As there are many variations of sit-ups, there are just as many ways to do them incorrectly. In fact, most of us pull on our necks, pike our bodies and engage our legs and back way too much, never benefiting from the stomach workout we are trying for. The problem usually is positioning, or the fact that we are simply not strong enough for certain stomach exercises and overcompensate by using muscles we shouldn’t. How often have you heard someone say they can’t do sit-ups because the exercise hurts their back? Or a person will complain that they do so many sit-ups in one session but never see the results of all their hard work.
The problem with traditional sit-ups is that they are almost always performed on a floor. Even with a mat below you, the potential for bad form and discomfort are compounded when you are lying flat. Unless you are engaging your stomach correctly (think of pulling your navel to your back, this is called ‘engaging’ the abdominal) you are most likely not seeing (or feeling) the full benefit from your sit-ups. The lower back pops up, the legs rise off the floor, a person pulls their chin into their chest; all in the hopes of getting higher into in the crunch of their sit-up. Think for a moment how much better it would be if you could get up off the floor, be in a position where you had no choice but to engage those stomach muscles and at the same time save your back from hours of agony…all the while executing a perfect sit-up.
We have all seen those large inflatable exercise balls made popular in Pilate classes. Almost any exercise you do on a mat or machine can be done on one of these balls and in fact, in many cases, the exercise can be done better; when it comes to sit-ups, these balls are a perfect!
First of all, and most importantly, when you lie back on an exercise ball, your back is supported. Though it can be tricky for a first time user, with a few minutes of simple positioning you will find good back support when you do lie back, and without even realizing it you will be ‘engaging’ your stomach muscles in a way you have never done before. In order to keep your balance on the ball you have to keep your ‘core’, or your abdominal muscles working. Even before you even attempt a sit-up you are exercising those muscles in a way you can’t when laying flat on a floor. Now try a sit-up, you are already supported and your stomach is engaged because you are involuntarily trying to keep your balance!
If you are a beginner:
1) Keep yourself in a position where your butt is on the ball.
2) The more you move off the front of the ball, the less of your body that is on the ball, the harder a sit-up will be (and to keep your balance).
3) Relax, keep as much of yourself on the ball as you need to and attempt just a slight rise of your shoulder blades, just doing the slightest crunch.
4) Immediately you will see and feel how much more concentrated this sit-up is, how much deeper you feel the exercise.
If you are a person with strong abdominal muscles and more advanced:
1) Try scooting off the ball as far as you can.
2) Remember to not let your butt drop down, keep it up and supported by widening your legs and using your stomach muscles.
3) Reach back, stretching back across the ball and pull up for your sit-up is a more challenging way.
Don’t be discouraged though. People who can execute a perfect sit-up on a floor often find these ‘ball’ sit-ups much harder. But nothing beats the back support you get laying across an inflatable exercise ball and there is no way you can engage your stomach muscles this well with traditional sit-ups. For such a small investment, the exercise ball will literally save your back!