Do sit-ups to lose belly fat? Exercise your abdominal muscles with this one trick

The weather is gradually warming up, spring clothes are starting to appear on the streets, but many women are starting to worry about belly fat. There is a saying that "doing sit-ups is very effective in losing weight in the abdominal area". Is this true? Physical therapists can't help but worry that doing sit-ups can build muscle strength but cannot eliminate abdominal fat; once the movements are not standard, it is easy to produce compensatory effects in the process of executing the movements, using the wrong muscles, and even causing damage to the spine or lumbar spine.

Can doing sit-ups help you lose weight? Very few calories consumed

Sit-ups are a very simple and common fitness exercise. Because it is easy to perform and does not require much space, many people are keen on doing sit-ups continuously and in large quantities, hoping to train their abdominal muscles, get a beautiful mermaid line, or even lose weight successfully. However, physical therapist Lin Yanru said that it is a bit unrealistic to achieve the effect of weight loss or partial weight loss by sit-ups alone, because sit-ups themselves can consume very few calories.

In addition, the abdominal muscles are divided into many layers, including: deep core muscles, such as the transverse abdominal muscles, and surface muscles that are used when doing sit-ups - the rectus abdominis. During exercise, the rectus abdominis will perform concentric contraction. Continuous training will cause muscle hypertrophy, which will look relatively obvious from the outside. When body fat is reduced to a certain level, the enviable six-pack abs will be formed. However, the outer layer of the rectus abdominis is covered by subcutaneous fat. If the subcutaneous fat is too thick, no lines will be visible even if you train hard.

To train your abdominal muscles, start with your core muscles

The most popular exercise at present is to start with the core muscles. After the core muscles are trained to a certain level, the surface muscles are trained. Firstly, the core muscles have enough strength to maintain the correct position of the spine and avoid sports injuries; secondly, it can make the movements more correct and effective. In addition, some people have incorrect posture for a long time, which causes the curvature of the lumbar spine to be excessively convex, and their lower abdomen may appear to be protruding. Therefore, exercising the core muscles and correcting the spinal posture can also improve the protruding lower abdomen.

Although correct sit-ups can build muscle strength, they cannot eliminate abdominal fat, especially for some people who have a bulging belly due to the accumulation of visceral fat. Simply doing sit-ups cannot eliminate deep visceral fat, and doing more will be in vain. The key to losing weight is still diet control combined with proper aerobic exercise and weight training. The most effective way to lose weight is to reduce calorie intake, increase muscle mass and increase basal metabolic rate.

Avoid injuries when doing sit-ups

What should you pay attention to when doing sit-ups to avoid injury? Physical therapist Lin Yanru said that if you want to do sit-ups, you should avoid putting your hands behind the cervical spine and pressing hard on the cervical spine to support the body, as this may cause cervical injury. The correct way to do sit-ups is to first stretch your hands forward, toward your knees, keep your head slightly nodded, slowly lift the cervical and thoracic vertebrae off the ground, and then slowly lie down. You don't need to lift your body very high to do sit-ups, just feel the force in your stomach.

Sit-ups are not of much practical help in weight loss. If you want to achieve the effect of sculpting your abdominal curves, it is recommended that you first awaken your core muscles and then find an abdominal surface muscle exercise that suits you. You can start with the "static plank pose" exercise. After reaching a certain level, you can increase the intensity based on the plank pose. This is a safer and more effective approach.

Sculpt your abdominal curves by starting with the "static bar" exercise

When doing the plank pose, place your elbows under your shoulders, toes on the ground, and slowly lift your stomach off the ground after slightly contracting it, while keeping your shoulders, pelvis, and knees in a straight line. If the posture is incorrect, in addition to failing to effectively exercise your core muscles, you may also get injured during the execution. When performing the stick pose, it is important to note that the longer you hold it, the better. You need to maintain a good posture without body compensation, and repeat the training while maintaining a good posture.

[Tips from physical therapists]:

Please be reminded that sit-ups are not suitable for everyone, especially for patients with acute disc herniation. It may increase the pressure on the intervertebral disc due to increased abdominal pressure, making the symptoms more severe. It is not suitable for people with cervical discomfort or old diseases, because sit-ups can easily cause improper neck force due to insufficient abdominal strength. People who have back muscle strain or recent back pain also need to avoid doing sit-ups, and it is best to do them under the evaluation and supervision of a physical therapist.

In addition, office workers who sit for long periods of time or the general public who have no exercise habits are also likely to get injured while doing sit-ups because their cervical and lumbar vertebrae are already under greater pressure in daily life, or those with weak core muscles. If you experience any discomfort during exercise, or have any concerns about the movements, be sure to discuss with a physical therapist or doctor to avoid unnecessary injuries. You can also consult a physical therapist about the correct spinal posture. Maintaining a good spinal posture and exercising the core and abdominal muscles will allow you to have a healthy and beautiful abdominal curve.