How many sit-ups? [Archive]

Cygnus X-1

11-05-2005, 20:07

About 5 sets of 20 when i can be bothered. I used to be able to do a lot more before i got lazy ~;p

Anyway, i hope you aren't doing them all at once. It's best to do quick bursts, stop, do something else in quick bursts (arm curls, push ups etc) and go back to and do another set of 10-20 reps. Atleast that's what i was always told.

Sjakihata

11-05-2005, 20:17

3 sets of 20. One straight, one left, and one right. Doing it every evening. Could probably go further, but Im taking it easy.

Drisos

11-05-2005, 21:05

I mostly do just 50 in a row. I feel like I can get a bit further but I'm too lazy to do so. My abs aren't really visible unless I use them ~:)

Beirut

11-05-2005, 22:01

1

Then I pray to God to kill me so I don't have to do a second.

Ja'chyra

11-05-2005, 22:29

I usually sit up in the morning right before I get out of bed, then that's me till the next morning. Buff or what :elephant:

Ianofsmeg16

11-05-2005, 22:37

200 per day...but one time yesterday i was feeling adventurous so i did 300

but i've only just started doing reular exercise so i aint that buff...

Byzantine Prince

11-05-2005, 23:31

Yeah only-in-a-row people. No wimpy sets damn it!

WOW Ian of Speg, that's pretty powerful! I usually try to sneak in doing 2 sets of 80's though. My abs have improved a lot in the last couple of months.

Papewaio

11-05-2005, 23:34

32 ... 1 for each year of age.

Note that if you want to get really toned abs... swimming particularly breast-stroke is the key stroke, heavier weights, side sit ups and of course getting leaner overall.

When I was 25 I used to do 220 situps per session, 6 days a week. The best tone I got though was from swimming... not laps just body surfing and having fun in the water at the beach.

Kekvit Irae

11-05-2005, 23:40

40, twice a day, once in the morning, once at night is the best way to go if you want to tone yourself up.
Same thing for pushups.

Byzantine Prince

11-06-2005, 00:18

Alexanderofmacedon

11-06-2005, 01:29

I do 200 strait on every day except Tuesday and Thursday...

Byzantine Prince: I am confused on your gender. I seem to have stumbled on a post where you were portrayed as a girl or something. Please answer this question once and for all!~:)

Byzantine Prince

11-06-2005, 01:30

I'm male but I don't talk like one. I find gender in terms of personality traits to be rather pointless.

EDIT2: I have been portrayed as Che Guevara, and also John Lennon, when they used my picture over old posters.

I think you are thinking of BKS. He has a picture of himslef dressed as a girl posted in the babe thread I believe.

Somebody Else

11-06-2005, 01:59

I have to be able to do 44 pressups, and 50 situps - 2 minutes each. Can do the situps (last time I was timed for it - bearing in mind I was still drunk from the night before, I managed 57). Pressups still need a little work though.

Trying to improve, in the morning - if I remember, I try to do a set of each. Starting with pressups - I do as many as I can (40 this morning) then 50 situps, then a few more pressups.

Just A Girl

11-06-2005, 02:05

You guys Lie so bad....

Why would any 1 do situps?

I guess id do about 10-15 befor i got bored.

Alexanderofmacedon

11-06-2005, 02:07

You guys Lie so bad....

Why would any 1 do situps?

I guess id do about 10-15 befor i got bored.

Because I have a reputation for the biggest hitter in the league. I play soccer and I am known for big hits. I need to be really REALLY strong to keep it up...

:bow:

Just A Girl

11-06-2005, 02:10

Lol if you do all that every day,
Where do u find the time to be here lol.

Any way thats off topic :)
So Better not get in to a conversation about it.

