Rest between sit-ups?

You can generally do abs every day. It depends on how hard you're hitting it, if you do an "abs day" where you just kill yourself doing all kinds of abdominal stuff, give yourself a day or two before resuming. If you're just doing 2-4 sets of sit ups, you can do it day-to-day, but give yourself an off day now and then.

Abs aren't like arms, they aren't as sensitive to being overworked. Just don't kill yourself, get some rest and eat.

 

Yeah your abs are a huge muscle group. I work mine everyday, just remember to do lower back exercises aswell so you don't throw them out of line with each other.

 

You can do them everyday, but if you want to see the look. take a day off and you can see the difference

 

Good advice again thanks.

 

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There have been a lot of smart people on this site who have gone out of their way to explain why crunches and/or sit-ups are completely worthless. In spite of this, it still boggles my mind there are trainees out there who still feel there's some benefit in including them in a program. To be honest, I can think of a host of other things that would be more beneficial:


1. Passing a kidney stone
2. A nuclear holocaust
3. Another Sex and the City movie
4. Getting kicked in the balls, repeatedly



I haven't programmed a crunch/sit-up variation in well over three years, and they're essentially banned from Cressey Performance. In the past, I've explained why I'm not a fan, so I won't belabor the point here. Okay, maybe a small rant is in order:
Cliff Notes Version (Professional Explanation): When one performs a sit-up and/or crunch, they're essentially pulling the sternum closer to the pelvis hundreds, if not thousands of times, promoting a kyphotic posture (rounded back), as well as a host of other postural dysfunctions.

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Cliff Notes Version (My Explanation): they suck.
Furthermore, in Low Back Disorders: Evidence-based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Dr. Stuart McGill notes that the traditional sit-up imposes approximately 3300 N (about 730 lb) of compression on the spine.
Incidentally, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set the action limit for low back compression at 3300 N; repetitive loading above this level is linked with higher injury rates in workers, yet this is imposed on the spine with each repetition of the sit-up! If you're still not following me, let me paraphrase:

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As much as I despise sit-ups/crunches, I think it's equally silly when people try to tell me that all one needs to do is perform some squats and deadlifts to train their core. While there is some merit behind that statement, I feel it's a little short sighted (not to mention a bit too simplistic), and still believe that some dedicated core work is a necessary component of any complete program.

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That is incorrect form of a sit up. Arms should be crossed on the chest. Should be a smooth, controlled motion up and down. Never allowing for flexion of spine. Arms behind head is very stupid way of doing sit ups. But they hold much merit for beginners. All beginners of combat sports should be begin with crunches/sit ups until they have enough strength to progress to extremity strengthening with weights. Usually when you can do a few hundred. Then incorporate weights. There are many core strengthening exercises, if done properly, this is a good and necessary one for beginners.

 

what do you do instead of sit ups then

 

If you do crunches properly you only raise your shoulder blades off the ground keeping a straight back and neck and contracting the abs.
As for causing injuries that only occurs when done incorectly as a gardener my back is always under strain and have had problems ,but since a regular abs routine I have no back problems and can work harder than before

 

I was a gymnast, so I'll chime in again on ab stuff.

Yeah, you can mess your back up and get lower back pain. I did. But I also used to be capable of nearly 1000 situps. Once you're sufficiently flexible, try holding an L off parallel bars (or whatever you do dips on). Once you're proficient there and can hold it for at least a minute, try holding the L off the ground. I could once hold an L off the ground perfectly for 5 minutes, and my abdominal wall was concrete.

To hold an L, you create an L with your body. Back straight, abs painfully tight and contracted, legs straight as a ruler and forming a 90 degree-angle with your torso. You've gotta be very flexible to hold an L off the ground, but it's worth it. This will thrash your abdominal wall.

Another one is suspension by the knees, keeping the back straight as a board and coming up to do upside-down situps. Very hard.

Crunches are good. The big thing to keep in mind is that your back needs to be completely straight. This will make situps harder by an order of magnitude, which is good. Can't do many? No big deal, you're doing them right. Keep your back straight in most all exercises to avoid injury.

I ran PT with some poolies recently and they had us do Marine Corps situps. Someone sits on your feet and, with knees together forming a sharp arch arms crossed on your stomach you come up like a crunch but with the whole back, touching your arms to your thighs (whilst maintaining contact with the stomach). Surprisingly hard, I did 100 which was the best of a large group. I'm not in gymnastics shape anymore, obviously...

Cheers.

 

Abdominal bracing and side Abdominal bracing works well to improve your core.

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thata the plank curly we do that alot

 

Yeah, abdominal bracing is the posh term