Sit-ups are known for the various reasons. One such reason is the number of benefits one can get from regularly doing the sit-up exercise in the right way. What happens when you do 100 sit-ups per day and how many calories does a 100 sit-ups burn? Some benefits include;
- Gives your health a most needed boost
- Works your muscles in your core
- Requires little or no equipment to perform
However, to benefit from this exercise, you need to do it the right way. Failure to do sit-ups right will typically reduce its effect and worse, can even result in injuries especially back injuries. So what is the proper technique to be used while trying to pull off a sit-up?
Should you do a 100 sit-ups per day?
We highly recommend you do not participate in any of the X amount of something per day. It is inefficient and doesn’t give maximum results. Depending on your weight you will burn around 15 to 40 calories every time you do a 100 sit-ups per day. That doesn’t sound like much does it?
If you want to burn a lot of calories, we recommend reading our burpee guide. The burpee is a full body exercise that will burn around 80 to 140 calories for every 100 you do.
The sit-up is not the best way to increase your core strength and build bigger abdominal muscles. A better alternative is the hanging knee raise or leg raise. These exercises do involve needing something like a pull-up bar. Nonetheless, if you are not as strong and you are still a beginner in calisthenics, the sit-up is an excellent way to start.
The right technique
Make sure you rest your back on a rug or mat. Enough rest prevents your back to be in direct contact with the floor and therefore, reduce the chances of back injury. After this, try to spread your legs and bend your knees. You should allow the distance between your legs to be hip-distance apart.
Next, place your hands at the back of your head while lying down. Position your hands within the region of your body that links your neck with your head. If your elbows are pointed away from your body, you are in the correct position. Another way to do this is to cross your arms over your chest.
Try to breathe in air and then, pull your navels inwards as if pulling it towards your spine. At the same time, you raise your upper body by using your bent hips and waist. Make sure you lift your upper body in such a way that your upper body stops just short of your thighs.
Try to repeat this process as much as you can. While doing this, inhale and exhale regularly while you continue performing the exercise.
Common mistakes made and why using the right technique is important.
We cannot overemphasize that you use the right technique while performing a sit-up exercise. The proper technique avoids wastage of time and the outcome of possible injuries. There are some general mistakes which are easy to make when trying to perform a sit-up exercise. These mistakes include;
- Dragging your head while pulling your head up. Dragging your head leads to the folding of the neck which could lead to a neck injury
- Avoid moving your feet while doing a sit-up exercise. Instead, try to keep your feet firmly planted while you repeat the exercise. This way you won’t lose efficiency.
- The sit-up will produce noticeably better results if you perform the movement slowly. Therefore, avoid moving very fast so that you do not lose the expected outcome of the sit-up exercise.
- When doing sit-ups, you usually have the choice of having someone who spots you by anchoring your legs. We advise performing the exercise without anyone spotting. If someone is spotting you, it reduces the level of strain you put on your abdominal muscles. Which would reduce the level of progress you would experience.
Muscles used during sit-ups
During a sit-up, specific muscles are in action and bear much of the strain. These muscles include;
THE RECTUS ABDOMINAL
This the muscles which give your abs a toned look. This muscle starts from your pub bone and continues straight to your ribs. It is attached to some parts of your ribs. With any movement, where you close the distance between your ribs and thighs, the rectus abdominal is the primary muscle involved.
Because of this main involvement, it shows that sit-ups can help shape your rectus abdominal to your preference. When you do sit-ups the correct way, they work your abdominals, and this leads to better-shaped muscles.
RECTUS FEMORIS AND OBLIQUES
To bend your knees and unbend them you need your rectus femoris. Your obliques are the abdominal muscles that are present by the side of your torso.
We refer to these muscles as “assisting muscles” since they are the ones responsible for making sure you can perform the task of sitting up and lying down repetitively. This is crucial for performing sit-ups efficiently. Other muscles which assist also include the Iliopsoas, tensor fasciae, and the sartorius
TIBIALIS ANTERIOR
This muscle helps to stabilize the body while doing a sit-up. This muscle is in the lower region of your legs to be exact. The tibialis anterior which runs from your big toe to the top of your shinbone helps in the control of your ankle.
In other words, this is the muscle which allows you to flex and twist your ankle to keep you stabilized and in a particular position without feeling much pain while doing a sit-up. That is why you can feel the muscle tightening during a sit-up exercise.
Even though it helps with the balancing during the exercise, it will not improve significantly by doing sit-ups.
Concluding a 100 sit-ups per day
Sit-ups are fundamental exercises and one of the best exercises for your abdominal muscles. Also, apart from working those muscles, other muscles too are also used during the sit-up which can help strengthen them
However, the only time you gain rewards for doing a sit-up is when you do sit-ups the correct way, and you use all the muscles in the right way. Hence using the proper technique while performing this exercise would be crucial if you want to get the best results.
Sit-ups are also better when they are combined with other exercises especially if you are interested in getting big abs!
