Abs · Bodyweight
Sit up Stand up
The sit up stand up is a dynamic bodyweight exercise that blends a standard core crunch with a smooth transition to an upright stance. It builds abdominal strength, hip mobility, and whole-body coordination, making it well-suited for warm-ups or functional conditioning circuits.
- Muscles
- Abs
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Type
- Strength
- Animation
- Women
How to do it
- Lie flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Perform a sit-up, bringing your torso all the way up.
- Continue the momentum to shift your weight forward and stand up completely.
- Reverse the movement by sitting back down and lowering yourself back to the lying position with control.
- Keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement.
Common mistakes
- Relying strictly on uncontrolled momentum rather than core engagement strains the lower back and reduces the training stimulus.
- Placing the feet too far away from the hips prevents an effective forward weight shift and halts the standing transition.
- Collapsing backward onto the floor instead of controlling the descent produces unnecessary impact on the spine.
Tips
- Pull the heels tight toward the glutes as the torso rises to ensure a clean transfer of body weight onto the feet.
- Reach the arms firmly forward during the ascent to counterbalance the hips as you stand.
- Reverse the movement through a controlled squat, keeping the abdominal wall braced until you reach the floor.
Sets and reps
Perform 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 controlled repetitions with 60 to 90 seconds of rest to target functional core strength and movement flow.
Muscles worked
Your coach guides every set
Turn on the coach in Gloox: it asks how you feel, picks the weight from your history and cues technique and rest. Rate each set and the next one is tuned to you.
On a computer? Point your phone's camera here to get the app.
Questions
Can this exercise be scaled if standing up without hands is too difficult?
Yes, you can lightly touch one hand to the floor for support or cross your ankles until hip mobility and leg strength improve.
Is the sit up stand up safe for the lower back?
The exercise involves active spinal flexion and dynamic loading, so if lower back pain occurs, stop immediately and consult a specialist.
