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Ab Mat Sit Up

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

Equipment

Bodyweight

HOW TO PERFORM

1. Sit on the floor with the soles of the feet together and the knees falling out to the sides.
2. Place the ab mat behind you so it will sit under the curve of the low back.
3. Lie back over the mat until the hands touch the floor behind the head.
4. Swing the arms forward and sit up until the shoulders pass over the hips.
5. Touch the floor beyond the feet, then lie back over the mat for the next rep.

FORM TIPS

• The mat fills the curve of the low back, so the abs work through a longer range than on a flat floor. Set it under the low back, not the hips.
• Both touches count: hands to the floor overhead and to the floor past the feet on every rep. That is the standard used when these are counted in competition.

TARGET MUSCLES

Primary

• Abs

Secondary

• Obliques

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Related: All exercises · How every exercise is mapped to the muscles it trains