If you want to lose belly fat, maybe even see some abs don’t do sit-ups. Sit-ups aren’t good for you.
Sit-ups don’t get you abs and they can hurt your back. If you do suffer from any back issues then the last thing you ever want to do is situps.
So, how do to protect your back and get a flatter, leaner stomach? That’s what you’re about to discover in this quick-to-read article.
Why You Shouldn’t Do Sit-Ups?
Stuart McGill PhD is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the lower back, advising people with the worst back pain, as well as world-class athletes who want to improve their performance by protecting & strengthening their backs.
When it comes to sit-ups according to Stuart. “The spine is flexed into the position at which it damages sooner.”
Extensive studies done by Stuart have found, crunches and traditional sit-ups place 3,300 newtons (the equivalent of 340 kg) of compressive force on the spine when bent in flexion. These forces can squeeze a bent disc’s nucleus to the point that it bulges – pressing on nerves and causing back pain, and potentially leading to a herniated disc.
Take a look at this video of Stuart’s:
Even if your back is in perfect health sit-ups aren’t safe. They are useless because you don’t get abs from doing sit-ups, or a strong core.
Is It OK To Do Sit Ups Every Day?
No, it’s not okay to do sit-ups every day or any day. Don’t ever do sit-ups. If you want abs, a leaner stomach, and stronger core muscles, keep reading to discover effective and importantly safe exercises can you do.
Will 100 Sit-Ups A Day Do Anything?
Yes, you’ll probably end up with back issues, or a serious injury and no abs. 100 sit-ups is a total waste of your time.
If you want to lose belly fat, or get abs. Sit-ups are useless.
Do Sit-Ups Burn Belly Fat?
No, sit-ups do not burn belly fat.
Spot-reduction is a fallacy made up by the fitness industry where you’re lead to believe, you can reduce fat in a certain area by working the muscles in that area. This simply not true.
If you have belly fat the fact is this…
What you’re eating is making you fat. So, the quickest way to get rid of fat is to assess your diet and do strength training. If you’re happy with your diet and you believe it’s healthy, then eat 300 calories less a day for a month, and see if the weight comes off.
What has more impact on belly fat than any exercise you can do, is your diet.
Why Strength Is Potent For Reducing Belly Fat…
Because weightlifting is higher in intensity and demands so much energy, your body requires extra oxygen to recover in the hours after your workout. And using all of this extra oxygen to recover burns calories. In fact, this after-burn effect can last 24-plus hours.
Now here’s what’s exciting for you…
When strength training is combined with a healthy diet, the metabolic boost from strength training helps you get, and stay lean. In fact, research has long shown that weight training can help both men and women improve their body composition, which is how much muscle versus fat you have.
This strength training thing is way more potent for reducing belly fat than any sit-up could ever be.
What Can You Do Instead Of Sit-Ups?
Okay, I’ll say this first for your safety…
If you do have any back issues, any slight issue at all, regardless of what exercises you do for your core muscles, take it easy and only do one exercise per session at the start.
Why?
Because if you do L-Sit holds today you can wake up tomorrow and see how your back feels.
If you did L-Sit holds and ab wheel roll-outs in the one session, and you wake up tomorrow and your back hurts. Which exercise did it?
The aim of ab exercises is, strong core muscles, a side effect you get is a six pack.
Core Strengthen Abdominal Building Exercises In No Particular Order:
Ab Wheel
The ab wheel is an effective movement because it keeps your abdominal muscles under constant tension. You don’t need to roller all the way out to get the ab-making benefits. It’s all about control, control on the way out, and smooth control on the way back in.
There’s a technique to using the ab wheel correctly, you can watch the video to see how to do use the ab wheel.
Feet In Rings Or TRX Knees To Chest
Position #1
You get into the push-up position with your feet in the rings or TRX. For some, just putting their feet into the rings, locking their arms out straight, and keeping their body ridged is enough to start with., and that’s okay. Because even in this position your deep core muscles work hard.
Position #2
From position one, what you want to do is bring your knees up to your chest. Then take your legs back out to straight.
Tips: Tense to your stomach to start with. Pretend someone is going to punch you in the gut, that’s what a tense core feels like.
Done right, this knees to chest exercise nails your core muscles.
L-Sit Holds
You can do this movement using gymnastic rings or do them on dip bars, or even between 2 kettlebells.
If you can’t get your legs out straight and hold. Bring your knees up, and hold your legs at right angles.
This exercise activates your core. It isn’t easy. You might only hold for a couple of seconds to start with. Rest and go again.
Chin-Up With Your Legs Out In Front
You can do this with legs straight out in front of you, or bent at the knees. Straight legs is harder and may take you a bit to build up to.
Chin-ups on their own work your transverse abdominis. With your legs up, your abdominal muscles kick in even harder and you nail your core.
Hollow Rocks
Lay on your back on the floor, with your arms out straight behind your head and your legs out straight. Now make your body rigid, lift your arms off the floor, with your legs straight and glutes tense, push your lower spine into the floor.
Your body should make a small ark.
Now rock back and forth a little. You should now feel this movement in your six pack.
Ring Holds From The Push-Up Position
Position 1 is:
You’re in a push-up position, with your arms locked out straight holding the rings, you want your body nice and flat, tense your stomach muscles.
Now hold this position for 10 seconds, then do 1 push-up. Then get back into position 1 for another 10 seconds.
Rest and repeat for a 2-3 rounds.
Kettlebell or Dumbbells Renegade Row
This is a good one because you’ve got to keep your balance. And you know what’s got work hyper-hard so you keep your balance? That’s right, your core.
Check out this video so you can see how to do them:
You’ve Just Discovered 7 Ways You Can Work Your Abs
You don’t have to do all 7 exercises to get great results, simply pick a couple and do them using proper form. Controlled, smooth movement patterns is your goal.
When you do any one of these 7 exercises, what you’ll feel is you’re working more than just your abs. That’s because these exercises target more muscles than just your core.
What About The Plank for Your Abdominal Muscles?
I believe there are more effective abdominal and obliques-building movements you can do. Like anyone of the 7 above. To find out for yourself test this theory.
If You Have Any Back Issues Maybe Look Into Stuart McGill’s Books
I can’t stress back health enough and looking after your back. An injured back is debilitating for you. I had back issues for two years, I spent a few thousand dollars on treatments trying to rid myself of my bad back. No one could fix it.
I had physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and acupuncturists all say…
“I’ll see you next week, keep coming back for treatments and it’ll get better.”
It didn’t.
Every few months I’d put my back out and could barely walk for days. All the experts did was treat the symptoms not the cause.
In desperation I searched online for answers and stumbled across Stuart McGill PhD website. I read everything, he’d worked with Olympic athletes who’d destroyed their backs, and he fixed them.
Stuart lives in Canada I’m in Australia, I figured my best hope was to purchase his books and try to work it out from there. What I read, learnt and discovered in the books changed my life. Following the simple exercises outlaid in the books, I fixed my back.
If you live in back pain which many people do, try Stuarts books and do the exercises.
Importantly take it easy with any ab exercises when you’re first starting out. And use good form.
Summary Are Sit Ups Good For You?
Situps are not good for you because can damage your back, and in fact, they are useless if you’re looking to lose belly fat.
If you want to lose belly fat and get a si-pack, you’ve got to clean up your diet and maybe reduce the calories you consume by 300 a day over a period of a few weeks. The access is, weight coming off?
If you want to get a stronger core and build your abs do any of the seven exercises shown on this page.
And here’s more ab exercises to help you.
