Skip to main content

ClapMove · clapmove.com

Exercise handout — move better, feel better.

Back

Floor Sit-Up

IntermediateStrengthTier T2

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, hands beside your head. Lift your head and shoulders, bring your chest up toward your knees, then lower slowly. You may feel your abdomen and the front of your hips working.

Targets: Lumbar Spine
Muscles: Rectus Abdominis

Stop if

Stop the exercise if this happens. Seek advice if it persists or you are unsure.

Also stop if you notice
Pain in the low back or the neck, or a strain in the front of the neck from pulling on your head.
  • Pain 6 out of 10 or more: choose an easier exercise.
  • Pain 8 out of 10 or more: stop and rest.

Equipment needed

  • Works at home
  • Works at the gym

none

Home Options

  • bodyweight

Dosage

3

Sets

10

Reps / Time

45 sec

Rest

controlled

Tempo

Step-by-Step Guide

Set up

  • Lie on your back on the mat with your knees bent to about a right angle and both feet flat on the mat, a little apart.
  • Rest your hands lightly behind and to either side of your head with your elbows out wide, and let your head rest on the mat.
  1. Man lying on his back on a mat with his knees bent, his feet flat and his hands behind his head.

    Step 1 of 5

    Lie on your back with your knees bent and both feet flat on the mat.

  2. Man on a mat with his head and shoulder blades lifted and his mid back still down.

    Step 2 of 5

    Lift your head and shoulder blades away from the mat.

  3. Man sitting up close to upright on a mat with his knees bent and his feet flat.

    Step 3 of 5

    Bring your chest up close to your knees, with your feet still flat.

  4. Man lowering his trunk back toward a mat with his knees bent and his feet flat.

    Step 4 of 5

    Lower slowly, leading with your shoulders.

  5. Man lying on his back on a mat with his knees bent, his feet flat and his hands behind his head.

    Step 5 of 5

    Lie on your back with your knees bent and both feet flat on the mat.

What you should feel

You may feel the muscles across the front of your abdomen working, and the front of your hips working as you come up.

Breathing

  • Breathe out as you come up and in as you lower; do not hold your breath.

Safety Information

Work on a mat or another surface that pads your back. Keep your hands resting lightly behind your head; do not pull your head forward with them. If your feet lift as you rise, stop and come up only as far as you can with them staying down. Stop if the exercise causes pain or you become unwell. Seek appropriate professional advice about symptoms or suitability.

Get your free personalized program at clapmove.com/register

Printed from clapmove.com. ClapMove is not a replacement for professional medical advice — always consult a healthcare provider before starting any exercise program.