A Comparison of Three Sit-up Exercises for Improving Abdominal Strength and Endurance

Abstract

Yessis claims that a sit-up which will bring greater muscle development to the entire abdominal wall ls the bench sit-up. In this sit-up, the abdominal muscles are responsible for flexion of the lower spine and involves the movement of the upper body toward the lower body. To perform the bench sit-up, the person sits crosswise on a bench with the pelvic girdle well supported and the feet on the floor. With the feet supported and the arms across the chest, the individual slowly leans backward until the trunk is slightly below horizontal, creating a slight hyperextension of the spine. The trunk is then raised upward to the original position by executing spinal flexion. The head is kept tilted slightly upward during the entire exercise. This exercise is geared more towards advanced exercisers due to the great involvement of abdominal and hip flexor muscles. Additionally, there are numerous exercise devices that are marketed commercially which claim to do wonders for the abdominal region however the validity of these devices is questionable. Most, if not all, are marketed without substantial research to support their claims. It is in the best interest of the public to determine if these, as well as more conventional ways of doing abdominal exercises are effective in increasing abdominal strength and abdominal endurance. The purpose of this study was to compare three methods of improving abdominal strength and endurance. More specifically, the study sought to determine whether three distinctly different sit-up exercises, the Rowing Exerciser, the Sit-N-Trim exercise, and the crunch exercise, were similar or different in their ability to effect changes in muscular strength and/or muscular endurance. The fundamental question to be answered by this study is, is there a sit-up exercise that will improve strength and endurance more than any other? The specific hypotheses tested were as follows: 1. There will be no significant difference in strength gain between subjects in the Sit-N-Trim and crunch groups but there will be a significant difference between these two groups and the Rowing Exerciser group. 2. There will be no significant difference in endurance gain between subjects in the Sit-N-Trim and the crunch groups but there will be a difference between these two groups and the Rowing Exerciser group