Can anyone help get my sit-ups right?

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Justaxing	Cross your arms and place them in front of your chest. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

smile	as well as the other good advice here, if it starts hurtin your neck push your tounge to the top of your mouth, sounds daft but it does work Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

arbh444	Don't go all the way up, and if you can don't go all the way down. Bend your knees Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

agent_smee	Absolutely no idea on exercise Im afraid. But if you're after a flat stomach there's some great moves in yoga which my instructor informs me are much more effective than sit-ups! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Dre	crunches work better Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Amy	Lie flat on your back on a mat with your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows out. Push the small of your back down to the floor to isolate your ab muscles. Begin to roll your shoulders off the floor. Continue to push down with your lower back. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should always remain on the floor. As always, make sure you let your abs do the work in a slow and controlled fashion. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

magiclady2007	you need to clasp your hands at the back of your neck,making sure your back is flat and your knees slightly bent and feet apart Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

puremuscle86	If you are pulling your body up using your abdominals only than its all good but i prefer crunches to sit ups because crunches are very good and put less strain on your back. If your neck hurts during majority of your exercises than maybe you need to focus on that along with your other exercises. Maybe an old injury bothering you? Maybe your warm up is not quiet enough or there isn't enough stretching prior to exercise. It can be that during the movements you tend to hold your breath. I prefer to breath out as the muscle contracts and breath in as it relaxes. It can be mental focus. You are trying to link sit up to you neck some how and you are feeling a pull. Mind is a powerful tool. Try narrowing down the doubts and if things are still not satisfactory then go to a gym or even your doctor and just ask. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Geggy	place yr hands across yr chest,not behind head. do small crunches,u do not need to sit up high. breathe right, expel when u sit up inhale when u lay back. the slower u do the exercise the better, quality rather than quantity. good luck. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Spikey	no Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

WelshLad	Try this site, it shows pictures and how to do various abs exercises them: http://www.shapefit.com/training.html#1 Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

candi k	some good answers esp dave joseph. dont forget to greathe out on your way up and breathe in on your way down. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

brokenheartsyndrome	make sure that your head is in line with your body. It is hard to do so you will have to concentrate on that until it comes naturally. Make sure that your elbows are always facing out (in other words keep your arms flat) if you are turning your elbows inward when coming up this can pull your neck Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

munoz1692	first open your legs and align them to the shoulder then put your arms infront of you than make a slow move down and a slow move up Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

churchls0904	Lie on your back, have your legs out straight and just lift your head up and feet.... It can be built up and have your arms out by your side. Always vary your routine and never have pain in your neck as this is a bad sign. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

William B	Apparently the 'Bicycle maneuver' is the best abdominal exercise. Bicycle maneuver - Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Breath evenly throughout the exercise. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

DaveJoseph	Its hard to say without seeing your technique but common mistakes are putting the hands behind the head and applying pressure so that your neck bends down as you come up. using a hard floor can also hurt the back. It might be a good investment to buy an ab-roller for $20 or so to support your neck and back. If you can't do that, stick your feet under something heavy like a couch or a cabinet (where there is enough room for the front part of your foot) and cross your arms across your chest. Then use the weight on your feet to keep you stable as you lift your upper body. Don't bend your knees to much. Keep them at around a 45 degree angle and use a mat or a couple towels underneath you if you're on a hard floor. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

saorsie	hands behind head. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Alex B	Focus at one point on the celling and support the back of your head with your hands. It should take of some of the pressure in your neck, but it may make it harder to do the sit-up. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

