Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Start curl-ups
• Method 3 of 3: Getting the most out of your curl up
• Warnings

Curl-ups are exercises that work the straight and oblique abs. These exercises can be easily done at home and can be modified to make them more difficult. Practicing them correctly and regularly will improve your posture and thus reduce back pain.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Start curl-ups

1. Lie on your back. On a mat or directly on the floor, lie on your back with your arms crossed over your chest. Bend your knees slightly until your feet are flat on the floor about 12 inches from your buttocks. Have a partner or a weight hold your feet down so you keep a consistent technique. EXPERT TIP

   Lift your upper body. Contract your straight abs to lift your upper body off the ground. Your shoulders should be about 30 degrees off the ground. Your straight abs is the main muscle used in curl-ups. It's the muscle that starts at the bottom of your ribs, goes down the center of your abdomen, and attaches to your pelvis. When it is tightened, the distance between your ribs and your hips shortens, causing you to curl up. EXPERT TIP

   Stop when your elbows reach your thighs. Lower your upper body again, using gravity. When you go down again, you don't have to keep your abs contracted. The whole curl up should take about 3 seconds.

2. Repeat at speed. Try to get one minute at a time. If you have good technique you should be able to do 20 curl-ups without any problem. You should do the same amount in your first 30 seconds as in your last 30 seconds. Beginners often start too fast and cannot make it to the time with strength, which makes the technique poor.
   • A speed of 40-50 per minute can be achieved with regular practice.
   EXPERT TIP

   When you do abdominal exercises, the quality of the exercise - such as your technique and your breathing - is more important than the quantity.

   
   

   Stretch out your arms. While the standard curl up only requires you to have your arms crossed over your body, if you want to make it harder and activate your muscles more, you can extend your arms above your head. Lift them up like pushing your hands through the ceiling while doing your curl up. This technique activates the greatest tension in the straight abdominal muscle.

3. Stretch out your legs. This will help target your lower abs and hips. Do the curl up the same way you would if your knees are bent. If you change technique you are not working on the right muscles and you can injure yourself.
4. Hold for a longer time. If you want to make curl-ups more difficult, keep your upper body at the highest point of your curl-up for a longer period of time. Just 3-5 seconds longer on your curl up will give you the difficulty you were looking for.

Method 3 of 3: Getting the most out of your curl up

1. Eat good. If you do a lot of curl-ups, your abs will hurt. Help your muscles recover by eating enough protein. This promotes muscle growth and aids recovery.
2. Add cardio. If you're doing curl-ups to get more defined abs, combine them with cardio to get faster results.
3. Practice consistently. Doing curl-ups once has no effect on your body. If you want to get better at them, you have to practice them consistently. Set mini goals to achieve a few times a week and you'll find they get easier if you do them more often.
   • Doing abdominal exercises for 10 minutes every day will strengthen your core. You will be able to make the exercises more difficult every week.

Warnings

• Do not exercise if you are injured without consulting a doctor.
• Don't put your hands behind your head and pull with your neck. This can lead to an injury.