Janda Sit-Up

Setup

1. 01Lie on your back with knees bent about 90 degrees and feet flat.
2. 02Have a partner hold the backs of your calves, or loop a band behind them anchored in front of you.
3. 03Place hands across the chest or lightly behind the head.
4. 04Before moving, dig the heels down and pull them back against the resistance to fire the hamstrings.

Execution

1. 01Keep pulling the heels toward you throughout the rep to keep the hamstrings on.
2. 02Exhale and curl the trunk up slowly, one spinal segment at a time.
3. 03Rise as far as you can without the feet losing their backward pull.
4. 04Lower over 3 to 5 seconds, maintaining the hamstring contraction to the bottom.

Checkpoints

• -Constant backward heel pressure into the partner's hands or band for every second of the set.
• -The movement is slow and segmental, never a jerk.
• -The feet stay flat; they do not lift or slide forward.
• -Range may be shorter than a normal sit-up; that is expected.

Common mistakes

• -Letting the hamstring contraction fade halfway up, turning it into a normal sit-up.
• -Anchoring the feet under something, which reintroduces the hip flexors.
• -Moving fast and using momentum through the sticking point.
• -Pulling the head forward to fake extra range.