Four Tips To Remember
Is your head leaving the floor before your core muscles are
set up?
As you begin EXHALING to commence your sit-up, be sure to
take the time you need to HOLLOW your low abdominals. Then, SOFTEN at your
breastbone and imagine you can melt the base of your ribcage to CONNECT onto
the front of your spine. Do all of this BEFORE your head leaves the floor to
curl forward. A helpful mental cue to start off each sit-up is “exhale to
hollow, soften, connect, now curl.”
These small adjustments link together
your correct core support before adding in the movement. Focus on keeping that
hollowed abs feeling throughout, and as you curl forward think of gliding the
base of your ribcage along the front of the spine.
INHALING: To roll back
down, scoop your abs even deeper. Don’t sacrifice the hollowing aspect for a
higher curl; that will come in time. Taking the time to set up the muscles in
this order can make a real difference to your body shape.
Do you support your head with your hands or not?
Absolutely yes, here’s why: Interlocking your fingers and
allowing the weight of your head to rest fully in your hands will help you
release any unnecessary tension from your neck and shoulders. Then, by sliding
your shoulder blades down your back and away from your ears, you’ll activate
the core muscles in your body to hold the extra weight. When you curl forward,
this set up is more challenging to your abdominals, as the body is supporting
the weight of your heavy head and arms now, rather than your neck and shoulder
muscles.
Are your hip flexors doing the job of your abdominals?
Check that the front of your hips are not gripping. It’s
very natural for the body to want to use hip flexors instead of low abdominals.
Every so often, take your thumb and press down into your front hip area to
ensure the flexors are relaxed before you curl; check again at the height of
your curl as they will constantly want to join in, so keep a watchful eye on
them. Let your tailbone feel weighted into the floor and be vigilant in keeping
the natural curve in your lower back throughout. Your pelvis should be still at
all times during a sit-up.
Feet on the ground?
As the focus is on using the front body muscles, when your
feet stay on the ground you can really concentrate on scooping your low abs.
Lifting your legs often makes hip flexors join in. This can make you lose the
natural curve of the lower back, and the weight of your legs can pull on your
spine and make your back muscles tighten.
Lastly, each time you curl forward, let your exhale help
deflate the front of your body. Allow the lungs to empty completely and be
gentle about this. It’s surprising (and a relief) to find how unnecessary all
the extra choreography is around sit-ups. It may take a while for your body to
adjust to the subtleties of working this simply, but finding the core
connections becomes very challenging physically. With good form, moving slowly
with care, you’ll get better results more quickly and create a stronger,
healthier and flatter midsection.
