Core
Overhead sit-ups
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- abs · hip flexors
- Also
- obliques · front delts · upper back
The overhead sit-up is a standard sit-up performed with your arms locked out past your head, which lengthens the lever and makes the abs work harder through the first part of the curl. Keeping the arms overhead also asks your shoulders and upper back to stay open rather than swinging for momentum. It suits anyone who can already sit up cleanly with hands on the chest and wants more from the same floor space.
Form
How to do overhead sit-ups
- 1Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, heels roughly a foot from your backside. Stretch both arms straight overhead so your biceps sit near your ears, hands stacked or lightly clasped.
- 2Press your lower back towards the floor and breathe out as you curl up, lifting your head and shoulders first, then peeling your spine off the floor one segment at a time.
- 3Keep your arms locked in line with your torso the whole way up. Finish sitting tall with your chest over your hips and your hands pointing at the ceiling.
- 4Breathe in and lower under control, placing your lower back down first, then your shoulders, then your head, arms still overhead.
- 5Touch your hands lightly to the floor behind you at the bottom, then start the next curl without bouncing off that contact. Keep a steady rhythm for the whole effort.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Throwing the arms forward to generate swing.
Fix: Lock your elbows and keep your arms glued beside your ears so the abs, not momentum, lift you.
Yanking on the neck or leading with the chin.
Fix: Keep a small gap under your chin and let your shoulders rise before your head travels.
Feet lifting off the floor as you sit up.
Fix: Drive your heels down and slide them slightly closer to your hips, or wedge them under a heavy sofa edge.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.