Sit ups and crunches represent traditional exercises used for training the core muscles and flattening the abdomen. The number of injuries or the inefficiency of these ab workouts nevertheless indicate that many people don't know how to do sit ups correctly. Here are some suggestions on doing sit ups at home or at the gym with great effects and without any risk.

Start by lying down on a hard surface, preferably the floor. Once you are in a comfortable position, you should bend your knees, while keeping the feet flat on the ground. Keep the distance between the feet similar to that between the hips. When you lie down, the muscles relax, you eliminate the tension and there is possible soreness in the tissues. Now, let's continue with how to do the sit ups as such to get firm abs.

It is important to pay attention to the position of the hands. If you are a beginner, it is advisable to put the hands behind the head, cushioning it with the fingers laced together. This is a good form of neck protection, because the neck muscle should have no implication in the moves. Don't pull your neck when you lift. It may be difficult to learn how to do the sit ups with the hands by the side of the body. You may try this when you are more advanced in the training routine.

Pull the stomach towards the spine to support the lift. Only the shoulder blades should leave the ground but not higher than 8 inches. The rise is slow and so should be the descent as well. The rising and lowering movement is the basis for the sit ups, and the results are influenced by the speed of the performance. The benefits of the exercises become more obvious when the training is correct. Seek ways to improve the training to get great abs fast once you know how to do the sit ups.

The sit ups should not be performed at the same difficulty level all the time. Periodically, you need to change the number of reps so that the difficulty of the exercise stimulates a further muscle development. You can alternate sit ups with crunches or combine the sit ups with twisting moves. The possibilities are numerous from beginner to advanced levels.