Sit-Up

Starting position

1. Lie on your back on a mat, knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart.
2. Anchor your feet: tuck them under a support or have a partner hold them.
3. Cross your arms over your chest or touch your fingertips to your temples — don't lace them behind your head.
4. Tuck your chin slightly, leaving about a fist's width between chin and chest.

Execution

1. Exhale and start by curling up: head and shoulder blades leave the floor first, then the rest of your back.
2. Rise until your torso is almost upright over your hips.
3. Inhale and lower yourself slowly, rolling your back down one segment at a time: lower back, shoulder blades, head.
4. Don't fully relax or push off the floor at the bottom — start the next rep smoothly.

Common mistakes

• Yanking with the arms or head — momentum takes over and the neck suffers.
• Dropping back to the floor — the abs do nothing on the way down and the spine takes a hit.
• Rising with a flat back — mostly the hip flexors work and the lower back takes more stress.
• Going too fast — technique falls apart by the end of the set.

Beginner tips

• If you can't do a full sit-up yet, start with crunches, lifting only your shoulder blades.
• Arms crossed on the chest is the easiest version; hands at the temples is harder.
• Use a thicker mat so your tailbone and spine stay comfortable.

Alternatives

• Twisting Sit-Up on Incline Bench — harder and brings in the obliques
• Lying Leg Raise on Flat Bench — abs lying down by raising the legs