Mobility and stability sit up combo. Learn the proper form and various benefits of training both mobility and stability with the sit up.

Sit up is a common human pattern a lot of people do naturally when they are in bed or sometimes on the floor. It's also an exercise that has been used for centuries or longer to develop the midsection and hip flexors.

We are fans of the sit up and have done lengthy videos and articles on various variations in the past.

Yet, sometimes you hear people on Internet saying "Never do sit ups! Do this instead!" and the suggested exercise is often some crazy gimmick that looks cool and is very hard to do.

You hear people saying the sit up is dangerous and will destroy your back. They say it useless and other bollocks.

In reality, sit up is only one basic human pattern among many and it's safe to do as long as you do it correctly and it's not the only core exercise that you do (just doing 1 exercise forever will lead to imbalances).

For example, it's easy to create imbalances when you train the abs but not the lower back or obliques. It's easy to hurt yourself if you do an exercise with max resistance and not enough support.

In this video and article we covered two different sit ups: the conventional sit up and the sit up press.

The purpose of these two variations is to develop these two attributes of the body: mobility of the spinal flexion and stability of the spine. The latter may not sound as cool as mobility but it's equally important if not more important regarding your physical development.

Sit up uses and trains the compression mobility of the core (spinal flexion). This means that your abdominal muscles are trained hard because one of the main functions of the abs is to flex the spine.

In addition to your core, you are also training the hip flexors (upper thighs) because in the sit up there happens a lot of hip flexion as well. The hip flexors also need to stabilize a lot. This is why your hip flexors may get tired or sore.

Normally, just the bodyweight sit up can be immensely effective but since we are pairing the exercise with the sit up press, we are also using dumbbells, kettlebells or a barbell for extra resistance.

Training both mobility (strength in the range of motion) and stability (the ability to stabilize the joint) will lead to adaptability.

You are becoming a master of your body. Human movement and athleticism mainly consist of these two attributes: stability and mobility. Lack of either one often leads to higher risk for injuries.

When you learn to activate, move and stabilize specific areas of the body, you will eventually learn to move multiple areas in synergy. You are ultimately cultivating awareness of your body and mental control over the muscles.

Learning how to "isolate" different body parts in separation is the first step to learning how to move them in conjunction with detail and sophistication.

This is why in Athlete 20XX we are learning how to control the body – we are fundamentally studying the body to learn how it moves. Movement 20XX teaches how to move the body, Athlete 20XX teaches how the body moves.

What does this mean? For example, athletes and dancers are often amazing at moving their body but you would be awestruck by how many athletes and dancers have little to no understanding of how the body functions outside the skills of their craft.

Discovering how to move the body is only one part of the equation. Discovering your body is another part. This is why it's important to specifically focus on developing athletic attributes such as mobility and stability.

All athletic movements whether it is sports, dance or martial arts fundamentally consist of the same attributes and basic patterns. Something is always moving and something is always stabilizing. 

Master both and there are no limits to your ability.

VAHVA Fitness

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