SwordsMaster

11-06-2005, 02:13

Alexanderofmacedon

11-06-2005, 02:20

Good for you SwordMaster!:bow:

Craterus

11-06-2005, 02:55

I did 500 straight once. Then I fell asleep, literally. :zzz:

Kekvit Irae

11-06-2005, 05:43

Are situps really that effective anyway? My abs are nothing special to look at, but it'd be good to know what really works for toning that area in terms of someone who doesn't have the time to go to the gym.

Not really. Butterflies or Six Inches are very effective. Lay flat on your back and lift your legs up in the air six inches to a foot, keeping them straight. Now start kicking your legs, making a scissor motion (again, keeping the legs straight) for about a minute or so. You will feel the burn.

Strike For The South

11-06-2005, 05:43

straghit through? dunno Who needs sit ups? Ill crush you with my armor I refer to as my chest and those tree trunks I refer to as legs:duel: ~:grouphug:

Kekvit Irae

11-06-2005, 07:11

Forgot one important detail... keep your hands under your bum. This is done for two reasons, to support your back when lifting your legs, and to act as a counter-balance (because the arms will go flying around everywhere when you are in pain). Most of the time, it's just to make sure you dont cheat and try pulling your legs up

Ianofsmeg16

11-06-2005, 11:21

WOW Ian of Speg, that's pretty powerful! I usually try to sneak in doing 2 sets of 80's though. My abs have improved a lot in the last couple of months.
Yeah, it isnt 200 in one go though, 100 in the morning, 100 at night, i should get pretty toned soon ~;)

Sjakihata

11-06-2005, 13:15

Kekvitirae would you explain that excercise again, simplified. Thank you.

Geoffrey S

11-06-2005, 16:39

3x 50 and lots of swimming.

Kekvit Irae

11-06-2005, 22:01

Kekvitirae would you explain that excercise again, simplified. Thank you.

Six inches:

1. Lay flat on your back.
2. Put your hands under your bum.
3. Lift your head up so you are looking down at your feet.
4. Lift both of your legs (keeping them straight) six to 12 inches off the ground.
5. Hold for about thirty seconds.
6. Rest for ten seconds.
7. Repeat.

Butterflies:

As per six inches, up to step 4.
5. Lower one leg (but do not touch the ground) while raising the other leg. Keep your legs straight.
6. Switch legs, so that the raised leg is now the lower one, and the lower one is now the raised one.
7. Continue "kicking" like this rapidly in a scissor motion for thirty seconds.
8. Rest for ten seconds.
9. Repeat.

The movement exersion of keeping your legs in the air, as well as keeping your head up, will give you a most extreme workout in a minimal timeframe.

ah_dut

11-06-2005, 22:16

You've just hit Ah_dut's favourite rant point...sit ups. If you don't want an anatomy lesson, ignore me...

Your abs do not contract during a situp, so therefore the only work your abs can get is through isometrics (or holding) your spine together. Your Hip Flexors (psoas group) do the actual work. Therefore, it's not the greatest excercise in the world.

Secondly, the abdominals are mainly fast twitch fibers (source: Poliquin's book) and therefore are not suited to very high repetition work.

Thirdly, what is muscle tone? it is residual tension. How do you get tension? by contracting a muscle harder (try curling a light dumbell, then a very heavy one, when you curl a heavy one...your arm flares up more and is harder.) Therefore, you should surely keep your reps low and resistance up (stuff like the flag...)

I think you get the point of this rant, sit ups aren't too great. And most people (I'm not saying everyone) don't do enough lower back work compared to ab work (on the foolish notion that if you do lots of ab excercise you'll spot reduce your waist) and then get serious back pain.

Rant finished.

That being said, I do think ab work is very important. I used to do a good few situps (the conventional way) before I read all of Pavel's stuff on it...

Somebody Else

11-06-2005, 22:37

Meh - I just do the bog standard ones purely because I need to do a certain number of them in a certain time to pass the BPFA.

Byzantine Prince

11-06-2005, 22:49

EDIT: Nevermind that.

Thanks for the advice Kekvit and Ah-Dup. I'll make sure to apply some corrections to my usual work-out habits.

