How to do a sit-up
The sit-up takes you from lying down all the way up to sitting. It trains your abs and hip flexors through a bigger range of motion than the crunch.
Step by step
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat, tucked under something sturdy if you need to.
- Cross your arms over your chest.
- Curl your head and shoulders up, then keep going until you are sitting upright.
- Pause with your chest close to your knees.
- Roll back down slowly, one part of your back at a time.
Advertisement
Common mistakes the coach checks
- Not sitting up. Sit all the way up until your chest is close to your knees.
- Not quite upright. Finish each sit-up sitting tall.
- Dropping back down. Roll back down slowly instead of falling back — your abs work on the way down too.
Sets and reps
Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 sit-ups. A slow lowering makes them harder without adding reps.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Do crunches instead, or reach your hands toward your knees to help yourself up.
- Harder: Hold a weight at your chest, or take three seconds to lower.
Stay safe
If sit-ups bother your lower back, do crunches instead. Don’t yank yourself up with your arms or your neck.
Check your form with the AI coach
Put your phone on the floor, 2 m to your side, in landscape — head to feet in the frame. Side-on I can see you come all the way up and lower back down. Then press Start training and go: there's nothing to pick, the AI detects that you're doing sit-ups, counts your reps and tells you out loud when your form slips.
Start trainingJust counting? See the free sit-up counter.
More core guides
Advertisement