Perhaps the greatest thing about sit-ups is that it is an exercise that requires no special equipment, no special attire and a minimum of space. That makes sit-ups and ideal exercise for those on a tight schedule who sometimes cannot find the time to fit a full workout into their busy day. Add to the above positive elements of sit-ups the fact that they also don’t require a lot of time, which means you can get a daily effect on your ab muscles without needing to commit a full section of your agenda.
When it comes to getting the most bang from the smallest of bucks, you cannot go wrong by learning the proper technique for the crunch. The crunch is an effective sit-up that can be done in an office, in a break-room, at home or in a hotel room. All that is required is enough room and privacy and comfort to lie flat on your back, curl your hands behind your head or fold them over your chest casket-style and then squeeze your abdominal muscles enough to allow you to raise your torso up to about a 45-degree angle. If you can raise all the way to a 90-degree angle, go for it and good for you. But a 45-degree angle is more than fine for a quick set of basic crunches whenever you can find time in your busy schedule to fit them in.
When you find yourself with an unexpected small surplus of free time during the day, toss the idea of wasting it by checking in with Facebook or Twitter or some other time waster and devote that surplus of time to getting a flatter stomach. Of course, as you probably know, sit-ups alone won’t get you a flatter stomach. You have to put in the time doing aerobic exercises to burn the fat and switch to a sensible diet. But once you have committed wholly to getting that flat stomach, getting more intense with the basic crunch is the best way to do it. Take that extra time and do the basic crunch sit-up but intensify the effects with double the reps. The movement of the crunch, the position of your hands and the height your raise your body off the ground can all remain the same. The only thing you need to change is the number of times you raise that torso off the ground.
Ever have one of those days that isn’t only busy, but painful? So much work to do or so much vacation fun to fit in and by the time you realize you haven’t worked your abs, it’s late in the day and besides being tired, your back hurts. Just put off working out your abs until tomorrow, you think. What’s one day off? Well, one day off really is no big deal. But if you have the kind of life where you get to the end of the day overburdened, overtired and with back pain to boot, then probably the least of your worries actually is about trying to fit in sit-ups. J ust find yourself that comfy little spot and lie down like you would for the basic crunch. Except this time you are going to mix things up just a little bit. Instead of keeping your legs flat on the ground, bend your knees. The bend in the knees is going to allow you to get in some solid crunch time to tighten those front ab muscles while taking some of the strain off your back muscles, thus allowing you to get in a very effective exercise for gaining a flat stomach whether at home, at work or even on vacation.