~Kitana~	You would be better doing crunches so you don't hurt your neck. They work better and you can't go wrong! You'll feel the effects alot better too. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Topshopcitybeachbabe	basically this is what i reccommend for iddo similair exercises it is called ABS i do those hwta you need to do is to join an exercise class or a local gym they will be able to help you and avise you on how to do the exercises properly that is importnat to have a fitness trainer to help you get it right. or alternatively you could try exercise or dance videos they are the best and will help you get fit but i tell you this to help achive you ultimate goal try ABS they will help tone your abdominal muscles and make it firmer but you must do it everyday without fail eat a healthy diet and do plenty of walking and jogging and you soon start noticing the difference. good luck however on a safety issue you must be very careful not to strain your back and neck very dangerous and painful not a good idea you need to use correct posture to prevent that from happening you could render your self damage any way like i said join an exercise class they will be able to advise you better. but exercise at your pace and leisure do not over do and strain any muscles or over do anything stake it one step at a time any way my first port of call would be a fitness trainer they will be able to help you. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

paul t	when you do sit ups place your fingertips around your ear area with the palm off your head . It is easy to get in the habit of hands around your head and pulling your head as you raise . This is your problem Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

The Tank	Ignore Oddball 59. If you place your hands behind your neck then all you're doing is pulling yourself up with them. You could also eventually damage your neck. If that's what you're doing already it explains your symptoms. If you can't keep your arms crossed over your chest then place your hands beside your head with your palms towards your ears and your elbows pointing forward and upwards. Light contact with ears only is ok to stabilise you, but nothing more. Tuck your chin down. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Luc N	Never perform sit-ups with stretched legs. This will kill your back. Also, perform crunches instead of sit-ups. Sit-ups mainly train your hip bending muscles, whereas crunches isolate your abdominal muscles. How? Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet resting comfortably on their soles. Don't put your hands behind your head, as you will start pulling your head and straining your neck muscles. Raise your arms, and gently put your fingertips against the side of your head, elbows pointing out. If you really want to grab something, grab your ears: that will keep you from pulling too hard. Now gently raise your head and shoulders in a bending motion, as if your goal is to put the tip of your nose in your belly button, but remember to let your abdominals do all the work. As soon as your shoulders are clear, you are far enough. Your lower back must keep in contact with the surface you are lying on. Hold this position 1 to 2 seconds, then gently "unfold", rolling your shoulders and head back to the starting position. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

bukowski	The best way I have found is to keep your legs rigid and just use your stomach muscles to raise your body upright-make sure your lower back stays on the floor until the rest of your upper back is off the floor-you will know if you are doing it right as you will be able to do one and thats it! Another good one is to hang form a pull up bar and raise your legs in front of your body-dont swing though-thats cheating!if you find that easy try raising your legs together and when you have them as high as they can go-move them from side to side. Send me a picture when u get tha 6pak! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

TOISTY	get sum 1 2 sit on ur feet luv dearyyy xxxmwa xxx Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Brett Laverno	put your fingertips on your temples, have your knees at about a 45 degree angle, or whatever feels most comfortable, now start to sit up until you get about half way, when you need to start bringing in more muscles, you'll know the point i mean when you get to it, it's where you'd consider kicking your legs a bit so you can get all the way up. anyway, when you get to that point go back down. These are called "stomach crunches" and are far more efficient than sit ups. (this is coming from a pro wrestler with a rather impressive 6 pack, if i do say so myself) Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

mary m	MAKE SURE YOUR NOT JERKING WHEN UR DOING THEM...MAKE SURE THE MOVEMENT IS SMOOTH Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

GingerGirl	Be sure to keep your elbows pointed out and not up. Don't clasp your hands together or lace your fingers - your head should be resting on your palms as dead weight. You need to make sure that your back is flat on the floor and there is no space by your lower back. It also helps if you are breathing correctly - exhale as you sit up and enhale as you lower down. Also (this may sound silly but it helps) press your tongue up on the roof of your mouth - this helps to relax some of the muscles in your neck. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

paulywog	Do leg lifts instead so it wont hurt your neck. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

oddball59	You need to do sit ups with your hands clasped behind your neck and make sure your feet are flat on the floor with knees bent to protect your back. When you sit up, keep your elbows pointing out so that you are working your stomach and not pulling yourself up with your arms. Don't do them too quickly or they are less effective. Once you start finding them easy to do, increase the difficulty by elevating your feet slightly by resting them on the couch....in this case, you can have your legs straight. Hope that helps. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No