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Decline 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. Set the decline bench to a moderate angle and hook the feet under the rollers with the knees bent.
2. Lie back on the pad and cross the arms over the chest.
3. Curl the chin, then the shoulders and upper back off the pad, and keep sitting up until the torso is upright.
4. Lower under control, rolling down through the spine until the shoulders touch the pad.
5. Start the next rep from the pad rather than bouncing off it.

FORM TIPS

• The steeper the bench, the harder each rep. Raise the angle before you add a weight.
• Lead with the chest. Pulling on the head to get up strains the neck and means the set is over.

TARGET MUSCLES

Primary

• Abs

Secondary

• Obliques

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