are using/arching your back to help (sit ups), in which case you could be doing damage to your erector spinae muscle and neck muscles. Also sit ups are pretty useless as you are hardly targeting your abs at all, and why I get my clients doing crunches instead.

^^bit of an essay soz!

The picture was used as an example by rushy_23 for what he was doing 200 of, its clear enough to see he meant crunchs and not situps, be it a poor example in your opinion its still clear enough to know what he meant.

I fully agree with you about bad form, I dont think i have seen anyone including myself doing pefect form ab crunchs or situps... i think perfect form in any exercise is overated, good solid form is nessercery, but perfect form isnt. for example if your doing squats with bad form your risking serios injury, but if you are doing them with good solid form you will still get the same gains as "perfect" form.

[MTR]

Sit ups are the most overrated exercise in history!
A good weighted crunch is 10x more effective at developing a great core.

[WestyVTR]

Sit ups are the most overrated exercise in history!
A good weighted crunch is 10x more effective at developing a great core.

thats a bold claim!

functional training should be done especially for the torso area. Life is motion & balls move so get envolved.

Sorry about my last post inhaste, i just read it back, it makes sense i think but im sure you can see what i was trying to say! :y:

[MTR]

For all the tips you need read: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lebrun2.htm

Great site that exposes a lot of the common mistakes in training.

[WestyVTR]

the industry is full of fads especially regards abdomenal training! as u will see from my "sticky" the abdomenal region is complicated and so attention to detail wen training is very importent.

your rectus abdominus does more than pull ur spine forwards! it assists the internal and exernal obliques in both rotation and stabiliation of the spine and pelvis , it may act as a prime mover too, it can also work in sections, lower prehaps stabilisin and upper assistin etc etc. this is why funtional movements r requird for gd abdominal strength.


hundreds of sit ups-crunches-curls r great if u want over development of the hip flexors. if this is ur goal no problem!

sum exercises i like 2use r - ful curl over fit ball, pull overs on fitball, pelvic tilts, pilates breathin navel to spine, med ball torso twists, wood chop, reverse wood chop, plank, walking lunges with med ball from hip hip.

[jamiep]

Will doing situps help lose fat stomachs??

[Leo]

Will doing situps help lose fat stomachs??

it will help yes

[starkie]

I do belive that you can NOT spot reduce fat..

The reason you have a fat stomach is because your diet and exercise is not in check!

Sit ups will not spot reduce fat from your abdominal area!

Running on a treadmill for 20 - 30 mins and a healthy diet under your required Daily Calorie intake will help to reduce fat from your stomach and every where else!

[jamiep]

running is the best way to loose weight thn?

[starkie]

running is the best way to loose weight thn?


You dont really want to lose weight.. You want to lose Body Fat..

Any Cardio excercise will help mate..

20 - 30 Mins at Medium Intensity!

[bullit]

get on the punch bag and do crunches etc

[jamiep]

I prob need 2 lose bout a stone so 20 mins runnin and 10 mins sit ups/press ups a day will help? also watching what i eat?

[starkie]

PM me if you want help with your diet!

But yes Reduce Cals about 300 each day and do 30 mins Cardio 2 times a week..

This will create a calorie deficit and thus you will lose weight!

;-)

Reps Please ;-)

[Leo]

^ reps for what?

jamie p just keep it simple mate. check this, im not fat or anything as go gym but i want to bring my 6pac out for summer, so need to trim the bodyfat % down some. I stopped drinking coffee (as i have 3/4 sugars a cup) and switched to no fat milk, i do some early morn jogs/walks and ive trimmed about 5 lbs already. easy peasy just check ur diet.

[WestyVTR]

Dont watch what you eat change what you eat!

Increase your exercise levels and train correctly, your health is free dont abuse it!

Then you will see results