3/4 Sit-Up

Setup

1. 01Lie on your back on a mat with knees bent about 90 degrees.
2. 02Plant both feet flat on the floor at hip width.
3. 03Place hands lightly behind the head or crossed on the chest.
4. 04Press the lower back gently into the mat before the first rep.

Execution

1. 01Exhale and curl the trunk up, peeling the spine off the mat one segment at a time.
2. 02Stop about three quarters of the way to vertical, before the abs unload onto the hip flexors.
3. 03Hold the top position briefly with the abs fully contracted.
4. 04Lower under control without letting the shoulder blades fully rest on the mat between reps.

Checkpoints

• -Abs stay under tension for the entire set.
• -Chin stays off the chest and the neck stays relaxed.
• -Feet stay planted without being anchored down.
• -The stopping point is consistent rep to rep.

Common mistakes

• -Sitting all the way up and resting at the top.
• -Yanking on the head with the hands.
• -Using momentum by throwing the arms forward.
• -Letting the lower back arch off the mat at the bottom.