Why do my sit-ups hurt my back ?

Question

When i do sit-ups, it doesnt hurt my tummy like its ment to, it hurts my lower back, its probably coz im donig it wrong but it looks like im doing it right, and does situps make yur tummy flatter atall? i noe it tones the muscles but does it mean that i will have a pokey out belly thats muscly?

please help!! thanks x

Answer 1

You don't have your core stabilized the way it should be and you are using your back to lift yourself up instead of your abs.

You need to use your core muscles in order to life yourself up.

Try doing pilates instead.

Answer 2

If your back hurts, you're doing them wrong. Don't lay all the way back; stop before your shoulders reach the ground. This will help protect your back, and will ensure that the work is done by your tummy muscles. Crunches work well at protecting the back, too - prop your feet up on top of a chair or something, and do "sit-ups" that way.

Situps can make your tummy flatter, but you have to work with those muscles. The situps strengthen the abdominal muscles, so that they can be more rigid; but you have to remember to pull them in (when not exercising) so your tummy doesn't stick out. Stronger muscles will do this easier, and repetition of remembering to pull them in will make it a habit.

Answer 3

I don't know why this is happening, but maybe you could try different moves that still target your abdominals, but don't have you moving your back on and off the floor so it won't hurt. I do ab ripper X from p90x, and it's given me a six pack. There are very few moves in it that are like sit ups. I would suggest googling it and trying it out (you could probably find it for free somewhere); you could get an awesome ab workout without the pain :)

Answer 4

Sounds like you are doing the sit ups incorrectly. Try crunches instead, and lower abdominal stuff like holding your legs straight out six inches from the ground for 10 seconds at a time.

But if you're trying to tone your tummy, you need to be burning calories. Add in cardio, or you just get strong muscles that are padded by the fat.

Couple it with healthy food choices and you'll start seeing results in a few weeks.

Answer 5

you have to tuck your chin into your chest and support the back of your head with your hands so your elbows stick out at the sides. Make sure the small of your back is rounded and not hollowed. If it hurts try it with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. It isn't necessary to sit all the way up either, just enough to feel your tummy muscles pulling then relax.

Start all excercise with small amounts then gradually increase the repetitions a few days later as and when you feel able.

It will tone your muscles and they won't stick out.

Answer 6

Yes, you are definitely doing them wrong. You are using your back muscles to do them instead of your stomach muscles. When you do them next time, concentrate on using your stomach muscles and you will notice the difference. Do them slowly and hold your body in the crunch position for a few seconds. They also say that crunches are better then sit-ups. And yes, they should tone your tummy if you do them correctly and often, although if you are looking to get a six-pack you will need to do various other exercises.

Answer 7

Traditional situps are actually really bad for you. They cheat your stomach by using your back, and in a bad way at that. So its natural that you're sore where you don't want to be.
Do leg lifts (lay flat on your back with your hands at your side, lift your head to look at your toes and lift your knees towards your chest and bring them back to where they were at rest on the floor but don't put them down, just get a few inches away from the floor and then bring them back up, repeat this 25 times before stopping)
Do crunches (lay flat on your back with your legs bent at 90 degrees, knees directly over your groin, put your hands behind your head and bring your elbows to your knees, repeat 25 times before stopping)
Do crunches with a twist (same as crunches but bring right elbow to left knee, then left elbow to right knee etc, 20 times each elbow before stopping)
This is a complete stomach work out. Physical therapists will tell you to always do the three exercises in that order. Lower abs, upper abs, then sides. Its proven to give best results.
Oh yeah, and always keep your tongue pressed against the back of your upper front teeth when you're working your core, this will keep your neck muscles tight so you won't strain your neck.
The rest is up to you, good luck.

Answer 8

Lie down on the floor on your back and bend your knees, placing your hands behind your head or across your chest.
Pull your belly button towards your spine, and flatten your lower back against the floor.
Slowly contract your abdominals, bringing your shoulder blades about one or two inches off the floor.
Exhale as you come up and keep your neck straight, chin up.
Hold at the top of the movement for a few seconds, breathing continuously.
Slowly lower back down, but don't relax all the way.
Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions with perfect form for each rep.
To add variation, bring your knees in at the same time you lift your upper body off the floor (full body crunch)

Answer 9

I'm not much of an expert..........maybe your doing the excercises wrong or maybe your back isn't capable of supporting your weight............so basically you can do 2 things in this case......you can strenghten your back by doing excercises that build back muscles and they'll take a portion of the pressure rather then making your spine take everything........ or you can try to shed off as much excess weight as possible (or you can do both which is better) ..........I understand its what your trying to do.......I think running/swimming is more of a priority though...

as for the 2nd question I think you will get a flatter stomach.....only because you dont get muscles (or dont see them atleast) until you've lost all the excess fat on your stomach...

Answer 10

Sit ups are not really effective and as you can see they hurt if done wrong. Try crunches instead. Also if you are big breasted you can't do situps or crunches without back pain but need to look up other abdominal exercises to do.

Answer 11

i had this problem myself, there is a good chance you are doing to many at once or not leaving enough time in between exersize sessions. cut down how many you are doing and build up gradually also leave a day for rest in between this will give your body time to get used to yor exercise routine eventually the lower back pain will dissapear and the stomach also helps support the back and a good firm stomach will help reduce any minor back pains or aches . many exercise related injurys are caused by doing to much in the early stages. the method i used is to just slowly lift the upper body off the floor a few inches or so and the stomach takes the strain