Abdominal exercise intensities on firm and compliant surfaces
From: Percept Mot Skills. 2008 Jun;106(3):917-26
When doing sit ups it is important to refrain from pulling on your neck as you move forward. Compensation or “overdoing it” can cause undue pressure on the posterior neck. Along with straining, this can have a negative influence on the muscles, ligaments and discs of the cervical spine. Partial sit ups may seem like a reasonable alternative to full sit ups, however, patients with neck pain should use other forms of core exercise to strengthen the abdominals. An interesting article sheds some light on sit up exercises and neck muscle activity.
Muscle activities at 15 sites were compared within a group of healthy young adults to evaluate their relative intensities during six abdominal exercises: partial and full sit ups on a firm surface (floor) and on an exercise ball that was either stabilized or unstabilized. The most strenuous abdominal exercise overall (i.e., whole body workout) was the full sit up on a firm surface which included significant muscle activities in the lower extremities. Exercise intensity was also high in the full and partial sit ups when performed on a ball. The partial sit up on the floor was the least strenuous of the six exercises. The greatest effect on the abdominal muscles was observed in the partial sit up on a ball (stabilized and unstabilized). Results suggest that, although abdominal exercises on a ball may be gentler on the hip and lower back, overall exercise intensity is not necessarily lower than that on the floor. Moreover, partial sit ups, both on the floor and on a ball, also required greater neck muscle activities than full sit ups. In deciding what type of sit up to do, exercise surface and different muscular activities between the partial and full sit ups should be considered.
