Experts weigh in on the age-old debate of which go-to abs exercise is best for your core strength.
Here’s how to do a sit-up correctly for building core strength, plus the main benefits of sit-ups.
First, lay down on the floor with knees bent and feet flat.
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Your hands can be behind your head, across your chest, or wherever feels comfortable.
Try your best to keep your feet glued to the ground as you come up.
Inhale as you slowly lower back down (without flopping to the floor this helps develop core control).
So sit-ups in addition to standing up regularly and doingexercise snacksfor movement breaks can help counteract a sedentary lifestyle.
But first, here’s a quick refresher on how to do crunches correctly.
With such minimal movement, you’re less likely to injure yourself.
The crunch can also be a helpful foundation for other core movements, such ashollow body holdsanddead bugs.
How to Choose Between Sit-Ups vs. Crunches
Sit-ups and crunches look similar to the untrained eye.
If that’s you, crunches are a better alternative for core strength than sit-ups, says Jeter.
“Sit-ups are a more transferrable exercise [than crunches] in everyday life,” adds Jeter.
“A truly effective workout would include these in addition to sit-ups and crunches.”
And TBH, focusing ononlysit-ups and crunches for core exercises is an outdated way of training, says Jeter.
