Old School Ab Exercise-Effective Or Dangerous?

The sit-up has been ostracized by fitness professionals for some time now. These "experts" claim that sit-ups and their variations are dangerous to your spine. Was this opinion formed after millions of six pack abs hopefuls damaged their backs from performing sit-ups? The answer to this question is clearly no, so where did this opinion come from?

The "never do sit ups during an ab workout" mantra that is chanted throughout gyms across the world actually started in the lab. EMG studies have shown that sit ups do stress the spine more so than crunches do. So what? Lying on a bed of cotton balls stresses the spine less than crunches! Does this mean that lying on cotton balls is better than crunches? Where do we draw the line here? Remember, every exercise is a form of stress on the body. It is that very stress that causes our body to adapt, change, get stronger and thus get a positive training effect.

Now, let's take a second to investigate the sit-up. The main reason why sit-ups add stress to the spine is because of the contribution of the hip flexors during the movement. The critics assert that this hip flexor involvement causes compressive forces in the spine which is why sit-ups should be completely avoided. Do they have a point, or are they overreacting?

Well considering that athletes and fitness enthusiasts have been performing sit ups safely for decades, it should be glaringly obvious that this "fear" is unsubstantiated in the real world. In fact, after being in the fitness industry for over 16 years, I can say with confidence that I have NEVER seen a single back injury result from a set of sit ups.

Even after convincing trainers that sit-ups are not as dangerous as they are claimed to be, many still opt for crunches instead. Now I have nothing against the crunch but sit-ups do have some advantages over the crunch. Let's see why.

It is a fact that your abs only produces movement during the bottom of a sit-up. Once your spine is flexed and you're in the top portion of a crunch, your hip flexors are activated. From this point on, the hip flexors are what finishes the exercise. Although the abs don't produce movement in the top range, they are still working like crazy. This must not be overlooked. The abs continue to contract isometrically (contracting to maintain a joint angle, not move it). This isometric contraction increases the work the abs does, thus leading to a positive response.

Something else to consider is that the sit-up burns more calories than crunches do. Working through a larger range of motion and integrating other muscles besides the abs, makes this possible. Remember, training your abs directly is only half the equation to having a six pack. The other part to this is reducing body fat to unveil your stomach. Burning additional calories will help contribute to this.

Although the sit up is not the greatest ab exercise, I do personally recommend sit ups from time to time to any individual who fits the "sit up" criteria. The criteria are simple: no pre-existing back problems, and a solid base of abdominal strength. Couple that with proper form, and you will not have any problems!