Sit-up

Bodyweight, on the floor

Also called situp

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet anchored or held. Curl the torso up toward the knees, then lower back to the floor under control.

Movement

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Core

Lower body

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.

Muscle growth higher is better1.0
Poor stimulus; little growth even near failure. 1 source.
- 1/5 D tier: floor limits the stretch and hip flexors take over in the second half, per his EMG. Jeremy Ethier, It's Weird, But Destroyed Every Ab Exercise I Tested @ 1:03videoExpert opinion2026checked by AI
Injury risk lower is better4.0
Elevated; common source of irritation or strain. 1 source.
- 4/5 Repeated loaded spinal flexion softens disc collagen, so it is unhelpful for people with back pain. Squat University, The WORST Exercises For Back Pain (Do THESE Instead!) @ 0:00videoExpert opinion2023checked by AI