Sit-Ups Advice --Help Please

N

NeoBix

0
Hey folks. I am new to this boards and it is good to be here! :beerchug:

I have a question about sit-ups. It is a pretty basic question and I am wondering if you guys can tell me which way I should do this.

The way I am doing sit-ups right now is like this with my legs pulled together tight just as I show in this picture right here:

SitUpPicture2.png


Now... I don't know if that is the right way to do them or not. That is the problem.

Should I be doing sit-ups with my legs like this instead with my legs more apart from each other... ? Like this?

SitUpPicture1.png


Or does it really matter which way I do them?

Basically I just want to make sure that I am not at risk of hurting my back or my legs or anything at all like that with the way I am doing them right now with my legs pushed together like that.

And also... I was curious if it is better to put my arms across my chest while doing sit-ups or if it is better to put my arms behind my head/neck. I remember I heard once that putting your arms behind your head can give you neck or back problems or something so I have been putting them across my chest but I just wanted to make sure. Is this the right way to do it?

Thanks in advance folks!!! :cool:
 
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You are a talented artist.
 
I personally put my hands behind my head to add the weight as far away from the pivot point as possible, increasing the demand of the exercise. I also put my legs out a bit, but I'm sure it won't make or break your workout.
 
Dry said:
You are a talented artist.
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Hahah. Thanks buddy. Some of my FINEST work yet! ;)

Dry said:
I personally put my hands behind my head to add the weight as far away from the pivot point as possible, increasing the demand of the exercise. I also put my legs out a bit, but I'm sure it won't make or break your workout.
Click to expand...

Ok good info and good point too. Thanks a lot man.

By the way I see that you lost like 30 pounds in 3 months... that is insane. Good work!! Keep it up and stay motivated man!

:beerchug:
 
Before I give you advice I want to know a few things:

1. What are your personal goals?

2. What are the "other" parts of your fitness program?

3. What is your diet like? Have you determined your approximated calorie needs?

4. In your view, what does performing "sit-ups" correctly, do for you and for your goals? What is their "purpose?".


Best wishes,

Chillen
 
Putting your hands behind your head makes the sit-up harder. It's pretty much like adding weight. There's not any risk of injury that I know of as long as you're still doing it correctly, meaning you're pulling with your abs, not your neck. Keep your upper body as still as you can for maximum strain on the muscles of the abs
 
Acein91 said:
Putting your hands behind your head makes the sit-up harder. It's pretty much like adding weight. There's not any risk of injury that I know of as long as you're still doing it correctly, meaning you're pulling with your abs, not your neck. Keep your upper body as still as you can for maximum strain on the muscles of the abs
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I do not agree.

Additionally, IMO, NO external WEIGHT (like plates) belong behind the head. Esepcially as weight gets progressively heavier.

One has better support and less risk, with the weight on the chest, during a half-up sit-up.

And, one should be in a position.....that best "attempts" to take the hip flexors out of the movement and place more focus on the muscle wanted to be exercised. Understand I said, that "best attempts" to get the hip flexors out of the movement. Because, they will be involved more or less, dependent on the position and functional movement.


Best wishes,


Chillen
 
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Acein91 said:
Chillen, do you think hands behind the head is a bad idea?
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With no weight and just the hands, no, not necessarily.

However, some can perform (or attempt to perform) a sit-up incorrectly, and IMO, can put too much stress on the neck. I know some can do it without problems, but it just doesnt settle with me well.

More importantly......plate weight does NOT belong behind the neck....I think it makes sense, young man. :)

Additionally, some can miss the point about the hip flexors and focus of various core exercises.

Let me give you an example.

Anchor your feet (on something heavy), and perform a half-up thirty degree sit-up (with whatever weight you are using at this point in training--ON CHEST--PLEASE :), LOL)

Next......

DO NOT anchor the feet on ANYTHING.......

But bend the knees slightly and perform the same sit-up I described.

You will see a difference.

