KNOWLEDGE

Sit-Ups Won't Get Rid of My Potbelly! What Did I Do Wrong?

January 2, 2015

Who doesn’t want a rock hard flat abs? People would figuratively do anything to get them – from going on numerous fad diets, cutting a food group from their diet completely to slaving themselves at the gym. One of the trusted methods of obtaining the desired flat abs is none other than sit-ups. People would do hundreds of them every night, but sometimes they do nothing but make you sore. So, what exactly are we doing wrong?

Having a potbelly is expected if you’re overweight or obese people. But when you’re considered skinny based on your weight, or your BMI is in the normal range, having less than a flat abs is a disaster! The situation might be even direr when you’re female.

As unfair as it is, women get more attention on their midriff areas so having a flat belly sometimes feel almost like a societal pressure. You only have two choices in this case – hide them or work them off at the gym. But when even after you’ve done more than a thousand sit ups your potbelly still wont budge, you’ve got to start questioning what exactly is the problem.

“Sit up is one of the go-to exercise for those who wants to blast of those belly fat and get the much desired flat abs. But if done improperly, you’re not going to get the results you want. If your form is not correct, you might be working your quads instead of your abs,” explained Lisa Namuri, a Pilates instructor.

So, how to actually do a proper sit up that target the right muscle group? Can you do it on your own without supervision from fitness experts? The answer is yes! “A lot of people mistakenly think that sit up is done from a lying down position and you move your upper body until you’re on a sitting position. But doing it like that, you’re actually working the quads muscle more than your abs like intended. Or your abs might get worked, but it won’t have the desired effect. Why? Because the abs muscle only work at its optimal level when our position is 45 degrees off the floor. Doing sit up from a lying down position usually will result in six pack, which more often than not is not what women want to have,” Lisa added.

So, what do you have to pay attention to when doing a sit up so that it won’t be a wasted effort? “Actually, sit-up is not the only exercise that you can do to target your belly. Planking can also help tone your abs that in turn will make your belly flatter. The most important thing you have to take note of when doing a sit up is making sure that you’re bracing your core muscles. Suck your belly button in and hold. It should feel tight and fully engaged,” Lisa explained.

Now that you know where you went wrong with your sit up, you can apply it to your abs synching routine and be more confident that now it will amount to something. Do your sit up right so you’ll get that flat abs!

First published in www.fimela.com. Translated and edited by Gold’s Gym Indonesia.