Are sit-ups an anaerobic exercise?

Sit-ups are a familiar exercise that people can usually do at home. Doing sit-ups regularly is beneficial to the blood circulation of the body. And if you do it an appropriate number of times every day, it can prevent the occurrence of many diseases. The best effect of exercise is to enable people to get their bodies into the best condition. Are sit-ups an anaerobic exercise?

Are sit-ups an anaerobic exercise?

Sit-ups are anaerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise refers to physical exercise performed by the human body with adequate oxygen supply. Anaerobic exercise refers to the high-speed and intense movement of muscles in a state of "oxygen deprivation". Simply put, when you exercise, if your oxygen intake can keep up with your muscles' demand for oxygen, it is aerobic exercise; if it cannot keep up, it is anaerobic exercise.

Sit-ups are an anaerobic exercise. Since sit-ups involve strong explosive power and fast speed, insufficient oxygen supply to the blood will result in low oxygen intake. Long-term exercise will produce a large amount of lactic acid, causing muscle soreness. Therefore, you must pay attention to the method when doing sit-ups. It is more appropriate to do them in groups, and there must be a certain amount of rest between each group.

Sit-ups are one of the most basic exercises, just like push-ups, and almost everyone has done them. Nowadays, there are still many fitness enthusiasts who regard it as the best choice for training abdominal muscles.

Check out the 3 tips for sit-up exercises

1. Coordinate with breathing

To reduce the belly, you need to coordinate your breathing. The lower abdominal muscles will become firmer, achieving the effect of reducing the belly.

When practicing:

Exhale when you are rising (exerting force) and inhale when you are releasing force. In a static state, for example, when maintaining a 45-degree angle, maintain normal chest breathing and do not hold your breath.

Normally: Abdominal breathing helps to tighten the transverse abdominal muscles. When inhaling, feel the abdominal cavity pulling inward and upward, inhale fully and then exhale deeply. You can consciously practice abdominal breathing when sitting, standing or walking, and make it a habit.

Weight loss principle:

This breathing technique ensures that all the muscles deeper in the abdomen are working at the same time.

2. Standing height: Stay at a 45-degree angle

The higher you stand up, the more effective sit-ups will be. The correct way is to keep your body at a 45-degree angle to the ground as long as possible (at least 30 seconds) to exercise your abdominal muscles most effectively.

3. Don’t hold your head with your hands

The general sense of sit-ups for weight loss is to cross the fingers of both hands and place them behind the head, but in the process of sitting up, you often use the strength of your hands to lift your head, which can easily cause neck muscle strain. The correct way is to cross your arms in front of your chest, or place your hands beside your ears. When sitting up, you should use your abdomen rather than your arms.