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[de-lurk]

In about 15 months, I will graduate college and join the Navy. To that end, I've been working out a lot, and seeing some really fantastic changes in strength, stamina, and appearance. I'm doing pushups, situps, karate, cross-country skiing, jogging, and timed mile/1.5 mile runs. I'm planning on starting with pull-ups as soon as I can be un-self-conscious enough to use the pull-up bar in the college rec center.

But despite all this, I've made approximately zero progress on situps. I'm doing as many situps as I can in two minutes, and then keeping at it until I reach a grand total of 105 for the exercise session. I'm doing this somewhere between once and three times a week depending on how busy I am. Here's how many I've been able to do in 2 min.

41
30
43
45
43
51
46
41
39

Now, admittedly this isn't the longest track record – I haven't been incorporating situps into my routine for all that long. But I really should be seeing some improvement by now! Is there any chance I'm missing something obvious?

Try using this
http://www.twohundredsitups.com/
(don't have to buy the app just use the chart)

Hah! I had no idea these people had a 200 situps plan. I've found their 100 pushups plan to be fantastic.

I fail at situps because my muscle-fat ratio is a little skewed.

Remember that sit ups are not an abdominal exercise, but a hip flexor exercise. Some things you can do to improve are weighted decline sit ups keeping your back straight, doing sit ups without foot support is a good one, flutter kicks work the hip flexors, also straight leg raises (these can be done weighted of the end of a bench as well.) These are some ideas, just keep working at it and expand your knowledge of exercises.

Try doing a plank, instead. They're apparently much better than situps since they work more muscles at once.

I would recommend using a pilates ball to do crunches. A lot more muscles are trained at one time, and your abdominals get a bigger workout.

Also, pilates exercises in general are great for core-strengthening.

Once the weather warms up, try climbing trees. Seriously.
(though if you don't feel you can do it safely, then forget I said anything)

--Patrick

ThatNickGuy said:

Try doing a plank, instead. They're apparently much better than situps since they work more muscles at once.

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Not only are planks more effective at building abdominal muscles, they're healthier on your back.

However, not many people realize that doing pushups does the same thing as a plank exercise while working a lot of the upper body too.

PS: There's no reason ever to do a non-weighted situp.

Koko said:

PS: There's no reason ever to do a non-weighted situp.

Click to expand...

There are plenty of reasons to do them. Especially if you are not healthy enough to do weighted sit ups.

sixpackshaker said:

There are plenty of reasons to do them. Especially if you are not healthy enough to do weighted sit ups.

Click to expand...

It doesn't matter how healthy you are there are much better abdominal exercises that are safer on the body.
http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/situps-suck-learn-why-not-to-do-them.html