What are reverse sit-ups?

Sit-ups are a common exercise that everyone knows. Almost everyone can do it. It can exercise the body, shape the body, and lose weight. It has many benefits. Reverse sit-ups, as the name suggests, are sit-ups done in the opposite direction, but this is not the case. Everyone may not be familiar with this term, so let's talk about what reverse sit-ups are.

Sit-ups are an important part of physical exercise, and some people even misunderstand that they can help lose belly fat. The main function of sit-ups is to strengthen the abdominal muscles. If done correctly, sit-ups can not only increase the elasticity of the abdominal muscles, but also protect the back and improve the body posture. On the other hand, if performed improperly, sit-ups are not only a waste of time, but can even be harmful.

According to Stamford (1997), the correct way to do sit-ups is as follows: Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent to about 90 degrees and your feet flat on the ground. Do not fix your feet on flat ground (for example, have a companion hold your ankles with their hands), otherwise the thigh and hip flexor muscles will join in the work, reducing the workload of the abdominal muscles. Furthermore, straight-leg sit-ups will increase the burden on the back and easily cause damage to it. The position of your hands should be determined based on the strength of your abdominal muscles, as the closer your hands are to your head, the more strenuous it will be to do sit-ups. Beginners can place their hands on both sides of the body. Once they have adapted or their physical fitness has improved, they can cross their hands in front of their chest. Finally, you can also try crossing your arms behind your head, but each hand should be placed on the shoulder on the opposite side of your body. Never cross your fingers and place them behind your head to avoid straining your neck muscles when exerting force. This will also reduce the workload of your abdominal muscles.

It is better to use a slower speed when performing it, just like slow motion playback. As your abdominal muscles pull your body upward, you should exhale, ensuring that all the muscles deeper in the abdomen are working at the same time.

After lifting your body 10 to 20 centimeters off the ground, tighten your abdominal muscles and pause for a moment, then slowly lower your body back to its original position. When your back touches the ground, you can start the next cycle of movement. During sit-ups, the abdominal muscles are only involved in the initial stages of the exercise, after which the hip flexors take over the task. By the same token, turning the body at the end of sit-ups (right elbow touching left knee, left elbow touching right knee, etc.) will not only not help strengthen the abdominal muscles, but may even cause trauma to the lower back due to the pressure caused by the turning.

Beginners should avoid doing too many sit-ups at one time. At first, you can try 5 times, and then add one more time each time you practice, until you reach about 15 times. At this time, you can try to do one more set, until you reach 3 sets.

*Three misconceptions about sit-ups

Misconception 1: Some people don’t have time to go to the gym to exercise, so they choose to do some basic and effective simple exercises at home to exercise their bodies, hoping to achieve the effect of losing weight. Sit-ups are a method chosen by many people. Many people think that as long as they keep doing it, they can achieve the goal of losing weight.

Correction: Simply relying on sit-ups can only achieve local fitness effects, because sit-ups directly target the abdominal muscle groups. Long-term exercise may strengthen the abdominal muscles, but other parts of the body, such as the thighs and buttocks, will get less exercise. Therefore, the first point to note is to effectively combine sit-ups with other fitness methods to achieve the perfect weight loss effect.

Misconception 2: Many people usually do sit-ups quickly and vigorously, thinking that this is a sign of strengthened abdominal muscles. In fact, doing so can easily strain the abdominal muscles.

Correction: The correct way to do it is to cross your arms in front of your chest, and control the force of your abdomen when sitting up. Or you can increase the difficulty by placing your hands behind your head and spreading your elbows as far as possible to achieve the desired exercise effect.

Misconception 3: Many people's bodies will unnaturally deviate in a certain direction when doing sit-ups. This is wrong, as it will cause uneven training of the abdominal muscles and thus distort your body shape.

Correction: You should try to control the direction of getting up and lying down, do not deviate from the straight line, and slow down the speed to exercise the control ability of the abdominal muscles. It is best to feel the movement of the abdominal muscles when getting up.

Through the introduction, everyone has a certain understanding of reverse sit-ups, and it is completely possible to do them in life. This exercise has many benefits to the body, but the method must be appropriate. You must understand the method before doing it. If the method is inappropriate, it will be a waste of time and will be harmful to the body. Another important point is that persistence in doing it is the key to victory.