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Prisoner Half Sit-Up

A half sit-up performed with hands laced behind the head, removing arm swing so the abs alone raise the torso through the strongest half of the range.

AbsBodyweightTrunk flexion
GoLightWeight mediaprisoner-half-sit-up-male

Demonstration coming soon

Primary

Rectus abdominis

Secondary

ObliquesHip flexors

Equipment

Bodyweight

Pattern

Trunk flexion

Setup

  1. 01Lie on your back with knees bent about 90 degrees and feet flat.
  2. 02Lace your fingers behind your head with elbows wide.
  3. 03Press the lower back gently toward the mat.
  4. 04Keep the elbows in your peripheral vision as a form reference.

Execution

  1. 01Exhale and curl the torso up to roughly 45 degrees off the floor.
  2. 02Keep the elbows wide and the hands passive behind the head.
  3. 03Pause briefly at the halfway point.
  4. 04Lower under control until the shoulder blades touch the mat.

Checkpoints

  • -Elbows stay wide and never swing forward for momentum.
  • -Hands cradle the head without pulling the neck.
  • -The torso stops around 45 degrees, short of a full sit-up.
  • -Feet stay flat without an anchor.

Common mistakes

  • -Yanking the head forward with the laced hands.
  • -Throwing the elbows forward to cheat the rep.
  • -Coming all the way up so the hip flexors finish the movement.
  • -Letting the feet lift as fatigue sets in.

Programming notes

  • -Use 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 strict reps.
  • -The hands-behind-head position makes this harder than an arms-forward half sit-up, so cut reps accordingly.
  • -Progress toward full sit-ups or weighted variations once form holds for 15 reps.

Related exercises

Half Sit-Up

Bodyweight / Abs

Quarter Sit-Up

Bodyweight / Abs

Sit-Up with Arms on Chest

Bodyweight / Abs

Crunch (Hands Overhead)

Bodyweight / Abs

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