How do I know? Because I have made many mistakes in the gym, recovered from my errant ways, went on, and corrected myself as I went on with my goal.

Its a learning process.

And it doesnt stop.

ROCK ON!


Train hard........

Be at your best! :)



Chillen
 
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Ah! Well. I feel kind of dumb. But it feels nice to correct a mistake

Plates behind head DEFINATELY not a good idea of course! I hope no one would get the wrong idea from my post. But thanks for clearing that up :)
 
Chillen said:
Before I give you advice I want to know a few things:

1. What are your personal goals?

2. What are the "other" parts of your fitness program?

3. What is your diet like? Have you determined your approximated calorie needs?

4. In your view, what does performing "sit-ups" correctly, do for you and for your goals? What is their "purpose?".


Best wishes,

Chillen
Click to expand...

Sorry I am late replying to this.

In answer to your questions:

1. I want to both lose weight and build muscle all over my body. I am 6'0" and I weigh approximately 235 pounds. According to my primary physician, the ideal weight for my height is somewhere between 180 and 190, if I remember correctly. About 3 years back I was much better off and I was at about 190 lbs. This means that I have gained 45 lbs since then and it is very embarassing and uncomfortable and I feel a lot worse than I used to, for obvious reasons. The places that I really want to get rid of the fat are my chest, stomach, lower back, and thighs.

2. Currently my fitness program is: 100 sit-ups per night, 50 push-ups per night, and then either jogging for 2 miles or biking for 6 miles per night. Also, I do not stretch before I work out because I heard that it is bad for you. I used to stretch before I would work out but then I quit doing it after my friend told me not to. Is it true that stretching is bad for you in some way? Do you stretch, and if so, why? And also would you recommend I change anything about my current fitness program and why?

3. To be perfectly honest with you, my diet could be better. I have not determined my calorie needs. How can I do that? Basically, my diet isn't terrible as far as I know. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables but I am also pretty bad when it comes to snacking on junk food and the occassional pizza and/or fast food hamburger, but I wouldn't say that I go overboard with it. What would you suggest I do?

4. Very good question. Basically, what I want to get out of these sit-ups is weight-loss and muscle building in my stomach and maybe a little bit in my lower back region as well. I want to look better and feel better overall. I also need to know what kind of exercises I can do to get rid of chest fat.

Let me just say that I will do anything and I mean ANYTHING to get back in shape and build muscle. I am a pretty motivated guy when it comes down to it and I plan to work hard to achieve my goals. I am a 24 year old male by the way, if that info helps at all.

By the way, not to sound too flattering but someday I would really love to have a body like yours in that picture, or at least similar. That would be my ultimate dream actually. What does your fitness program and diet look like, if you don't mind me asking?
Chillen said:
With no weight and just the hands, no, not necessarily.

However, some can perform (or attempt to perform) a sit-up incorrectly, and IMO, can put too much stress on the neck. I know some can do it without problems, but it just doesnt settle with me well.

More importantly......plate weight does NOT belong behind the neck....I think it makes sense, young man. :)

Additionally, some can miss the point about the hip flexors and focus of various core exercises.

Let me give you an example.

Anchor your feet (on something heavy), and perform a half-up thirty degree sit-up (with whatever weight you are using at this point in training--ON CHEST--PLEASE :), LOL)

Next......

DO NOT anchor the feet on ANYTHING.......

But bend the knees slightly and perform the same sit-up I described.

You will see a difference.

How do I know? Because I have made many mistakes in the gym, recovered from my errant ways, went on, and corrected myself as I went on with my goal.

Its a learning process.

And it doesnt stop.

ROCK ON!


Train hard........

Be at your best! :)



Chillen
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Very interesting indeed.

When I used to do sit-ups I would anchor my feet under a sand bag. Was this a bad idea? I am afraid that I may have taken my focus off of my abs because of this. Do you think this is possible?

And just to make sure, you ARE saying that it is better to do sit-ups without an anchor on your feet, right? It is better for the abs (and not the hip flexors which I don't want to focus on with sit-ups), right?

