For many of you, sit ups are not something that you may consider as part of your daily
routine.
However health experts say they are very useful.
And the best part?
You don’t have to go to the gym or own any special equipment.
You can build muscle and get your heart pumping anywhere using your own body weight.
Sit-ups have a wide range of benefits and in today’s video we will be telling you
all about them.
So keep watching till the end!
How to do a proper Sit Up?
Before we go into the actual health benefits, it is very important for you to know how to
do a basic sit up.
In the beginning, keep three things in mind:
Never anchor your legs Always maintain a posterior tilt or ensure
your lower back is completely on the ground.
Do not strain your neck by tucking it in.
With that said, now you are ready to do your first sit up - slowly and correctly.
Sit on a mat.
Keep your legs hip-width apart, feet flat on the floor, hands placed on the sides of
your thighs, and spine straight.
Roll back down until your upper back touches the mat, and your knees are pointing toward
the ceiling.
When you lie down, your lower back is curved, which is known as anterior tilt.
This is dangerous for your spine while doing sit-ups.
Change the anterior tilt to a posterior tilt by pushing your pelvic region up so that your
lower back is touching the mat completely.
Engage your core.
Keep your neck in line with the spine, look diagonally up at the ceiling, and inhale.
Exhale and use your core muscles to sit up.
As you do so, your hands will slide up from your thighs to your knees.
Keep your shoulders relaxed.
Inhale and slowly roll back down to the starting position.
Make sure your lower back is completely flat on the mat.
Again, exhale and sit up.
A couple of Things to Keep in mind are:
Remember to do it slowly so that you engage your ab muscles and not the hip flexors to
push your body up.
Always maintain a posterior tilt.
Constantly changing from anterior to posterior tilts will put a lot of stress on your spine
and eventually lead to lower back pain or a slipped disc.
Moving On, let’s talk about the actual health benefits of Push Ups:
Strengthens Various Muscles: Contrary to any misconception, sit-ups do not solely work
on your abs.
In fact, they work out quite a number of muscle groups in your body.
The first ones are the Stabilizer muscles.
These are tasked with connecting a wide range of muscle groups, which facilitates your ability
to use them in a coordinated manner.
The stabilizer muscles are usually thoroughly worked when you’re doing sit-ups.
The other muscle groups worked are your Leg muscles.
They greatly benefit from regular sit-ups which is crucial for improved mobility.
The third group of muscles are the Hip flexors.
These are responsible for connecting the stabilizers, which in turn, facilitates your ability to
bend and rotate.
And the last ones are your Back muscles.
Sit-ups are especially ideal for working out your back muscles, which are perceived as
a core muscle group.
These are required in your everyday movements, helping you lift things.
Strengthens your core: You know how much core strength is necessary right?
If not, then imagine you are standing and your back hurts for no reason and you’re
no longer to stand anymore.
This is the result of a weak core.
Your core muscles are responsible for helping you perform activities like lifting weights,
general movements like bending and standing straight, giving balance to your body and
strengthening your back to perform athletic activities with ease.
Doing sit-ups regularly builds up those muscles that are responsible for activities like bending,
standing straight or performing other athletic activities.
Sit-ups target those muscle groups and help build a stronger back when given the proper
fuel.
Improves Your Balance and Stability: Doing situps everyday can enhance flexibility, ensuring
that you are sufficiently elastic and in a better position to perform movements you otherwise
couldn’t.
Sit-ups also allow your legs to develop incredible strength that can help you walk and run easier.
Sit Ups also strengthen your core.
Due to this, you won’t lose your ability to perform activities that rely on your core
strength.
Studies reveal that losing your balance or ability to move in your old age can be blamed
on degrading core strength.
Improves your Posture: A good posture not only protects you from injuries, it also ensures
your preparedness against dangerous blows.
Bad posture is actually detrimental to your health as it can cause misalignment of your
spine or neck problems.
Improper posture can also easily lead to long-lasting damage to your body as it means that your
muscles and bones are not held appropriately.
By ensuring everyday growth of your core muscles, regular sit-ups naturally improve your posture.
Stronger and more toned muscles compel your body to compose itself with enhanced power
while being more erect and natural.
Besides, the omission of weight or extra equipment in your exercises ensures that you don’t
end up with disproportionate gains.
Prevents Injuries: Muscle spasms are considered one of the most painful injuries, but if you
have control over your muscles, you can prevent these injuries.
Sit-ups let you control the core muscles that are responsible for giving balance in the
body, providing flexibility and improving posture.
Strengthening your core muscles will prevent loss of balance as you grow old.
Sit-ups give you flexibility in your hip and spinal region allowing more mobility and less
tightness in the muscles.
Increases Muscle Mass: Recent research done on older women showed those who were able
to perform sit-ups have fewer chances of losing muscle mass from their bodies as they age.
This loss of muscle with age is called Sarcopenia, which can be avoided if you are engaged in
exercises that use your abdomen muscles and situps are one of the best ways to do that.
Improves Your Metabolism: Sit-ups are great for reasons beyond their ability to build
up your core strength.
As you improve your body by building muscle, you will need to consume more calories to
effectively maintain these muscles.
This means that you’ll be burning more calories, even when you’re at rest!
This is a great help for your metabolism and can be extremely beneficial for people who
are hoping to lose weight.
Doing sit ups gives you a good ratio of body muscle which is tremendously beneficial because
the effects of increased muscle mass stick with you at all hours of the day, even when
you’re sleeping.
Better Athletic Performance: Core strength and good core control are vital for improving
strength and power.
Whenever you’re doing physical activity, whether it be in sports or your daily life,
your power comes from your core and glutes.
That’s why athletes tend to have nice glutes and trimmer waists.
They’re constantly calling on their core muscles to support them and power them through
maneuvers.
This also translates to fitness for the average person who just wants to be healthier.
By improving your ab and core strength, you’ll find that you’re stronger in all of your
movements.
Having a strong foundation means more speed, strength, and agility.
Improved Flexibility and Range of Motion: Sit-ups can improve your hip and spine flexibility.
This will help you to achieve a greater range of motion, which is a fancy way of saying
that you can control your movements with good form.
As you work against gravity and your spine flexes to lift your torso off of the floor,
you’re practicing stability and control.
At the same time, you’re also moving in a full range of motion as you bring your upper
back toward your knees.
Increased flexibility and range of motion will help you with balance and contribute
to healthier movement patterns.
Moving better during exercise will contribute to your gains, overall health, and the longevity
of your joints.
Better Overall Health: The great thing about sit-ups is that anyone who is relatively healthy
can do them and notice improvements in their health.
Sit-ups are a form of strength and endurance training that contribute to increased spinal
stability.
After the age of 30, your body starts to naturally lose muscle and your metabolism begins to
lose efficiency as the wear and tear on your body increases.
These changes aren’t so noticeable when you’re younger.
However, they become more pronounced in the form of weight gain, aches and pains, joint
discomfort, compromised movement patterns and even injury.
Strength and endurance training help to fortify your heart, improve circulation and encourage
other anti-aging benefits.
While sit-ups alone won’t necessarily result in massive changes, their addition to a sound
fitness routine will yield benefits for your overall health.
So, How many sit ups should you do every day?
If you are just starting out on your fitness journey, start with 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions
using only your bodyweight, and either keep your arms beside you or crossed over your
chest.
Rest for about 60-90 seconds in between sets.
You’ll want about 2 days of rest in between to allow your body to recover.
Try to add more reps as you improve.
Are situps a part of your exercise regime?
Have you ever done them before?
Let us know in the comments section below!