Not long ago, sit-ups were considered the gold standard for at-home exercise—purportedly able to transform your physique and deliver six-pack abs in no time flat. However, beginning in the mid-2000s, the popular ab-shredding workout has gradually fallen out of favor.
“Old-school exercisers may be surprised to hear that this fall from grace is now complete. The sit-up is over,” The Atlanticrecently reported.
Experts from Harvard Health Publishing say there are a few key reasons for the sit-up’s demise. Fitness coaches have come to recognize the workout’s limitations—as well as its potential risks—and have identified more dynamic and effective means to achieve the same results.
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“Sit-ups once ruled as the way to tighter abs and a slimmer waistline,” Harvard’s experts write. They say that plank positions—isometric exercises in which you assume a position and hold it—are now considered preferable to sit-ups or crunches.
Those experts also say that sit-ups are especially hard on your back and can cause strain, injury, or premature burnout before you’ve done enough to see results.
“They push your curved spine against the floor and work your hip flexors, the muscles that run from the thighs to the lumbar vertebrae in the lower back. When the hip flexors are too strong or too tight, they tug on the lower spine, which can create lower back discomfort,” Harvard’s experts note.
They continue, “Plank exercises recruit a better balance of muscles on the front, sides, and back of the body than sit-ups, which target just a few muscles.”
One study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise looked at how core stabilization exercise programs (CSEP) might affect core strength as measured by the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).
They found that when military subjects between the ages of 18 and 35 trained using a core stabilization workout that did not include sit-ups, they still saw “significant improvements in sit-up performance and overall fitness scores over time.”
In fact, the CSEP group saw significant improvements in their sit-up passing rates compared to the control group, which completed a traditional exercise program that included sit-ups. ("Sit-up passing rates" were defined as the percentage of study participants who met or exceeded the standard for the sit-up component of the APFT. This often means doing a set number of sit-ups within a time limit.)
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Looking for what ab exercises you should be doing? Mayo Clinic says planks, bridges, abdominal presses, quadrupeds, and other simple core strengthening exercises can help you build core strength without risking injury.
And what you do when you’re not exercising can also make a world of difference. Experts say that the more you move your body throughout the day, the more your health—and waistline—will benefit.
“Activities of daily living such as bathing, getting out of bed, or walking, as well as sports and recreational activities, call on your muscles to work together, not in isolation, while sit-ups or crunches strengthen just a few muscle groups,” Harvard’s experts write.
The conclude, “Through dynamic patterns of movement, a good core workout like plank exercises helps strengthen the entire set of core muscles you use every day, leaving you with a stronger and more balanced body.”
