Trunk bend: You should try this abdominal muscle exercise!

Time for an abdominal workout. That's when tummy squats come in handy. Here you can learn how to do sit ups correctly and which mistakes you should avoid!

For trained abdominal muscles you don't have to torture yourself for hours in the gym. Classic trunk bends help you to strengthen the abdominal muscles.

If you want to do sit ups properly, you don't even have to leave the living room. You only need a training mat and not even mandatory sportswear.

The classic torso bend is also not for nothing one of the exercises that must not be missing in the home workout.

Today we'll show you how to do the exercise correctly and what to look out for. You will also learn what the most common mistakes are and how you can avoid them.

Are you ready? Then let's get started!

What are sit ups and are they really bad for your back?

Sit up means nothing more than "sit up". This already describes the entire movement sequence of this fitness exercise. It is an isolation exercise, so you train a muscle group in isolation - in this case the straight abdominal muscles.

The movement sequence is very simple. Sit down, bend your legs and lift your upper body off the floor. Nevertheless, you can do a lot of things wrong. And that's what many people do.

That's exactly why you hear more and more often that trunk bends are supposed to be unhealthy. That is why now make all now only crunches instead of sit ups.

But this is not necessary at all. Because the fact that sit ups are unhealthy is complete nonsense. You just have to make sure you do sit ups correctly, says our personal trainer Werner: "They are only unhealthy if you don't pay attention when performing trunk bends. That is, if the technique is neglected."

Cleanly done sit ups are therefore no problem at all. So that you do this abdominal muscle exercise properly from now on, we have collected the best tips for you here.

Crunch or sit up?

These two designations repeatedly lead to confusion. Often the terms are used synonymously. However, they are completely different exercises.

You notice this when you translate the exercises into German. Sit ups are "trunk bends" and crunches are called "abdominal press". There is a small but subtle difference.

The main difference is that with sit ups you sit up completely - that is, you lift your entire upper body off the exercise mat. With crunches, you only lift your upper back and shoulders off the floor.

Crunches are gentler on the back and spine. Take a look here: "Crunches or sit ups - which is better?"

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How to do sit ups correctly

Basically, the exercise looks pretty simple, right? Lie down and bob your upper body a bit. :) But it is not that at all.

This exercise is used by the US Navy and other special forces. Trunk bends are among the most demanding exercises of all.

Many beginners do not succeed at all sit ups - not even a single one. But this is not a cause for concern, but quite normal.

In typical everyday life, we hardly ever if ever need our abdominal muscles. So they need to be built up first. Trunk bends are ideal for this.

• Lie on your back and bend your legs at a 90° angle.
• The fingertips rest loosely on the back of the head.
• Tighten your abdomen to prevent you from curling your back.
• Raise the upper body until only the buttocks and the soles of the feet touch the floor.
• In the final position you sit with your upper body upright on the training mat.
• Breathe out when straightening up. And in when lowering.

Important: Body tension!

As a beginner you do 2 x 8 repetitions. As an advanced user, do 4 x 15 repetitions. Increase slowly and listen to your body. It is better if you do fewer repetitions and perform them very cleanly.

Sit ups for beginners

There are two ways to make trunk bends easier. Very important: beginners should focus on maximum tension of the abdominal muscles.

If doing sit ups correctly doesn't work at first, don't despair. You can simplify trunk bends a bit at the beginning.

1. stretch the arms

As a beginner, it's easier if you stretch your arms horizontally in front.

You shift your weight forward. Sitting up is easier.

2. fix the legs

Clamp the legs to a coffee table. Even better, of course, is a wall bars, but hardly anyone has them at home.

However, it also works if your training partner holds your legs. Then it's easier for you to concentrate on the abdominal muscles.

Also take a look here: "These are the best abdominal exercises for women!“

3. from sitting to lying

If that doesn't help either, then your abdominal muscles are very weak. But here, too, there is help, of course. Sit upright on the exercise mat, bend your legs, fix your feet under the couch or radiator, stretch your arms forward.

