how to best do Sit-ups?

[ATC]

I'm joining the army and part of the physical fitness test is sit-ups. There is no real substitution in this case. I've read the article for the reverse crunches and the reasons why situps are not ideal but I'll need to get good at them.

Are there any things I should be doing to minimize negative effects (back pain etc.)?

If i'm going to be tested on only the number I can complete, is it more effective to train with weighted situps or just go for volume?

Are there any secondary exercises that will help to make progress quicker (hip-flexors etc)?

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help.

[ATC]

If i'm going to be tested on only the number I can complete, is it more effective to train with weighted situps or just go for volume?

Same question for pushups . . . weighted/unweighted

[Playboy]

I've been in the army. What you need to do to get good at situps is to do them at an adjustable bench so you can do them at a 45 degree angle with your head below your hips.

Illustration:
.. _
. /
o\.

The o is the head, the "/" is the torso, the "-" is your legs. Clutch your hands together behind your head and don't stop until your head touches your knees. Usual situps will be a piece of cake compared to this.

[rossi]

When quantity counts, you should not primaraly use weighted. I have a friend who is also training for admission, and powerlifting didn't help him for that.

[holvoetn]

A test for time ... then volume is what counts.

Start Monday. Do situps/pushups every day. Several sets, NEVER go to failure (very important). Friday do a max-rep test for each exercise: 1 set to failure, as much as you can.
Take the weekend off to rest.
Repeat next week but increase the number of reps per set also making sure your total number per day goes up. Do the test again on Friday, numbers should have gone up.

[MrWalk]

Volume, volume, volume. Do the exercises just like they are tested - and almost everyday. Run, shooting for the lowest time you can do in the prescribed distance and do the bodyweight exercises shooting for the most reps you can do in the prescribed time.

Basic training is way easier if you are easily beating the physical fitness test already. I did the "easier" Air Force training as a healthy teen and then the rougher Army later at 26yrs old. The Army training was more rigorous but easier for me in the better shape I was in by then, even given my age.

I don't know where you are, but in the US Army it was push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile run and we trained every duty day on a program centered around those. Depending on where you are as well, you might consider some brutal marches in too many clothes with a 25lb pack on your back too. The friggin' forced marching in basic was way worse than the PT for me.

[rossi]

How about we as powerlifters, could we train for volume every day, as well as train for strength 3 times a week? So volume and SL5x5 at the same time? Good, subefficient, or totally detrimental?

[Dada]

@OP - do this -> http://www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/armypft.htm

Works for me, I've been in the Army for 16 years by the way.

How about we as powerlifters, could we train for volume every day, as well as train for strength 3 times a week? So volume and SL5x5 at the same time? Good, subefficient, or totally detrimental?

Depends on your recovery ability but it's probably best to do 3 days of volume / cardio and 3 days of 5x5. That's what I do anyway, although if I weren't in the Army I'd probably not do as much volume.

[ricepower]

I cannot believe situps are part of the fundamental fitness regime, perhaps as a footnote assistance exercise, but only push-ups and situps?

Thats crazy, but at least push-ups can be a pretty decent upper body workout, if done on raised blocks they can feel a lot like dips.

To the OP, I would not do any hip flexor isolation exercises. Most people tend to have shortened/dominant hip flexors, exercises like situps by their very nature tend to recruit a lot of work from these flexors too. So you could end up with tight, over developed hip flexors and little useful abdominal strength. This may also harm your standing posture.

Id recommend doing reverse crunches & prone bridges as part of SL 5x5, but in addition do situps on an incline bench, and make sure to warm up & thoroughly stretch hip flexors when doing so.

[Dada]

I cannot believe situps are part of the fundamental fitness regime, perhaps as a footnote assistance exercise, but only push-ups and situps?

Thats crazy, but at least push-ups can be a pretty decent upper body workout, if done on raised blocks they can feel a lot like dips.

To the OP, I would not do any hip flexor isolation exercises. Most people tend to have shortened/dominant hip flexors, exercises like situps by their very nature tend to recruit a lot of work from these flexors too. So you could end up with tight, over developed hip flexors and little useful abdominal strength. This may also harm your standing posture.

Id recommend doing reverse crunches & prone bridges as part of SL 5x5, but in addition do situps on an incline bench, and make sure to warm up & thoroughly stretch hip flexors when doing so.

Well it is as much as it sucks. Fitness in the military is very old fashioned and a lot of the stuff causes a lot of injuries. You would be shocked at the shear # of people with injuries who've been in the military for 10 - 20+ years. The platoon I'm in is pretty much all old-timers and only two of us actually participated in PT this morning because everyone else is injured right now!

But since the OP is trying to fit these standards, he will need to do hip flexor exercises (yeah I agree with what you said but the goal is to excell on the APFT). Kind of backwards I know but that's how it is.

[yessir]

Here's a great little program from Pavel for increasing push ups:



It's pretty simple; the percentage refers to the percentage of your max number of reps, and the time refers to how frequently you do them. Ex: if your max number of reps in 1 set is 50, then on Tuesday you'd do a set of 25 every 60 minutes.

You could follow something similar for situps and get good results with that too.