How to Do Sit Ups

Exercise is a major component of a long, active and healthy life. Without proper exercise a person body will begin to rebel against itself. Activity keeps the body fit and trim. However, if people do not perform their exercises correctly it can lead to injury and cause an exercise program to fail. This maxim is true for the sit-up because an incorrectly performed, a sit-up can lead to injury.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Situate yourself on the floor and lie down with your back flat against the floor.
2. Bend your knees until they form an inverted V. You may want to experiment with the degree of knee bend until you are comfortable in the position.
3. Place your feet firmly and squarely on the floor. It is important to have the feet planted correctly to provide a proper base for the sit-up. Some people use a partner to hold their feet in place and others place the feet into sit-up bars or under something else to make sure they remain planted on the floor.
4. Position you hands to side of your head but do not grab or pull the head during a sit up. Some people grab their ears but just placing your hands near the ears should suffice.
5. Raise your upper body towards the knees. Move the body slowly and do not use a sudden abrupt movement to raise the upper body.
6. Touch your elbows to your knees, hold that position for a second or two, and then lower your upper body back down to the floor. The lowering should move as slowly and carefully as the raising of the body. That way a person does not risk injury and works his abdominal muscles raising and lowering during the sit up.
7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 as desired. Remember to listen to your body and stop if there is pain.

Tips & Warnings

• Before performing any exercise consult with a physician to make sure you are healthy enough to undertake this new activity.