The situp with arms on chest is a classic abdominal exercise that targets the abs and also engages the hip flexors. It is performed by lying on your back, crossing your arms over your chest, and lifting your upper body towards your knees.
Also Works
Hip Flexors
How to Perform
1
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2
Cross your arms over your chest.
3
Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground towards your knees.
4
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Cross your arms tightly over your chest to prevent using arm momentum to swing yourself up.
•Curl up by engaging your abs first, rolling your spine off the floor one vertebra at a time.
•Lower yourself back down with a slow 3-second count rather than flopping back to the floor.
Common Mistakes
•Anchoring the feet and using hip flexor strength to yank the torso up instead of curling through the abs.
•Throwing the arms forward to generate momentum at the bottom of the movement.
•Performing the movement too quickly and relying on momentum rather than muscular contraction.