Now, from the seated position, very slowly lower your upper body backward until you are lying down.

Here, too, the abdominal muscles must already be working properly. Stay with this beginner exercise until you feel that you can now do the normal exercise.

Sit ups for advanced

Of course, there are also ways and means for advanced users to make their training even more efficient.

1. arms over the head

If you are lying down, place your arms stretched behind your head.

As you straighten, guide it over your head until you hold it at 90 degrees to your torso.

As you descend, bring your arms back above your head. They should be parallel to the floor at the same time as your upper body.

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2. bend the legs differently

Try not to bend your legs at all. Just stretch them straight through.

If that's too hard, you can just adjust the angle to suit your mood. The flatter your legs are on the floor, the harder it is to straighten up.

If you wish, you can also lift your legs off the floor or place them on the Variation Bicycle Crunches switch.

3. sit ups with weight

Still too light? Then grab a weight. Weight plates, a kettlebell or a medicine ball are best.

Hold the weight in front of your chest and begin torso bends.

What do I need to pay attention to when performing trunk bends?

It's not for nothing that when given the choice between crunches and sit ups, many athletes opt for crunches.

This is because trunk bends are more prone to error. Doing sit ups correctly requires a lot of body tension and concentration.

If you feel a strong pull in your lower back, then you are clearly doing the exercise wrong. You must then concentrate on tightening the abdomen and not forming a round back.

As a beginner, you should not do this fitness exercise. It will simply be too difficult for you.

Here's what you need to keep in mind when doing it:

• Always raise your upper body slowly
• Do not make jerky and fast movements
• Make sure your back is straight
• The lower back must not bend
• Even if the exercise is strenuous: do not stretch your head forward too much
• Lower the body slowly and in a controlled manner - Do not drop a potato sack
• Tighten your abdomen throughout
• Avoid pressed breathing or not breathing at all

Training ground

When you work out at the gym, choose a quiet corner where you won't be disturbed. Choose a soft mat as a base.

Starting directly on the ground is not a good idea. Your tailbone will be affected. The spine lies very hard and can hurt. A classic yoga mat is perfectly adequate in most cases.

What can you do wrong with sit ups?

If you want to do torso bends correctly, you have to pay attention to a few things. We'll tell you the most common sit ups mistakes and how to avoid them. What most people do wrong with sit ups is that they get momentum and don't use the strength of their abs to lift themselves off the mat.

1. the round back

When you have too little body tension, you make a round back. You try to compensate for the lack of strength and somehow get yourself into the upright position.

But this is not a good idea and can lead to back pain.

Tighten your abdominal muscles very tightly to prevent a bent spine. Concentrate on a clean execution.

2. you get momentum

Straightening up in the lying position is mega hard for me. So you get momentum to make it.

This is also not a good idea. Because in doing so, you're guaranteed to form a round back, stretch your head forward too much and have absolutely no body tension anymore.

It's better to only manage 3 sit ups and do them properly slow, controlled and clean than 15 pieces that are sloppy.

3. folded arms at the neck

Beginners in particular tend to pull their heads up with their hands to somehow make it to the upright position.

In doing so, the elbows no longer point outward, but forward. This is guaranteed to cause neck pain.

Place your palms loosely on the back of your head. If you can't do that, you can also place them crossed on your chest or stretch your arms forward next to your thighs.

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4. you bend your head forward

It's important that you form a reasonably straight line from your tailbone to the top of your head when doing trunk bends.

Many tend not to pay attention to the straight posture of the neck spine. They pull head forward. This is especially noticeable in beginners and in all who lack strength in the abdominal muscles.

The more diligently you train and the more muscle you build, the easier it will be to execute.

You should pay a lot of attention to your head. Because it often moves forward without noticing it.

5. the wrong angle for the legs

In order to straighten the upper body, you need a counterweight. This weight is the legs.

The more you stretch them, the harder it will be for you to stand up. If you bend your legs too much, you will lose contact with the floor.

Especially in the beginning it makes sense to fix your feet. For this purpose, a partner can hold your legs or you can hook yourself onto a table or something similar.