Oooops. :hide:

Kekvit Irae

11-06-2005, 23:45

Sit-ups suck, but if you are military, they are an everyday focus. :sadg:
I think the APFT needs to be reworked to something other than redundant situps

Papewaio

11-07-2005, 02:09

:jawdrop: You really let yourself go didn't you Pape. ~;p ~D ~D ~D

I have very much let myself go. The sets of situps where at the end of a 2hr gym workout. Mind you as a contract gold explorer I had to be very fit, mainly in stamina. So I was doing a lot of cardio and reps until failure. I wasn't going for bulk or speed, but more endurance and raising my pain threshold. Yet even with all the workouts I would lose peak fitness compared with being on the job.

Nowadays as a server tech, I don't need that level of fitness to do my job. But I have overdone the lack of exercise. ~:eek: `

DemonArchangel

11-07-2005, 02:22

9x25 sets of crunches, 3 in each direction.

Shaka_Khan

11-07-2005, 03:40

I can go on and on with sit-ups for a long long time. So I just stop when I have to do something else. I don't know what the most numbers of sit-ups I can do are.

Reverend Joe

11-07-2005, 04:50

GoreBag

11-07-2005, 18:56

Good question. I really don't know how many I could do, or even that I should. Turns out I've lost seven pounds since I started working at my latest job...one meal per day isn't cutting it, it seems.

yesdachi

11-07-2005, 20:50

My goal is to do 100 straight situps in 1 minute. I've managed 72 this morning.... I will probably never get it as I just cant go up and down that fast....

Do that every morning. Plus whenever I get myself to the boxing gym, thats another 200 which generally happens 3 times a week.
Just for the sake of competition, as it is not that effective of a sit-up, I could do 75 in a minute back in the day (consistently 2-3 less than a buddy of mine, Oh I was soo gunna catch him!). Now I do 1 every morning, up, out of bed.~D

SwordsMaster

11-07-2005, 22:39

Ah Dut:

Do sit-ups burn fat on your stomach? I have some excess I need to get rid of (It is not serious, but it could potentially put the brakes on the kind of moment I don't want to put the brakes on. "Oh... no wonder you wear loose shirts." :tongue:) If not, that is okay; I am also walking about an hour or more every day, so I should be rid of it in about a year. No rush. ~:cheers:

I do 50 in one sitting. I could do more, but I would throw up pretty soon afterwards.

I know the question isn't for me, but I just couldn't let it sit there... ~D

You don't spot-burn fat. Nor can you "convert" fat into muscle. You will have to build muscle, then lose fat, generally in that order too. Whatever exercise you do will burn fat in your body in general, more or less evenly. Men and women burn fat faster in some places (or, rather, they accumulate fat faster in specific areas), and some people have a faster metabolism which will help them burn fat too.

Just for the sake of mentioning it, the biggest muscles in your body are in your legs. Thats why people who earn a living with their legs tend to stay in shape. If you want to lose fat, do squats. Lots of them.

Craterus

11-07-2005, 23:35

:jumping: I thought the best plan was to lose fat first, then put the weight back on in muscle. Then again, I'm not very informed on this... :jumping:

SwordsMaster

11-07-2005, 23:50

:jumping: I thought the best plan was to lose fat first, then put the weight back on in muscle. Then again, I'm not very informed on this... :jumping:

See, when you are putting on muscle, you will put on fat too, because you will need to eat a lot more. Of course, if fat mechanically prevents you from eercising then you will have to lose the excess first.

Samurai Waki

11-08-2005, 00:02

200 per day, 50 to the left 50 to the right, and 100 regular, I also use 30-50 lbs. dumbells pressed against my chest... your learn these kinds of techniques when your best friend is a master fitness trainer within the 101st Airborne.

ah_dut

11-08-2005, 17:25

I know the question isn't for me, but I just couldn't let it sit there... ~D

You don't spot-burn fat. Nor can you "convert" fat into muscle. You will have to build muscle, then lose fat, generally in that order too. Whatever exercise you do will burn fat in your body in general, more or less evenly. Men and women burn fat faster in some places (or, rather, they accumulate fat faster in specific areas), and some people have a faster metabolism which will help them burn fat too.

