Is it bad to do sit-ups frequently?

Exercise is very good for the body. It not only makes the body look better, but more importantly, it can help consume excess body fat. If you stick to exercise for a long time, it will be very beneficial to your health. There are many ways and methods of exercise. So are there any downsides to doing sit-ups? Let me give you a detailed introduction below.

Tests have found that sit-ups can cause back injuries, as well as pain or numbness due to spinal cord compression. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), straight-leg sit-ups apply 3,500 N of pressure to the spine, and bent-knee sit-ups apply 3,350 N of pressure to the spine, both exceeding the lower limit of 3,300 N associated with lower back injuries.

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.

Strong rectus abdominis

Strength training exercises like sit-ups and push-ups don't help with spot weight loss. To have strong rectus abdominis muscles, you need to do abdominal training and remove abdominal fat, which requires reducing body fat.

Is there any harm in doing sit-ups? This is a question that many people want to know. After reading the above introduction, everyone will have a more comprehensive understanding. If any exercise is not used correctly or is used excessively, it will not only fail to help the body, but may also cause great harm to the body.