You can test if you are doing it right by placing your closed fist between your sternum and chin. This is the only way to avoid unnecessary stress on the neck.

In all three cases you are missing something: abdominal muscles! You have to get them with other exercises first. Then you start practicing how to do sit ups properly.

If you want to strengthen your core, check here: "These exercises train your entire trunk“

Why are sit ups not for everyone?

Trunk bends are a dynamic exercise. So every time you do them, there's movement involved. You lift yourself up with the help of your abdominal muscles.

This is an enormous challenge for beginners. Especially because sit ups involve straightening the entire upper body. Including the back. With crunches, you only lift your shoulders off the mat.

This straightening activates the hip flexor. This is a large muscle in the pelvis that helps your abdomen get into the upright position during this exercise. And this is where it gets critical.

If you are a total beginner and Exercises like Planks can only hold for a very short time, then you have weak abdominal muscles.

This leads to the fact that you want to do sit ups properly, but simply can not. You simply lack the tension.

But because we still want to make it, we curl the spine. Then the hip flexor has to do all the work.

And that leads to very strong pressure on the hip flexor. You're making a hollow back. And that exacerbates your probably existing lower back pain.

For total beginners and anyone who has no abdominal muscles, trunk squats are not an option. You should start by doing the Strengthen hip flexors and build up more body tension with planks.

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Which muscles do sit ups train?

Contrary to what one would first assume, not only the abdominal muscles are trained, but also the hip flexor.

By tightening your abdominal muscles, you'll strengthen your abs and hip flexors.

The abdominal muscles work only statically. The actual movement comes from the hips. Therefore, sit ups are not as effective for the abdomen as other exercises. Nevertheless, they have their place in training.

The static load can increase the growth stimulus if you do additional abdominal exercises afterwards or beforehand.

A trained hip flexor may not sound as sexy as a toned abdomen at first glance, yet it's hugely important.

Those who have an untrained hip flexor often suffer from a hollow back. He then pulls the hip forward and down. This leads to back pain!

Main muscles:

• Straight abdominal muscle (Musculus Rectus Abdominis)
• Pyramidal muscle (Musculus pyramidalis)

Auxiliary muscles

• Oblique abdominal muscle (Musculus Obliquus Abdominis)
• Lumbar intestinal muscle (Musculus Iliopsoas)
• Hip flexor (consists of: iliacus muscle and psoas major muscle)

Why you can't lose weight on your stomach with sit ups

Many women's magazines promise something that is simply absolutely impossible: do sit ups and get a flat stomach. This is a misconception that is unfortunately still very widespread.

You can't lose fat on your stomach with abdominal exercises. You need to reduce your body fat percentage. No matter how fat or thin we are, everyone has abs. If you're overweight, they're just hiding under your belly fat. So you have to get rid of that first.

Getting rid of body fat only on the abdomen does not work. Only when you have little body fat, you can bring out the abs through abdominal exercises.

You can't lose a lot of calories with abdominal crunches. At a body weight of 60 kg you burn about 9 calories per minute.

All trunk bends advantages at a glance

With sit ups you strengthen your abdominal muscles and hip flexor. You don't need a gym or expensive equipment for this exercise.

However, we recommend you use an exercise mat so that getting up and down isn't so painful.

The many variations make trunk bends doable even for beginners. Advanced users can easily vary the difficulty by weight and shifting the arms and legs.

Strong abdominal muscles help you walk more upright. It's also a natural way to prevent back pain.

By training the hip flexor you prevent a hollow back and thus tension and shortening in the back.

A well-trained torso gives you a great amount of stability during other exercises. This is important for clean execution of the exercises.

Want to do more? Try these stability exercises!

Our conclusion

If you want to do sit ups properly as a beginner, you should allow plenty of time. The point is not to do a lot of repetitions, but to do a few, but clean ones.

Trunk bends train the abdomen and the hip flexors. You need both for more stability in the torso, from which you can benefit in everyday life.

Good workout! :)

To browse further:

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