Just for the sake of mentioning it, the biggest muscles in your body are in your legs. Thats why people who earn a living with their legs tend to stay in shape. If you want to lose fat, do squats. Lots of them.
hey, I've been sorta overworked recently so sorry for the late reply and yes, you cannot spot burn fat. A 6 pack is made in the kitchen my friend~;)

Well big squats build big muscles (over the legs and butt~;)) and your glutes are pretty damn big muscles lads~D

It's sort of silly to try and lose fat first then do weights. You might as well do just weights. Just doing weights will change your body composition (pretty much whatever crummy routine you do) so there's one thing. Then you can try and hack off some fat...also, you've got more muscles, so you'll burn more calories while doing your cardio etc...

Reverend Joe

11-08-2005, 19:32

Swordsmaster, Ah Dut, thank you for the clarification. Maybe I'll just start running a couple miles a day; that seemed to work well. I don't know why I stopped.

ah_dut

11-08-2005, 19:40

Swordsmaster, Ah Dut, thank you for the clarification. Maybe I'll just start running a couple miles a day; that seemed to work well. I don't know why I stopped.
Running is all well and good but watch a few issues (expirience in my short little life)

watch how you run (bad technique does in your knees fast) and watch you got decent shoes (preferably not Jimmy Choo~;) ) just joking mate

Don't let your head roll around (not good for your neck)

Look forwards (believe it or not you run faster this way~D )

Eat enough and do enough upper body stuff to make sure you don't become a wimply jogger:bow: ~:cheers:

yesdachi

11-08-2005, 19:57

I have found that I can run for hours (on my treadmill) if I am playing Nintendo. Old school mindless games seem to work best, anything where I have to think or concentrate throws off my running.~:)

Reverend Joe

11-08-2005, 20:02

Running is all well and good but watch a few issues (expirience in my short little life)

watch how you run (bad technique does in your knees fast) and watch you got decent shoes (preferably not Jimmy Choo~;) ) just joking mate

Don't let your head roll around (not good for your neck)

Look forwards (believe it or not you run faster this way~D )

Eat enough and do enough upper body stuff to make sure you don't become a wimply jogger:bow: ~:cheers:

I got that down. But thank you anyway. And I don't jog- I run. :brood:

Actually, are pushups good for your upper body? (I suspect they are... but are they?)

Papewaio

11-08-2005, 20:44

Yes Pushups are like doing a bench press upside down... they build up pecs and lats depending on what kind of pushup you do... chest development good enough that it helps fight asthma... by allowing the chest muscles to constrict harder forcing out more air and hence reversing the main problem with asthma of not being able to exhale fully.

ah_dut

11-08-2005, 22:28

Hey Zorba, I said watch how you run mate

And yes as Pape said pushups are good, though you do need to move onto harder ones if you want to continue making gains in strength after a while. It's not all about mindlessly cranking out reps. I'm stronger now then I was and I can do 40 less (down from 140) so I fail to see how anything bad's happened.

Kekvit Irae

11-08-2005, 22:31

Papewaio

11-08-2005, 22:36

Generally with asthma you cannot inhale because you cannot fully exhale... you are limited to only a portion of your lungs, by being able to more fully compress my lungs I find that I can inhale more and minimise the problems with asthma faster.

SwordsMaster

11-08-2005, 23:08

I got that down. But thank you anyway. And I don't jog- I run. :brood:

Actually, are pushups good for your upper body? (I suspect they are... but are they?)

pushups are good. But If you want full homemade set of exercises, try, pushups, pullups and dips. Those tree work every muscle in the upper body to some degree.

ah_dut

11-09-2005, 18:33

substitute dips for handstand pushups every now and then for some decent shoulder growth

screwtype

11-10-2005, 04:42

You should be careful doing situps. They can wreck your back. I used to do a lot of situps and that's what it got me. If I do a few situps now my back will be stiff as a board for days afterwards.

