sit-up with arms on chest: technique and muscles worked

Animated demonstration of sit-up with arms on chest

How to do this exercise

Step:1 Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
Step:2 Cross your arms over your chest.
Step:3 Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground towards your knees.
Step:4 Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
Step:5 Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Equipment: Body weight
Body part: Abdominals
Target muscle: Rectus abdominis
Secondary muscle: Transverse abdominis Internal obliques External obliques

Hypertrophy grade

Low4 / 10

Nemeo’s take

The floor crunch is a practical tool for targeting the rectus abdominus, but it falls short on the tension profile and progressive overload: the tension disappears in the stretched position and the weight of the body limits progress in the long term. Stability is optimal, because there are few external limiting factors, unlike leg raises for example. For isolation, it remains average, but it will quickly be surpassed by weighted variants or with better amplitude.

This catalog score reflects Nemeo’s assessment of the exercise’s muscle-building potential. It is not a standardized scientific rating or a personalized recommendation.

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sit-up with arms on chest

How to do this exercise

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