Athletic training and sports practices continuously evolve, and it's no wonder that conventional sit ups are no longer seen as effective or valid. The essential move of the sit ups used to be the lifting of the torso from the lying position towards the bended knees. At present, the lift is done only partly, with no bending towards the knees and the firm tightening of the abdominal muscles. There are a few tricks on how to do sit ups that are effective and you should be aware of.

First of all, the body position is very important. There is a common risk to strain the neck muscles instead of tightening the abdomen. No effort should affect the head during the move. It is simply supported against the effort by the laced fingers, while the abs do the whole work. The distance between the body and the floor during the lift should not be higher than eight inches. You can learn the most effective sit ups by following the direct instructions of a gym coach.

Anyone can appreciate how effective sit ups are by noticing the adaptation of the body to the training conditions. The more you work the easier it becomes. The difficulty level of the exercises should not be increased too often or too soon. If you train with regular sit ups for one or two weeks, all you have to do is just to increase the number of reps per week, then, you can think of another difficulty element to include in the routine. A Swiss ball can allow you to perform more difficult but highly effective sit ups too.

The torso needs to stay parallel with the floor while you lie on the ball. During the exercise you keep your balance with the feet. If you are horizontal on the exercise ball, put your hands behind the head and lift the torso for a few inches. To maximize the effort in these effective sit ups, you can lower the body a bit under the horizontal line so that the abs have to work more to lift you up. Regardless of the position of the legs during the exercises, it is highly important that you don't work too hard for the lower back. It is false to judge effective sit ups by the way they push the body limits and cause pain, since a certain comfort level has to remain permanent.