help with situps

[shamguy4]

I started doing bill stars 5x5 program
Bill Starr 5x5 - Madcow Intermediate or Linear Version

well anyhow I do wieghted situps, but theres only so much weight I can place on myself
the 35 pound disc is kinda big and smothers my whole frame...
I could hold much more weight but the 45's are huge and i cant put my arms over that...
holding 3 tens instead is a bit better buta bit sloppy....

how do people do these things?
and I am doing them with my feet anchored.... unanchored I could just do myself with no wieght..

well I came up with a exercise that might exist but as far as I'm concerned I made it up.... And because I made it up I dont know if its safe....

instead of holding the disc against my chest, I hold it out in front of me (elbows bent slightly) like im grabbing the wheel in a car
its above my head in starting position. then I do a situp and bring it over my knees, where it pulls at my stomach and I have to keep it upright and hold it still. then I go back to starting postion.


so what do you think?
let me guess this is already an exercise?

[RacerBill]

It sounds like you're using the momentum of the weight to assist the situp motion.

If plates are too big for you to hold to your chest, you can use a dumbbell, held by both hands under your chin.

Or you could do serratus situps, holding two DBs straight up at arms length (similar to what you describe, but without the shoulder motion).

[Mon]

make sure you are using your abdominals and not your hip flexors to get you up! Most important thing! If you are using your hip flexors (you can tell when you are), you are using too much weight.

[StuWard]

Try these:
Dumbbell Push Crunch

[AFI82]

I'd go with Stu's recommendation. Not that what you're doing is bad, but if you aren't careful, the weight will actually aid you more than it will hinder you.

If you hold it out at arms length and move it over your knees at the finish point, it might be acting as a counterbalance. Yea, it'll be hard on your arms to hold it out, but your abs might be feeling it a little less.

[maxattack]

Also, try doing some crunches or full situp with your feet unanchored. I bet that you'll likely have to use less weight but still challenge your core even more.

[Chris Correia]

Holding the weight out that way for a crunch is fine; you're just making it harder by changing the length of the lever. I'm not sure how you can do a full situp that way, though; it'd be tough to hold that weight out in front of you when fully sitting up.

Re the hip flexor use, if you do a full situp, verus a crunch, you are using the hip flexors. It's impossible not to. But, that's OK, it's part of the whole dynamic; the abs get their share of the load. IMO, strengthening hip flexors is good (at least for me it is).

Doing situps with feet unanchored is fine; I prefer them that way if doing them on the floor (versus a slant board; see below).

Also, you can change the lever (or, perhaps, it's the center of gravity) by using an incline slant board. I love those, too, and they are they type of situp I usually do: full situps, straight (or almost fully straight) legs, on a slant board. Add a weight plate to those, and you have a plenty challenging movement.