Ab Training Myth: Sit Ups For Great Abs

Contrary to everything that we have heard over the years, you will find that sit ups are not going to help you get leaner abs. In fact, sit ups are more or less redundant when you really go to look at things.

What do I mean? After all, aren’t ab crunches the same thing as sit ups? The answer to that would have to be a resounding, NO! Ab crunches although similar to sit ups, are not the same thing.

On the face of it the principle is the same; it’s only when you go deeper that you see the difference. To begin with sit ups require you to come fully upwards towards your knees, whereas crunches only require you to lift a few inches off the ground.

The difference lies in this fact; and the redundancy of sit ups lies in the fact that going beyond a certain point, that is, raising your upper body up off the floor beyond a certain point does nothing for your abdominal muscles, and in some instances, if this is not done properly the sit up will work your hip muscles or strain your back and shoulder muscles.

So, no, the sit up is not the same as the crunch, since the crunch relies only on your ab muscles to pull you up, and doesn’t place extra strain on any other part of you. To see how to do a crunch, go to the sections entitled, “The crunch”, and “The crunch with the exercise ball”.

The verdict: Sit ups are not what you need to help you get better defined abs. Crunches are the way to go!

For more info on abs training, go to: Firm & Flatten Your Abs.