You can try many different exercises to help lose weight. Doing sit-ups is a good way of bringing some change to your body weight. It is however important to bear in mind that doing hundreds of sit-ups every day will not produce desired results if you do not change your diet and maintain a strict cardiovascular exercise routine. Sit-ups will engage the muscles of the rectus abdominis, which include the front sheath of the abdominals, obliques, and hip flexors. One harsh fact to understand is thatplenty of sit-ups will not automatically produce better results, and this makes many people to ask, "How many sit-ups should I do?"Keep reading to learn how many sit-ups will effectively burn calories.
How Many Sit-Ups Should You Do?
Most people will get good results from 10-25 repetitions of sit-ups, but it usually depends on your endurance level and physical strength.Sit-ups become a lot more difficult during the 3rd or 4th sets of the exercise, but you may have to continue until you notice a feeling of fatigue in your abdominal muscles.
You also need to pay attention to maintaining proper form while performing sit-ups. Make sure that your body is on a flat surface with feet flat on the ground and your knees at a 90-degree angle. Keep your hands near the ears or below the chin before you start your exercise.
Best Way to Perform Sit Ups
The best way to make sit-ups work for you is to perform three sets of 15-20 reps. At the same time, you need to control portion size and perform adequate cardiovascular exercise with some total-body, strength-training workout. You may even consider replacing sit-ups with crunches on a stability ball or bicycle crunches if your basic aim is to have a strong core and abdomen.
Here is video helping you figure out how to sit-ups properly with effective approaches:
Can Sit Ups Help to Lose Belly Fat?
1. Sit Ups Do Burn Calories
It is estimated that an hour of vigorous exercises (such as sit-ups and pushups) will make you lose 430 calories per hour if your body weight is around 130 pounds. The loss of calories is 155 pounds if you weigh 155 pounds and do sit-ups for about an hour. You need to burn about 3500 calories to get rid of a pound of fat, and you can achieve this target by doing sit-ups for about eight hours or so. However, it is not always that simple because the types and intensity of sit-ups you do will also have an impact on how many calories you burn in an hour. The best thing is to put your abs to work without taking frequent breaks between sets to help burn more calories.
2. Yet, Sit Ups Alone Are Not the Most Efficient Way
How many sit-ups should I do? Some say you should do hundreds of them to burn more calories. The fact is that lots of crunches and sit-ups are not going to tone your flabby belly if you do not combine with other exercises and maintain a balanced diet. Doing too many sit-ups may even affect your progress negatively and make your tummy to bulge out after some time or lead to a potbelly.
3. Make a Comprehensive Plan
Performing a dynamic movement is usually a better choice. You can do walking lunges while rotating your upper body at the same time to target your abdominal muscles. This helps burn more calories because you are using large muscle groups during the exercise. You can also benefit from other exercises including Pilates, Yoga, etc. Variety is the key to success, so instead of asking, "How many sit-ups do I need to do?"concentrate more on doing varied movements to burn more belly fat.
4. How Can I Get a Six Pack?
You will hear people ask the question repeatedly, "How many sit-ups should I do to get a six-pack?" Doing sit-ups alone is not going to take you anywhere. You get a muscular midsection if you learn to do the right things not only in the gym but outside of it as well. You need to be as sensible in the kitchen as you are in the gym. A good nutrition plan will help burn calories. Similarly, you may get better results if you concentrate more on other movements, such as the plank. You can even try different variations if you can hold the traditional plank for a minute – you can try a 45-degree angle or even raise a leg.
Here is video showing some effective exercise to lose belly fats and build abs:
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Doing Sit Ups
Aside from the answer to question, "How many sit-ups should I do?" it is equally important to realize common mistakes while doing sit-ups. Fixing these mistakes will help you get better results.
Mistake 1: You Sit All the Way Up.
Understand that both straight and bent-leg sit-ups put so much pressure on the spine. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, your lower back can take only 3,300 Newton's of compression. Any pressure higher will result in higher rates of injuries, whereas bent-leg situps exert about 3,350 Newton and straight sit ups exert 3506 Newton. The better alternative is to do crunches and lift the upper part of your back from the floor to put less pressure on your spine.
Mistake 2: You Add a Twist at the Top.
Some people try this variation because they think it engages the side of their waists as well. Research shows that you are doing no good to the side of your waist through that "twist" because they are already in use. However, twisting movement can be harmful for the spine. Just be sure to stick to one plane movement without any twist.