The dangers of sit-ups: damage to the spine!

Sit-ups are a very popular fitness method in modern times, but many people only see the benefits of sit-ups and ignore the harm they do to the human body. Generally speaking, doing sit-ups for a long time may cause injuries, such as spinal injuries.

1. Spinal injury

A proper sit-up will involve the gluteal and abdominal muscles, which requires arching the back and can easily cause damage to the spine. This risk exists not only for people with poor abdominal muscle strength, but also for those who exercise regularly. Their training tasks require enough sit-ups to cause extreme fatigue in the abdominal muscles, which may also lead to spinal injuries. In addition to these risks, the leverage exerted by the gluteal muscles can also compress the lumbar discs. Many U.S. military units have eliminated sit-ups from their training because tests have found that they can cause back injuries and pain or numbness due to spinal cord compression.

2. Gluteal muscles

Some modern studies have shown that sit-ups are only effective for the abdominal muscles within the first 30° of the body being lifted. This effective movement is to lift only the shoulders without lifting the lower back; if you continue to stand up, the contraction of the abdominal muscles will turn into contraction of the gluteal muscles. This kind of muscle division of labor makes it impossible for trainees to achieve the goal of training isolated muscle groups, and the effect is not great. In this way, sit-ups become an exercise that tests the gluteal muscles and spine, rather than simply compressing the spine.

3. Others

Because the exerciser is exercising the hip flexors while using the abdominal muscles, it may cause the back to bend and the spine to be damaged. People with underdeveloped abdominal muscles are particularly susceptible to injury. The leverage of the hip flexors may also lead to lumbar disc compression. In addition, exercisers often subconsciously use their hands and hold their heads tightly when lifting their upper bodies, which invisibly increases the chance of cervical spine injury. For these reasons, many branches of the U.S. military no longer use sit-ups to train their soldiers.

In addition, sit-ups with legs straight are particularly harmful. According to measurements, the force generated on the spine by this exercise posture is highly correlated with low back injuries.