Sit Up

A woman in black athletic wear practicing yoga in a seated forward bend pose on a light-colored floor against a plain wall.

Where is the primary focus?
Abdominal Muscles

Where does the posture provide maximum benefits?
Abdominal Muscles, Lungs, and Legs

When and where could I feel the stretch?
Low Abdominals and Spine

Why should I do this posture?
It’s great at strengthening your abs, it helps push out air from your lungs, and it can be energizing.  

How can I improve?
People struggle with the sit-ups, and it’s hard because there are many elements. My biggest suggestion is to slow down and make them precise. If you can't do them yet, that's okay. Do what you can so that you can build the muscles, and ask for help or suggestions. We are here to help. 

Big issues we see:

– Not getting as close as you can to touching your forehead to your knees – it seems like just getting your back off the ground is a great achievement, and yet this posture is really most effective when you touch your forehead to your knees which compresses your spine and helps push the air out of the lower parts of your lungs. If you have been around long enough, you might have heard, “Double jerk, double exhale.” Emmy explained this as your forehead bouncing off of your knees twice, which would push the air from your lower lungs. You don't have to actively push the air out of your lungs; it will happen if you get as close as you can with your forehead to your knees. Don’t give up when you get close; actively try to get your forehead to your knees. It takes a ton of effort. 


– Not engaging your lower body – when you make your lower body tight, it’s easier to keep it still while your torso is doing most of the work.

– Not keeping your arms and ears together – when your arms go forward, you are using momentum, which makes it easier and less effective. Put the time in to turn your abs on and keep your arms with your ears.

– Giving up. If you have pain during sit-ups, please take care of yourself and rollover. That’s an important way to take care of yourself. Check back in with the sit-ups occasionally to see if they are still hurting. Often, things get better, but we still predict they will hurt. Be playful with the sit-ups; if one part hurts, maybe figure out how to avoid that part. Ask for help or for ideas. The teachers are all happy to help; it’s why we are here.