The Truth About Sit-Ups

By PCYC Gladstone Trainer, Abbie Lewandowsky

There are many benefits to incorporating sit-ups in your workout routine, such as improving core strength, stabilising your balance, improving your posture, and becoming more flexible.

However, one of the biggest health and fitness myths is that sit-ups can help reduce belly fat.

So, can sit-ups actually reduce belly fat? The short answer is no. Sit ups, crunches or any other abdominal specific exercise do not directly burn belly fat.

However, abdominal exercises can help to tone the belly. Sit-ups are particularly effective for strengthening the core and toning the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, and oblique muscles.

Targeted fat loss, also known as spot reduction, isn’t possible. To lose belly fat you will need to lose fat overall. This can be done in many ways such as mindful and healthy eating, reducing sugar intake and increasing protein intake. You can also move your body through all types of exercise to lose fat, such as walking, running, group classes, resistance training, LISS and HIIT circuits and incidental exercise like taking the stairs over the lift!

While sit ups aren’t the key the belly fat loss, they still play an important part in our fitness regime so go forth with your sit-ups, just don’t rely on them for fat burning.