You should be particularly careful about any sort of situp where you are hooking your feet under something to get momentum. That's a great way to screw up your back quick.

Unfortunately I've never found an adequate substiture for situps - at least, one I liked. I do crunches now but I hate doing crunches. Maybe I'll try doing the butterflies that someone else mentioned. But running will get the excess pounds off if you do it regularly.

One little known method of burning fat and toning the stomach is meditation. When I meditate, I usually get spontaneous abdominal contractions, that can last for minutes at a time, and it's quite effortless because as I said it is spontaneous, just something your body does by itself. Also, Westerners in general tend to overestimate the effectiveness of muscle contractions and under estimate that of muscle stretches. I see a lot of guys who obviously spend a lot of time in the gym who have big muscles but who otherwise look stiff and unhealthy.

You should balance out your muscle building with muscle stretching exercises such as you find in Yoga or Pilates. Increased flexibility will improve your sense of wellbeing and your overall level of fitness and health far more than just body building alone. Yoga can also give you a good workout. It's not as passive an activity as it might look.

Togakure

11-10-2005, 04:56

Believe it or not, the abroller actually works very well. the vid that came with it has 5 minute and 12 minute programs (and a nice-looking, if a bit ditsy blonde demonstrating) that cover upper, mid, lower abs, and obliques well. If you need more workout, repeat the programs, or add some weight to the abroller for additional resistance. When used correctly, the device relieves the pressure on your neck and back well. Do follow the recommended program though; if you just go up and down you won't get very good results.

I used one regularly over two summers, three years ago (12 minutes, morning and night, everyday) while swimming laps 4-5 days a week, and was looking better than I did when I was in my 20s--6-pack definition and all. Wish I had it here now ... .

screwtype

11-10-2005, 05:28

Hmm, I've read some negative things about the ab roller. They're not easy to find these days either.

This looks like it might be useful though:

http://www.bestabs.com/Resources/Exercises/ExerciseDetails.aspx?region=1&exercise=2

SwordsMaster

11-10-2005, 09:41

Toga, it was probably the swimming rather than the ab roller what made you look better...

ah_dut

11-10-2005, 23:30

I can tell you that an Ab Wheel for jacknifes absolutely terrorises your abs from a standing position, same goes for dragon flags.

Togakure

11-11-2005, 00:41

Toga, it was probably the swimming rather than the ab roller what made you look better...
I think both contributed to my results. I was not able to swim during the Fall, Winter, and early Spring between these summers, but I managed to maintain my abs through the use of the abroller exclusively. I did work out with dumbells and a curl bar, and doing calisthenics, but none of these worked my abs to any great degree. I'd also reached the ripe mid-age of 40 ....

I know there is a tendency to be skeptical of these modern-day gadgets--I am generally skeptical too. However, I have direct experience with this one, and have achieved results with it, without any negative side effects. So, I thought I'd share that, for what it's worth ....

I was also taking protein supplements over these two years (powdered, in milk), and managed my diet carefully.

SwordsMaster

11-11-2005, 01:15

That is exactly what it is. If you can see your abs, it is probably earned in the kitchen...

You don't have to work your abs to see them. You just have to get rid of the fat on top. Which is usually a lot more effective if your diet is appropriate.

Kekvit Irae

11-11-2005, 02:46

Recent studies have shown that a high protein diet can help naturally reduce weight because foods with high protein makes your body think you are full when you are really not, solving a problem of overeating.
High protein and low carb diet works for me, but I'm hardly one to lose weight, as I am just 140.

Shaka_Khan

11-11-2005, 03:53

That depends on how tall you are. How tall are you?
If you're tall, then 140 is very light.

