Barbell Press Sit-Up

Setup

1. 01Lie on the floor with knees bent and feet flat, holding an empty or lightly loaded bar.
2. 02Start with the bar resting across the chest in a shoulder width grip.
3. 03Optionally anchor the feet under a rack or heavy dumbbells.
4. 04Brace and tuck the chin slightly before the first rep.

Execution

1. 01Exhale and sit up while keeping the bar tight to the chest.
2. 02As the torso passes 45 degrees, press the bar overhead to lockout.
3. 03Hold the top briefly with the bar stacked over the shoulders.
4. 04Lower the bar back to the chest, then roll the trunk down under control.

Checkpoints

• -The bar finishes stacked over the shoulders and hips at the top.
• -Wrists stay neutral and stacked under the bar during the press.
• -The trunk lowers segment by segment, not in one flop.
• -Bar path stays close to the face on the way up and down.

Common mistakes

• -Pressing too early and using the bar's momentum to sit up.
• -Loading so heavy the sit-up turns into a hip-flexor heave.
• -Letting the bar drift forward at lockout.
• -Dropping the trunk back to the floor with the bar still overhead and unstable.