Stop Doing Sit-Ups After 60 (Do This Instead)

Will Harlow, the over-50s specialist physio, shows us how:

Deep core

The main idea here is that sit-ups are a poor choice for people over 60 because they repeatedly flex your spine and mainly train the rectus abdominis, rather than the deeper muscles that stabilize and protect your spine.

First, try some core activation: gently flatten your lower back towards the bed, then lightly draw your navel inwards to activate the deep core muscles before beginning the exercises.

Now, the exercises, piece by piece:

• Tabletops: lie on your back with your knees bent, activate your core, lift one leg to a tabletop position, lift the other leg to match, pause briefly, then lower one leg at a time, while maintaining core engagement and a stable spine throughout.
• Core leg extensions: hold the tabletop position with your core activated, slowly extend one leg forwards, return it, then alternate sides while keeping your lower back pressed down.
• Advanced tabletop leg raises: hold one leg in the tabletop position, straighten the other leg, then slowly lower and raise the straight leg while maintaining core activation and keeping your lower back in contact with the bed.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Hate Sit-Ups? Try This 10-Minute Standing Abs Routine!

Take care!