Are Sit Ups Bad For Your Back?

You must have heard this:

“Sit Ups…

...won’t get you a six pack.”

...will hurt your back.”

...are not safe.”

So, are Sit Ups really such a useless and dangerous exercise? Should you avoid them in your bodyweight workouts?

Before we start, let’s make one thing clear:

Doing tons of Sit Ups won’t get you a six pack. In fact, doing too much of any abs exercise won’t get you there. Here’s what to focus on if you want to see your abs.

The Sit Up debate

Performing the Sit Up involves the movement of flexing your back. The flexing, as such, is not dangerous. It’s the combination of other factors, such as a sedentary lifestyle, over-training, no workout variation and much more that can make it a problem.

If you do them correctly and moderately, Sit Ups are an exercise just like any other. They are safe to use as a part of a varied workout program consisting of other abs exercises, too.

The safest and most effective way to build amazing strength in your abs is to progressively train for advanced skills. Step by step tutorials for Front Lever and Human Flag can be found in the Platinum Pack.

Read this before you do Sit Ups

However, there are some important considerations:

Correct form is very important. If you can’t do them right, don’t do them at all. How to do it? Scroll down for instructions.

Don't jump right into it. If you're a total beginner in exercising, spend some time working on abdominal stability and strength with exercises such as Planks, Contralateral Limb Raises, Crunch variations such as Heel Touch Crunches and Bicycle crunches performed slow and focused on using your abs. You can find them all in the free Madbarz App.

Some people should avoid Sit Ups in general. The elderly, people with osteoporosis or a history of low back pain should avoid Sit Ups and Crunches. It’s always best to take the advice of a medical professional about your workout if you have previous injuries.

Correct form

Check out the video, details below:

Do:

• Initiate the movement by contracting your abs while keeping your pelvis stable
• Look straight ahead of you
• Keep your chin and chest up

Don't:

• Pull your head/neck with your hands
• Anchor your feet to something to make it easier
• Initiate the movement by tilting your pelvis forward