The Truth About Sit-Ups: Why They Aren't as Good As You Think

In the clinic, people often ask for advice on what exercise they should be doing. Also with the modern way of living and more sedentary lifestyle, for many people the core muscles become weak leading to many spinal problems. What many people tend to do in order to strengthen their core muscles is to do sit ups.

Now, It's time to face the facts: sit-ups aren't as beneficial to your health as you might believe. While they were once a standard part of basic workouts, researchers have shown that they don't reduce your waistline or remove abdominal fat. Importantly, sit-ups are also not the ideal method to build your core or to keep it flexible and resilient !

Here are five reasons why sit-ups aren't the best way to strengthen your core:

They Aren't The Best Way To Stretch Your Core

The rectus abdominus is the muscle that's targeted with sit-ups, and it doesn't actually need to be stretched. In fact, stretching this muscle can do more harm than good - leading to pain and discomfort.

Rather, the best way to help your core is through strengthening exercises. These include:

- Planks

- Bridges

- Leg lifts

They Put Pressure On Your Back And Neck

The most frequent injury people experience when doing sit-ups is a strained back or neck, according to a study published by The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. In fact, out of all the injuries reported in this study, sit-ups were one of the most likely exercises to cause injury.

Sit-Ups Only Work Your Rectus Abdominus Muscle

While your abdominal muscles are important for core strength and stability, they're not the only ones involved. In fact, there are a host of other muscles that make up your core - including the transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, and quadratus lumborum. Sit-ups only work your rectus abdominus muscle - which is one of four muscles in your abdominal region.

They Aren't As Effective As Plank Exercises

Plank exercises are a better way to work your core, as they activate all four of the muscles in your abdominal region. This makes them more effective than sit-ups at strengthening the core and preventing injury.

Sit-Ups Don't Burn Calories

If you're hoping that a few extra sit-ups each day will help you lose weight - it's time for a reality check: although they might make you sweat a little, sit-ups won't help you burn any significant number of calories. In fact, they're not even the best way to do this!

To summarize 

So there you have it - five reasons why sit-ups aren't as good for your health as you think. So, if you're looking for an effective and injury-free way to strengthen your core, what should you be doing instead?

Generally speaking, research suggests that a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training is best for reducing your waistline. In terms of specifically targeting the abdominal area, researchers suggest exercises like planks or bridges which work from different angles to target more muscle groups at once. For those who want to stay loyal to their sit-ups, it's important they not only use the proper technique but also vary them up by adding variations such as crunches and bicycle crunches into their routine too!

If in doubt about what exercise is the best for you, ask one of our clinicians or myofascial therapists or seek advice from a professional trainer.