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how to do sit-ups

Where a crunch stops once your shoulder blades leave the floor, sit-ups keep curling until your torso is most of the way to your knees. That longer path asks your abs to work through a bigger range and brings your hip flexors in near the top, which is why many people feel them at the front of the hips too. They suit you if crunches have started to feel short and easy. The honest catch: if your lower back grumbles or your feet keep lifting, stay with crunches a while longer and build strength there first.

▶ watch sit-ups on the dedicated video page

primary musclesabs
also workship flexors, obliques
levelbeginner
equipmentnone — bodyweight
typerep-based

how it’s done, step by step

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
  2. Place your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows wide.
  3. Engage your core and lift your upper body towards your knees, coming up about three-quarters of the way.
  4. Slowly lower your upper body back to the starting position and repeat.

how much: Start with 3 sets of 6–8 reps, and before adding reps, slow the lowering to a count of three.

form tips from the wandelbar coaches

  • Curl up one vertebra at a time, chin slightly tucked, as if peeling your spine off the mat.
  • Keep your elbows wide and let your fingertips rest lightly behind your ears, never laced and pulling.
  • Press your heels gently into the floor so your feet stay planted through the whole lift.

common mistakes

  • Yanking your head forward with your hands — let your hands rest lightly and lead the lift with your breastbone.
  • Dropping back down in one thud — take two to three seconds to lower, rolling down lower back first, shoulders last.
  • Swinging up on momentum — pause at the bottom for a beat so every rep starts from stillness.

make it easier or harder

easier
Reach your arms forward toward your knees instead of placing your hands behind your head; the shorter lever makes each rep lighter.
harder
Extend your arms overhead in line with your ears as you curl up, which lengthens the lever your abs have to lift.
sit-ups halfway up: knees bent, feet flat, hands lightly behind the head
sit-ups — correct starting position

similar bodyweight exercises

plank on forearms: elbows under shoulders, body straight from head to heels plank mountain climbers in high plank: one knee driven toward the chest, hips level mountain climbers crunches at the top: shoulder blades lifted, arms reaching toward the knees crunches bicycle crunches mid-twist: elbow reaching toward the opposite knee, other leg extended bicycle crunches leg raises top position: lying flat, straight legs pointing up at the ceiling leg raises hollow hold: shoulders and straight legs lifted, lower back pressed flat hollow hold

never wonder what to train next

sit-ups is one of 1,300+ exercises in the wandelbar app — where you don’t pick exercises at all. Answer a few questions, get a personal 90-day bodyweight plan, and it reshapes itself after every session. free for 7 days.

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