Major Muscles Worked:

Core

Set Up:

  1. Lie on the floor with straight legs. Toes pointing towards the ceiling.
    Make sure that your legs are engaged, and not relaxed, flopping out to the side.
  2. Arms are down by your side, hands close to your hips/thighs.
    For Get Up Sit Ups, hold the ends of one (1) dumbbell overhead towards the ceiling with straight arms.

Corpse Sit Ups (no added weight)

The Movement:

  1. Dig your heels into the floor
  2. Hinging at the hip, sit up – exploding up from the floor.
    Your hands should be tracking on the floor, moving smoothly along the length of your leg towards your knees.
  3. At the top of the motion, stick your chest out, and roll your shoulders back and down.
  4. Keeping your heels on the floor, slowly roll back down to lying on the floor.

Specific Cues:

  • To keep your heels on the floor, separate your feet. As the movement gets easier, bring your feet closer together.
  • Do not round your back and shoulders. Your back should be straight at the top of the motion.

Get Up Sit Ups (added weight)

The Movement:

  1. Dig your heels into the floor
  2. Hinging at the hip, sit up – exploding up from the floor.
    As your upper body raises from the floor, you’ll raise the weight overhead towards the ceiling
  3. At the top of the motion, stick your chest out, and roll your shoulders back and down.
  4. Keeping your heels on the floor, slowly roll back down to lying on the floor.
    Return the weight to the starting position – directly over your chest with straight arms.

Specific Cues:

  • To keep your heels on the floor, separate your feet. As the movement gets easier, bring your feet closer together.
  • Do not round your back and shoulders. Your back should be straight at the top of the motion.
  • The weight should be as close to the ceiling as possible throughout the entire movement.
  • Do not bring the weight overhead to gain momentum
  • At the top of the motion, your biceps should be next to your ears.

Note: If you do not have the shoulder mobility to perform the Get Up Sit Up properly, you can perform the exercise holding the weight at your chest.

See Also:

1/2 Get-Up