Weighted situps form

[mrRuckus]

how are you supposed to sit up?

You can initiate the lean forward by bending your back and you feel it more in the abs or try to keep your back straight throughout which seems to let the hips do most of the work until near the top.

Is most of the benefit from situps in slowly lowering yourself? Going down slowly i feel it more in my abs than during the actual sit up.

I feel situps just annoy my lower back in general after a few reps and i usually quit because of the discomfort there instead of my abs failing. The same with crunches. (i've been doing a few crunches everyday just to help activate my abs and get over my hip dominance).

I got to the point of doing 3x10@115 lb situps on my chest and am now doing 3x10@40 lbs behind my head (which is pretty annoying to have to hold)

 

[Quiksilver]

I heard somewhere that sit-ups are bad for the lower back. I still do them, but a while ago when I used to do them I felt a click in my back each rep, so I stopped. It seems to be okay for now, so I continue.

 

[Drum&Bass]

I heard somewhere that sit-ups are bad for the lower back

This is absolutely correct. if your gonna do situps do them on an incline sit up bench.

how are you supposed to sit up?

you hold the weight over your head as much as possible or in front of your face lower your body parallel to the ground and you do them on a sit up bench (incline) , not on a flat surface.

Is most of the benefit from situps in slowly lowering yourself? Going down slowly i feel it more in my abs than during the actual sit up.

you benefit from extending and contracting, the muscle does MORE work to raise you up with resistance.

 

[future_strongguy]

According to Anthony Ellis, you get more out of the negative motion (the motion resisting gravity), than the positive motion. So when you are doing an exercise like pull ups, you should lengthen the motion going down for as long as possible.

 

[Master Bates]

According to Anthony Ellis, you get more out of the negative motion (the motion resisting gravity), than the positive motion. So when you are doing an exercise like pull ups, you should lengthen the motion going down for as long as possible.

Umm, aren't your "resisting gravity" when pulling up?

 

[spesmilitis]

I do em on the decline press station. I keep my back straight to use the hips more. I think for this case compound> isolation. Never had any lower back issues when I kept my back straight.

I like to lower myself with control, not let my self fall down. But I don't go any slower than I have to.

 

[spesmilitis]

According to Anthony Ellis, you get more out of the negative motion (the motion resisting gravity), than the positive motion. So when you are doing an exercise like pull ups, you should lengthen the motion going down for as long as possible.

As long as possible? So if I can take 30 seconds to lower myself for each rep I should do so?

I think as long as you don't let you're self fall down it'll be alright. Stronglifts said here a while back that some exercises don't benefit from a negative motion like the BOR.

 

[Drum&Bass]

I do em on the decline press station.

woop' sorry i meant to type decline*

 

[Master Bates]

incline, decline.....what does that mean as far as which way you're positioned doing the situps? When you're at rest is your head supposed higher or lower than your waist?

 

[Quiksilver]

I believe your best bet is to go 2/4. Two seconds up(explosive), four seconds down(controlled). Any longer is bordering on isometrics, or statics.

 

[fireguy]

I don't really see a need for direct ab training if you're allready doing squats and deadlifts. Those thickened up my abs with no direct ab training. But if you must train the abs, I'd go with cable crunshes 12 reps and six sets on leg day.

 

[EFFORT]

I don't really see a need for direct ab training if you're allready doing squats and deadlifts. Those thickened up my abs with no direct ab training. But if you must train the abs, I'd go with cable crunshes 12 reps and six sets on leg day.

you def need to be doing HEAVY ab work or your going to hurt yourself once the weight gets heavy with squats and deads

 

[spesmilitis]

you def need to be doing HEAVY ab work or your going to hurt yourself once the weight gets heavy with squats and deads

Dam, I always done it but never knew I defiantly had to do it.

Is heavy decline situps the best? What other exercises are 'heavy ab workouts'?
I know a lot of 'core' exercises (overhead squats, waiter walks, hanging leg raises) but I'm not sure if they count as what you're talking about.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

Crunches??

 

[Drum&Bass]

Crunches are like push-ups, they'll only take you so far.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

duh haha...i meant weighted crunches

 

[Drum&Bass]

nothing beats an incline

 

[I-tallionStallion]

I disagree...i like decline weighted crunches...doesn't incline defeat all purpose?

 

[Drum&Bass]

I thought you meant crunches on a flat surface.

decline crunches are awesome

 

[Firsty]

Throwing my two cents, been gyming for about 2 yrs now best friend is learning to become a personal trainer. Too much "weighted" situps will likely lead to a powerlifters belly rather than deffinition, strength is attained through slow controlled motions and tone through diet cardio diet and more cardio and also more diet, good diet tho +cardio. lol. Anyways swiss ball is a good sit up, keep ur back straight and start with ur neck supported on the ball lifting ur back/bottom up to the air and then rolling forward into the crunch.
and whoever said incline probably ment decline cause incline situps would be kinda pointless.