By the way I have been doing sit-ups differently than you described.

Well, I put my hands over my chest, so that is good I suppose. But I never did the 30 degree sit-ups. I would actually go more like 90 degree sit-ups or maybe a bit more than that actually. Is that bad or good? Is 30 degrees the best way to do them?

Acein91 said:
Ah! Well. I feel kind of dumb. But it feels nice to correct a mistake

Plates behind head DEFINATELY not a good idea of course! I hope no one would get the wrong idea from my post. But thanks for clearing that up :)
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Hey man don't feel dumb. Seriously. I don't think anyone will get the wrong idea from it at all.

The ones who admit that they don't know everything are the smart ones. If you say you know everything then people will be less likely to help or correct you and then you'll never learn.

I am here to learn and let me just tell you that I don't know ANYTHING so I will be asking a lot of "stupid" questions, but I can guarantee that I will learn a lot more than the folks who sit there and are too afraid or embarassed or proud or whatever to ask the tough questions. :cool:

By the way thank you for your input in the thread. I appreciate everyone's opinions and experiences.
 
There are several ways to go about achieving your specific goals.

Personally, if I were in your position, I would make cardio my first priority. You will get the best fat-burning benefits from a consistent cardio program. If, as you say, you are already on one, then you're really halfway there. The other half is just to keep it up.

This bit is important, and I fell into the same trap a while back. sit-ups will not have a tremendous fat-burning effect. They will strengthen the core muscles. Spot-reducing (the act of working a muscle to reduce fat in that area) does not work. so don't think about "where" you want to get rid of fat from. Fat is fat. It makes no difference where it's stored. The only reason it's stored where it's stored is your genetics.

Don't do pushups every day. Every other day would work better so as to give the muscles used time to recover. But more importantly, incorporate other exercises to work all the major muscles of the body. If you're having help designing a routine for yourself, there's a great sticky here:

http://training.fitness.com/weight-...inefficient-split-maybe-read-first-34522.html

As far as stretching goes... I'm a little fuzzy in that area. From what I hear, I believe (but don't hold me to these words) that dynamic stretching before a run is ideal, and static stretching after. I've lately been neglecting to stretch at all.. I just do a warm-up before a run. I'm pretty much asking for an injury in a lot of ways... heh..
 
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Acein91 said:
There are several ways to go about achieving your specific goals.

Personally, if I were in your position, I would make cardio my first priority. You will get the best fat-burning benefits from a consistent cardio program. If, as you say, you are already on one, then you're really halfway there. The other half is just to keep it up.

This bit is important, and I fell into the same trap a while back. sit-ups will not have a tremendous fat-burning effect. They will strengthen the core muscles. Spot-reducing (the act of working a muscle to reduce fat in that area) does not work. so don't think about "where" you want to get rid of fat from. Fat is fat. It makes no difference where it's stored. The only reason it's stored where it's stored is your genetics.

Don't do pushups every day. Every other day would work better so as to give the muscles used time to recover. But more importantly, incorporate other exercises to work all the major muscles of the body. If you're having help designing a routine for yourself, there's a great sticky here:

http://training.fitness.com/weight-...inefficient-split-maybe-read-first-34522.html

As far as stretching goes... I'm a little fuzzy in that area. From what I hear, I believe (but don't hold me to these words) that dynamic stretching before a run is ideal, and static stretching after. I've lately been neglecting to stretch at all.. I just do a warm-up before a run. I'm pretty much asking for an injury in a lot of ways... heh..
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Very good advice, thank you Ace.

You know, I actually doubt that you will ever get injured from not stretching. Because let me tell you why... I have been running for a long time now and I never stretch before I run or before I do my sit-ups and push-ups and I never get hurt by any of it so I don't think you really have anything to worry about.

Besides that your body will heal itself and if you think about it... exercise, in and of itself is an injury. Every time you exercise you are pulling and tearing at your muscles and then they get hurt and they fill with blood and heal up and it builds new muscles so you will be fine without stretching I think.

