Do a Jack Knife Sit Up

Jack-knife sit ups are a great, low-impact exercise for strengthening abdomen muscles. They are also essential towards achieving a six pack.

Steps

Getting in the Starting Position

  1. Lie flat on the floor with your legs straight.
  2. Extend your arms straight back behind your head.

Performing the Exercise

  1. Exhale and as you do so, raise both your arms and legs to meet at the top of the jackknife position. At the peak of this step, you should be balancing only on your bottom. Your legs should be straight at about a 35-45˚ angle from the floor and your arms should be parallel to your legs.
  2. Inhale and lower your arms and legs to return to the starting position.
  3. Repeat.

Making it More Advanced

  1. To make this exercise more challenging, use an exercise ball.
    • Lie with your stomach on the ball. Slowly walk your hands out until the ball is under your ankles.
  2. Exhale and bend at the knees to bring the ball in towards your torso. Do not drop your hips or arch your back. Instead, tighten your abs to support your body.
  3. Inhale and straighten your legs to return to the starting position.

Frequency

  1. Do 10 to 12 repetitions of this exercise per set. Repeat until you've completed 2 to 3 sets.
  2. Keep it up over time. In order to start seeing/feeling results, aim to do 2 to 3 sets 4 days a week for 6 weeks. For faster results, increase the number of sets/times per week you do this exercise.

Tips

  • The benefits of this exercise are increased strength and flexibility in your core.
  • To make this exercise less challenging, bend your knees instead of keeping them straight.
  • Don't touch your hands with the feet, position them parallel to legs.
  • Don't overwork yourself. Just do what is comfortable when you begin and then begin to add more reps.

Warnings

  • Potential injuries to your lower back may be incurred if this exercise is performed incorrectly.

Things You Need

  • Exercise mat (optional)

Tips

  • While raising your arms and legs to the jack-knife position, your arms and legs should be approximately parallel to each other.
  • While in the jack-knife position, only your butt should be in contact with the ground.
  • If you are in an advanced stage, you could use a Make a Medicine Ball for added resistance.

Warnings

  • Repeat the exercise only for recommended number of times.
  • Doing for more than the recommended number of times will result in muscle burn.
  • Don't push yourself too hard.

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Sources and Citations

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