Are sit ups good or bad?

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Replies

  • Posts: 3,515 Member

    Well the President made us do them for his test in gym class! No fair.

    Politicians, eh?

    Maggie Thatcher never made me do anything like that when I were a lad.... but she did take away free school milk, I seem to remember?
  • Posts: 5,263 Member

    Politicians, eh?

    Maggie Thatcher never made me do anything like that when I were a lad.... but she did take away free school milk, I seem to remember?

    Yeah, we had the Presidential fitness tests every year. Had to run a mile, do pullups, sit ups, etc.... I dreaded that day every year.
  • I have had so much conflicting information on sit ups that I honestly don't know whether they are beneficial or harmful, please can someone enlighten me.

    Also - if they are harmful, what is a better alternative?

    There is never anything harmful about wanting a stronger core. Your core helps support your back and your body. There are a lot of things you use your core for so again, wanting a stronger core isn't a bad thing.

    I do a variety of crunches, planks etc. every other day.
  • Posts: 700 Member
    I think the key here is the OP question. She is asking about sit ups. Lots of people are referencing crunches. I also believe a lot of people now days think crunches are sit ups. There is a big difference. Pretty much every person I talk to in the fitness industry says sit ups are now frowned upon because it is so easy to cause injury.

    As others have posted, for strengthening core, compound lifts and planks are the best form of exercise. Also, as others have said, to get definition you need to have less body fat percentage and that is done in the kitchen, not in the gym.
  • Posts: 575 Member

    Yeah, we had the Presidential fitness tests every year. Had to run a mile, do pullups, sit ups, etc.... I dreaded that day every year.

    Which lucky president got the day from hell named after them? I'm not convinced the last two would have been able to do either situps OR pullups!
  • Posts: 24,208 Member

    Which lucky president got the day from hell named after them? I'm not convinced the last two would have been able to do either situps OR pullups!

    Initiated under a Ford program, AFAIK
  • Posts: 107 Member
    Thank you everyone.

    I will continue with sit ups - but will ensure that I engage my core. I will also add in the plank (which I loathe).
  • Posts: 1,128 Member
    Sit-ups with the intention to "tone" your belly and "spot reduce" fat = bad/pointless.
    Sit-ups with the intention to strengthen your core through a progressive dynamic movement = good.

    Just try not to do them off the floor, could hurt your tailbone iirc
  • Posts: 1,623 Member
    I think they're good if you add some weight to them. I like doing with a weight behind my head either on the floor or a decline bench. If you do them weighted and you don't feel them working your abs then you're doing something wrong.
  • Posts: 107 Member
    I think they're good if you add some weight to them. I like doing with a weight behind my head either on the floor or a decline bench. If you do them weighted and you don't feel them working your abs then you're doing something wrong.

    I was trying them weighted (a 5lb weight across my chest) and did feel it in my abs and rest of my core.

    I am doing them on a mat as I feel sure I will fall off a Swiss ball!
  • Posts: 9,026 Member

    I was trying them weighted (a 5lb weight across my chest) and did feel it in my abs and rest of my core.

    I am doing them on a mat as I feel sure I will fall off a Swiss ball!

    you won't. trust me.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVBddP5oW8Y

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imui46JTe7s

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