Curl ups Exercise (Sit Ups): Health Benefits, How to Do?

Curl ups exercise also called sit ups exercise used to strengthen your Abdominal muscles and also improve your core muscles and recommended By doctors to reduce lordotic posture of lumbar spine and also helps in relieving low Back pain. This exercise also prescribed by trainer in the gym who wanted to loose Belly Fat.

What is curl up exercise?

• Curl ups exercise is good exercise for abdominal muscle.
• This exercise focus on strengthening of the abdominal muscles.
• The abdominal muscles play a vital role in the stability of the spine and trunk control.
• Curl ups exercise is classic abdominal exercises done by lying on your back and move upward your upper body.
• This exercise use your body weight to strengthen and tone the core stabilizing abdominal muscles.
• Curl ups work the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques and to your hip flexors, chest, and neck muscle.
• This exercise is help to maintain good posture by using your lower back and gluteal muscles.
• With a excessive range of motion, curl ups target more muscles than crunches and static core exercises.
• This exercise gives an ideal addition to your fitness program.
• Curl ups also known as a abdominal crunch and sit ups.
• When you start doing curl ups your abdominal muscle feel sore so you have to start eating more protein.

Health Benefits of curl up exercise:

• Curl ups are traditional core exercises mostly used in exercise programs due to their simplicity and effectiveness.
• Here some reasons you may wish to do curl ups into your workout routine.

Improve Core muscle strength

• Core muscle strength is one of the biggest motivators for doing curl ups.
• By strengthening, tightening, and toning your core, it help to reduce your risk of back pain and injuries.
• You will be able to move with easy as you complete your daily routine and participate in athletic and sports activities.

Helps to Improved muscle mass

• Curl ups improve muscle strength in your abdominal and hip muscles.
• Curl up exercise may be a useful indicator for muscle loss (muscle loss due to aging called sarcopenia)
• People who were able to do more than ten curl-ups had higher levels of muscle mass and functional capacity.

Helps to improve performance in sports activity

• A stronger core muscle makes your posture good and improve stability in athlete or sports men to perform higher levels during any sport or physical activity and you will be less likely to feel fatigue.

Improve balance and stability

• A strong core muscle helps to maintain your balanced and stability as you move throughout your daily activities and sports activities.
• This exercise may help your pelvis, lower back, and hip muscles to work together with your core muscles.

Helps to Improve flexibility

• This exercise Moving your spine and it will helps to loosen up stiffness in your spine and hips.
• Curl ups make your hips and trunk more flexible, which increases mobility and helps to relieves tension and tightness over back.
• Increased flexibility of muscle improves circulation , reduces stress, and boosts your energy levels.

Improved posture

• A strong core muscle keep easier to your hips, spine, and shoulders to maintain proper anatomical alignment, which helps to improve or maintain good posture. Benefits of good posture is less pain and less tension in a back and improved breathing.
• It helps to Reduced risk of back pain and back injury
• Curl ups also build strength in the lower back, hips, and pelvis muscle.

Inspiratory muscle strengthening

• Curl ups is good exercise to practice diaphragmatic breathing. curl ups may cause compression of the abdomen, which can have a positive effect on your diaphragm muscle.
• A strong and healthy diaphragm can improve your breathing patterns, decreased stress, and improve athletic endurance.
• Curl ups were found to be beneficial in strengthening the diaphragm and improving respiratory function.

Helps to relieve back pain

• In this exercise your back and hip muscle are making good strength and flexibility.
• From this, your back becomes stronger and you have relief from back pain.

How to do curl ups?

Partial curl ups

• You can easily do it in your home without any equipment.
• Here we explain to you how to do this exercise and divide it into proper forms to make it easy.
• And we included some variation in this exercise.
• You have to lie on your back directly on the floor with your arms are crossed over your chest.
• Now you have to bend your both knees and your feet flat on the floor.
• Your foot are slightly away from your buttocks.
• Raise your upper body from the ground approximately 30 to 40 degrees.
• Your abdominal muscle feel contracted. The distance between your hip and ribs will be shorten, resulting in curl ups.
• Now lower your upper body down to the ground.
• This whole movement approximately take 3 to 4 seconds.
• Do this again for 20 to 30 times in one session.

Advanced curl ups with extended arms:

• You have to lie on your back directly on the floor with your arms and leg straighten.
• Now you have to raise your upper body and both hands towards the ceiling.
• At same time you have to raise your both leg towards ceiling.
• Perform the curl ups same as you do before with bend knees.
• Hold this position for 2 seconds and then slowly back to starting position with your hand and legs down to the ground.
• Do this again for 20 to 30 times in one session.

Which three muscle curl ups targeted?

• Rectus abdominalis muscle.
• External oblique,internal oblique.
• Transvers abdominalis.

When you not to do this exercise?

• Recent spine injury.
• Abdominal hernia.
• Recently delivered.
• Recent abdominal surgery.
• Abdominal muscle weakness
• If you feel any pain during exercise.
• Disc Bulging in Lumbar area
• Lumbar Retro-listhesis where This exercise is contraindicated.
• If exercise will increase your Back pain

FAQs

Author: Nitesh Patel - Physiotherapist

Physiotherapist in Samarpan Physiotherapy Clinic Ahmedabad Bapunagar Amaraiwadi Vastral Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic Dr. Nitesh Patel ( Physiotherapist ) : Mo No : 09898607803