goal - one sit up

Well, that's about as deflating as it gets. For ****s and giggles I tried pulling off some sit ups. Not crunches, or any other hybrid thing, but old school sit ups. I couldn't complete one. So what is the strategy for getting to a point where someone can do a single situp?

Replies

  • PippiNe
    PippiNe Posts: 283 Member
    Find an abdominal workout plan and do it 2-3 times per week. P90X has an awesome one. Don't get discouraged if you can't manage to do even half of it at first. Do what you can and push yourself. Even 1 week later you'll be impressed how much more of the workout you'll be able to do. You'll be doing old-school situps before you know it!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    Well it's a good thing those are not necessary for getting to goal weight.
  • HerkMeOff
    HerkMeOff Posts: 1,002 Member
    Eat less & move a little more
  • jlmdc29
    jlmdc29 Posts: 26 Member
    This totally happened to me! (or I tried the same thing, however you want to phrase it).
    Step one: Have your child hold your feet and do one. You actually can but its a bit of wiggle
    Step two: Do step one for 5 days
    Step three: Do one on your own for a week
    Step four: Do 5 on your your own for a week
    And repeat adding 1 each week. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but this is how I did it. I only got up to 20 and it took a while.
    Next is push ups:)
  • celmes11
    celmes11 Posts: 58 Member
    I was in the exact same boat, could only do crunches! I have been working out for about 3 months, and this whole time myself I could only do crunches. Then today I was doing a boxing fitness class, and the coach said situps...and I did them. Not only did I do them, I did a 100 of them total! They may not have been pretty but I did them, finally overcame what my brain told me. Set small goals, 5, 10, 20...build up to it
  • pleasurelittletreasure
    pleasurelittletreasure Posts: 236 Member
    I felt the need to confess that a spider would probably make me do a pretty spiffy sit up. And that right quick!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    This totally happened to me! (or I tried the same thing, however you want to phrase it).
    Step one: Have your child hold your feet and do one. You actually can but its a bit of wiggle
    Step two: Do step one for 5 days
    Step three: Do one on your own for a week
    Step four: Do 5 on your your own for a week
    And repeat adding 1 each week. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but this is how I did it. I only got up to 20 and it took a while.
    Next is push ups:)

    This is a great plan. If you have no one to hold your feet, you could lodge them under something like the edge of a bed.

    If you find that uncomfortable there is another variation: hold on to a dumbbell or similar weight with both hands, lie down on your back with straight legs and with your arms stretched on the ground at the same level as the rest of your body above your head. Think superman position, but on your back (but make sure to have a very good mat under you as set ups with straight legs could be taxing for your back). Lift your arms off the ground and towards the front and do a setup. The weight will pull your body forward making it much easier to perform a setup.

    Now, once you are comfortable, try bending your knees like the classic set up dictates. Next step would be to simply use smaller and smaller weights every time you feel you can handle more until you can do it unassisted with free arms. After that, you could advance to the "hands on shoulders" kind.
  • Ryderod
    Ryderod Posts: 103 Member
    Small steps, first try do 1 or 2 semi sit ups, 1/4 or 1/2 way, wherever you can get to. Carry on until you can get to do about half a dozen, while trying every now and then to hit that full movement. In due time you will get there.