help needed. via sit ups

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Jade1x
Jade1x Posts: 166
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi i want to start doing sit ups, some people say they wont be affective if not done with cardio :/
so im a little confussed is it best to do cardio exercise then the sit ups?

So its no good just doing sit ups on thier own?

:blushing:

Replies

  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
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    Not sure what your question is. Sit up's are plenty effective for strengthening your stomach muscles.
    What is your goal? If you have extra weight to lose then the fat will be layered over strong stomach muscles.
    If you are trying to 'spot tone' an area then yes you will need to incorporate cardio in order to lose fat.
  • sadlazarus
    sadlazarus Posts: 76
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    No use doing any one exercise on it's own, unfortunately.
    If you're looking for a flat belly, sit ups or what have you are fine and will tone the muscle, but you need cardio and lots of it to burn the fat that's resting on the muscle to be able to see them.
  • 44longcopse
    44longcopse Posts: 15 Member
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    I would have said it was worth doing if you just want to tone the muscles but im not sure it will actually burn the fat. I have also found doing an exercise called the plank really good at toning the stomach.
  • mishmash73
    mishmash73 Posts: 166 Member
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    There are tons of ways to work your abs withour doing "crunches"....

    planks - static side planks, side plank dips, extended arm planks, planks on the elbows, spiderman planks (google it), etc.
    mountain climbers, pushups & burpees work your abs...

    you can do plank surrenders... go in push up (plank) position with arms extended... go down on your L elbow, down on your R elbow, go back up to extended L arm, extended R arm... they are killers! do planks with your feet on that bouncy ball, or go on your knees, elbows on the bouncy ball & roll out, then back in...

    also, if you are overweight, working your abs won't help show your 6 pack... you need to lose the weight.

    I would suggest (which is what my trainer does with me)... that you do something along the lines of...

    10 spiderman planks, 20 mtn climbers, 10 plank surrenders, 20 burpees, etc.

    to mix in cardio, your goal is to do cardio long enough to get your heart rate up there... then do your slower core movement,,, then back to get your heart rate up...

    Good luck!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    I'm not really sure why you are planning on just doing sit ups but this article is helpful to understand abs a little better.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/top-10-ab-splitting-exercises.html
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
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    You can't do enough situps or crunches in the world to lose fat around your belly. If you want a 6 pack - cardio. Even then for women it's not always effective. I do lots of cardio and lots of ab work. My obliques are visible but still not the 6 pack and I am at 18.9% body fat... Trying to get down to 16-17 and see then. Situps are always good though, a tone core makes your body more able to do all other exercises.
  • mslh84
    mslh84 Posts: 180
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    I can't ever do situps, and rarely crunches...I guess I don't do them right, b/c they always hurt my lower back...so i'm glad my gym has a machine for this purpose

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