Comment on Unanchored Situp

[UpNorth]

I had an interesting discussion with my father this weekend, but before I get to it, a little background on the man. He is 67, in good health and is extremely fond of Tai-Chi. In fact that is all he has done for any sort of exercise in years. If you're not familiar with Tai-Chi it is a form of martial arts but is done slowly and precisely -- its probably more akin to dancing than to what people typically consider martial arts. He is also a retired surgeon, so his knowledge of anatomy is certainly above and beyond most.

He inquired about S2B when he saw it on my coffee table. In my description I mentioned the corrective phase and the tests outlined in the book. This really sparked his interest -- he wanted to take the test. So I walked him through each test and scored it for him (everything that is except the barbell/extension one since I don't have weights at home). when we got to the last test, the situp, he immediately said, "I can't do that." (although he eventually tried and scored a 1) But when I asked why he said two things I found very interesting:

1. As your muscles shorten they have less strength. So abs are strongest when your back is straight and it loses strength the tighter you curl up.

2. More importantly, he said he wouldn't be able to keep his feet on the ground after a certain point in the motion. He says, you reach a point where enough of your back is off the ground that the weight of your torso (the part off the ground) will weigh more than your lower-half recruiting your abs to pull your legs up (and hips) instead of your torso further towards your knees. Basically, if this is true, then the movement is really impossible.

#2 got me thinking: For someone like me (and my father) who have relatively long torsos and short legs is it possible to do one situp in 5 seconds cleanly or do you need to recruit some momentum to complete the full ROM? I'm curious who here have been able to do the slow situp? And if you have, how are you built?

Discuss...

BTW, at 67, with no weight training ever, scored a 5.

Cheers

[Jimbo]

I have to get just a little bit of momentum...just a little...to do these. I'm not sure I could do one in slllooooowwww motion and keep my feet on the floor.

Be interesting to see if anyone here can...good question D.

[Jimbo]

I called you D...sorry UpNorth. I dunno where my brain is these days.

[UpNorth]

I can do them slowly as well, but not "taking a full 5 seconds to reach the top" as suggested in the book.

[Deserve]

I can do them at a relaxed pace. I am not able to do them as slow as the book suggests.

[Bond007]

I have found that the farther away you plant your feet from your butt, the easier it is to get all the way up in 5 seconds without lifting your feet up off the ground. While your dad is right about the torso ultimately weighing more than the lower body and it shouldn't be possible, you also need to consider that the farther away your feet are from your torso, the more of a "lever" you have and thus a greater ability to raise up without lifting the feet. I believe the book mentions that your knees should be at a 90-degree angle and at that angle or a little greater depending on your leg to torso ratios, you should find the exercise just a tad bit easier. At least, that's what I've realized while doing these.

[UpNorth]

Thanks Bond. That is more or less the conclusion I've come to as well. I just thought I'd throw out my father's observation for discussion. I wonder if Mike Mejia ever checks in. I'd love to her his opinion!

[Bulking Up]

I have to have my legs at slightly more than a 90 degree angle or I can't do the situp without my feet coming a bit off the ground. I too would like to hear what Mike Mejia has to say about this.

[fitso]

as you do this exercise more and more, your abs will get used to it. this is coming from a guy who did the Abs Diet