Kekvit Irae

11-11-2005, 05:03

5'7", so 140 is about average for me

Sasaki Kojiro

11-11-2005, 08:41

Yeah, situps are a pretty crappy exercise...most peoples hip flexors are too tight in the first place (sedentary lifestyle).

Your abdominals have basically three functions, moving the sternum, moving the pelvis, and stabilization. Exercises like pushups, squats, deadlifts, standing overhead press etc will work them quite a bit because the have to keep your midsection firm to provide a solid enough base. Crunches work the upper part, reverse crunches work the lower. I did enough ab work to last me a lifetime when I was doing crew so I quit doing any kind...just squats and overhead press and things.

To get a sixpack:

Eat a big breakfast. Most of your carbohydrates in this meal.

Small meals throughout the day.

Eat very little before bedtime.

Walk for an hour or an hour and a half every day.

Needless to say you do need to be at a calorie deficit (burning more than you eat).

Exercises like running and jogging tend to burn a lot of muscle, which is not the goal here.

Moros

11-11-2005, 12:21

tough my abs well are verry verry hard to find I think I can do 80 with ease (so I could probably do more) but that is probably because I'm so skinny ~:).

push ups on the other hand well...I never tried to do as many as I can (I can do 20 with ease but I never went further than 30 because I'm to lazy I guess) but I can do 5-10 with one hand.

Spetulhu

11-11-2005, 13:51

and how well toned do you think your abs are?

Everyone's got perfectly fine sixpacks. It's just that some are hidden behind a thicker layer of insulation than others. ~;)

Drisos

11-11-2005, 14:04

Check post titel ~;)

I can do 30... but not much more ~:mecry:

Moros

11-11-2005, 14:08

owkay I just tried and I did 60 push-ups. I think the 61 would've killed me.
:fainting:

Drisos

11-11-2005, 14:10

I think 35 would kill me... lucky guy GG!

ah_dut

11-11-2005, 18:50

Hahaha, am I the only pushup addict here? ok, I prefer mine with 1 hand because well frankly I don't see the point of doing a few hundred.

And as to the 140 and 5'7'' thing, I'm 5'6'' and 115 ~D Oh well, not everyone's a skinny runt

Yeah, situps are a pretty crappy exercise...most peoples hip flexors are too tight in the first place (sedentary lifestyle).
Good point about the tight Hip Flexors...holds a lot of people back on snatches etc (if any of these people actually try)

drone

11-11-2005, 19:19

Hahaha, am I the only pushup addict here? ok, I prefer mine with 1 hand because well frankly I don't see the point of doing a few hundred.

And as to the 140 and 5'7'' thing, I'm 5'6'' and 115 ~D Oh well, not everyone's a skinny runt
Sounds to me like you need to put on some weight. Each pushup would be harder and you wouldn't need to do hundreds. ~;)

ah_dut

11-11-2005, 23:31

Nah, 100 is the limit, used to be more but I've been focusing away on the one armers. And yes, I do add weight in the form of weight plates in a backpack to get up to 75k...or about 165lbs...for a good few reps so I wouldn't say I'm too wimpy

Hmm, I've read some negative things about the ab roller. They're not easy to find these days either.

This looks like it might be useful though:

http://www.bestabs.com/Resources/Exercises/ExerciseDetails.aspx?region=1&exercise=2
The Swiss Ball is useful but don't expect miracles

The Stranger

11-12-2005, 21:33

500+ situps 30 push ups

180 cm around 60 kg

Moros

11-12-2005, 21:39

yes sit ups are just so damn easy. I just would never try to find my max. I'd be bussy for ever!

ah_dut

11-13-2005, 00:55

situps just seem to kill my back so I've never gone beyond a hundred as well frankly I get bored...squats on the other hand? I like pressups also, preferably with one hand. Does wonders for your abs. And yes I can see my abs, no i'm not on a superstrict diet...

I'm going through puberty and I do plenty of excercise, that's it ~D