And yeah you are right about the fat-burning, I need to stick with cardio. Is biking and running good for cardio you think??
 
Running has worked wonders for me. I find running on a treadmill less effective then outside because there is some softening to your step. If you run on the street and keep your abs tight you'll make huge gains.
 
fit chickett said:
Running has worked wonders for me. I find running on a treadmill less effective then outside because there is some softening to your step. If you run on the street and keep your abs tight you'll make huge gains.
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Yes that is a good point chickett but... I have heard that running is bad for your legs and your knees, especially on hard streets. Is this true?
 
There's no denying that running does tend to lead to injuries... after all, there's a lot of heavy pounding involved with every step. It isn't easy at all on the joints.

But you can't just resolve to not ever run again because there's a slight risk of injury, can you? I've found that a lot of the people who get injuries from running run a LOT. As in close to an hour a day. Six or seven days a week. Injuries just never really bothered me. If something didn't feel right, I took some time off from running. Usually I would be good to go in about a week. You can usually tell, so just don't push it at these times. Be smart about it and the odds of injuring yourself are slim.

I agree with chickett about treadmills. Stabilizing muscles (such as those in the abs) don't get much work from running on a treadmill, since every step is the same as the last. This only really will matter to those whose goal is to run faster. But given how easy it is to just go run outside, why wouldn't you just do that?

And cycling is a perfectly fine type of cardio. It isn't the best for fat burning, but it's excellent cross-training for a running schedule. And, if you are worried about injuries, unlike me, it's easy on the joints. Running and cycling complement each other well I think.

I get the feeling my attitude toward stretching and injury is going to be the undoing of me someday.. ah well.
Best of luck to you all
 
Acein91 said:
There's no denying that running does tend to lead to injuries... after all, there's a lot of heavy pounding involved with every step. It isn't easy at all on the joints.

But you can't just resolve to not ever run again because there's a slight risk of injury, can you? I've found that a lot of the people who get injuries from running run a LOT. As in close to an hour a day. Six or seven days a week. Injuries just never really bothered me. If something didn't feel right, I took some time off from running. Usually I would be good to go in about a week. You can usually tell, so just don't push it at these times. Be smart about it and the odds of injuring yourself are slim.

I agree with chickett about treadmills. Stabilizing muscles (such as those in the abs) don't get much work from running on a treadmill, since every step is the same as the last. This only really will matter to those whose goal is to run faster. But given how easy it is to just go run outside, why wouldn't you just do that?

And cycling is a perfectly fine type of cardio. It isn't the best for fat burning, but it's excellent cross-training for a running schedule. And, if you are worried about injuries, unlike me, it's easy on the joints. Running and cycling complement each other well I think.

I get the feeling my attitude toward stretching and injury is going to be the undoing of me someday.. ah well.
Best of luck to you all
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Good advice!

I disagree though man I think you will be fine without stretching. I never stretched and I have never been injured... I think probably because I am very careful about it just like you. If something feels wrong then just stop exercising for a while until it heals up good.
 
Question for Chillen, regarding "incorrect" sit up technique. I understand people want to have a six pack. But besides that goal, why would it be terrible to do sit ups to work the hip flexors, as they are a very important muscle for walking and running. Just because we can't see them when they're flexed doesn't mean they don't have to be worked right?
 
Dry said:
Question for Chillen, regarding "incorrect" sit up technique. I understand people want to have a six pack. But besides that goal, why would it be terrible to do sit ups to work the hip flexors, as they are a very important muscle for walking and running. Just because we can't see them when they're flexed doesn't mean they don't have to be worked right?
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According to wikipedia sit-ups do work the hip-flexors quite well but it also notes on there that sit-ups can actually be injurious to your spinal column and it suggests that people should switch to crunches if they've been doing sit-ups so that has basically convinced me right there to stick with crunches.

It is up to everyone to make their own judgement call on their work out program but personally I am not going to ever go back to sit-ups unless that spinal column jazz is debunked somehow.
 
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