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Situps - Problems
- Thread starter Creatre
- Start date
Creatre
BDCP Hopeful
fatathaland
Moderator
Your pushups likely went up so much because you began lifting weights.
When you do situps on the bench at the gym, do them with a weight and don't angle the bench too much (maybe halfway). Start off with a low weight plate, like 10 lbs. You can just set the weight on your chest and cross your arms over it. It will be painful and tiring, but fight through it and up the weight when necessary. Regular situps will be a piece of cake once that weight is removed.
When you do situps on the bench at the gym, do them with a weight and don't angle the bench too much (maybe halfway). Start off with a low weight plate, like 10 lbs. You can just set the weight on your chest and cross your arms over it. It will be painful and tiring, but fight through it and up the weight when necessary. Regular situps will be a piece of cake once that weight is removed.
This is a little late, but I figured I would post just in case anyone else comes in here to read this thread.
As to situps.
First thing to remember is that abdominal muscle tissue is just that. Muscle tissue. It requires the same amount of recovery time as does other muscle tissue. You should only work your abdominals 1~2 times a week. If you are working abs every day, you are overtraining, and shooting yourself in the foot.
Secondly, you should remember to "train like you fight." When you do your abdominal workout, at least part of it should be conducted as if you are doing a real PRT. Learn to work within the system to maximize your results. You can learn little tricks (within the rules of the PRT) to get better. For instance: When doing the PRT, I try to flop down as hard as possible (without causing my butt to leave the deck) to minimize eccentric contraction during the exercise.
Another thing to remember: There is nothing wrong with training heavy. Using weights or machines to increase resistance in ab exercises will not "make you look fat" or cause you to "bulk up." Muscle tissue is one of the slowest-growing tissues in the human body. If you are bulking up, it is because of what you are eating, not what you are lifting.
And finally, to give yourself an extra boost, you might want to try doing a cycle of creatine the month before a PRT. You have to preload for a week, taking 4.5 grams 4-6 times a day, then dropping down to one 4.5g serving a day. Creatine is a naturally occurring substance in meat and fish. The amount of prescribed creatine would be equivalent to eating 10 pounds of beef a day during a loading cycle.
And again, since creatine has very few if any calories of its own, it will not cause you to "bulk up."
As to situps.
First thing to remember is that abdominal muscle tissue is just that. Muscle tissue. It requires the same amount of recovery time as does other muscle tissue. You should only work your abdominals 1~2 times a week. If you are working abs every day, you are overtraining, and shooting yourself in the foot.
Secondly, you should remember to "train like you fight." When you do your abdominal workout, at least part of it should be conducted as if you are doing a real PRT. Learn to work within the system to maximize your results. You can learn little tricks (within the rules of the PRT) to get better. For instance: When doing the PRT, I try to flop down as hard as possible (without causing my butt to leave the deck) to minimize eccentric contraction during the exercise.
Another thing to remember: There is nothing wrong with training heavy. Using weights or machines to increase resistance in ab exercises will not "make you look fat" or cause you to "bulk up." Muscle tissue is one of the slowest-growing tissues in the human body. If you are bulking up, it is because of what you are eating, not what you are lifting.
And finally, to give yourself an extra boost, you might want to try doing a cycle of creatine the month before a PRT. You have to preload for a week, taking 4.5 grams 4-6 times a day, then dropping down to one 4.5g serving a day. Creatine is a naturally occurring substance in meat and fish. The amount of prescribed creatine would be equivalent to eating 10 pounds of beef a day during a loading cycle.
And again, since creatine has very few if any calories of its own, it will not cause you to "bulk up."
I had the same problem when I started working out. What i did to solve the problem was to do crunches, and after taking a short break laying flat on the ground and doing leg lifts, lifting my legs to vertical and then back down without having them touch the ground. Its painful (in that good way) but it works out the bottom part of your abs. I still flex my quads when i do situps, but it seems that there is less strain on them and my groin now.
jride200
Member
Another snippet of info for you ....
I took my last, pre-OCS PFA this past Thursday. During the PFA I realized to my horror that, at least for me, there is a HUGE difference between performing situps with the soles of your shoes flat on the ground (say, recruiter holding them) and performing situps with your toes hooked under a dresser. I think with your toes hooked under something, you can much better use your quads. In this manner, I can perform roughly 100. During the PFA, I believe I performed 65, d*mn near the minimum. This makes me very apprehensious. I report to OCS with the October 20th class. Work hard now.
I took my last, pre-OCS PFA this past Thursday. During the PFA I realized to my horror that, at least for me, there is a HUGE difference between performing situps with the soles of your shoes flat on the ground (say, recruiter holding them) and performing situps with your toes hooked under a dresser. I think with your toes hooked under something, you can much better use your quads. In this manner, I can perform roughly 100. During the PFA, I believe I performed 65, d*mn near the minimum. This makes me very apprehensious. I report to OCS with the October 20th class. Work hard now.
I think it helps to workout with a friend, if you can. Otherwise just do a lot and hope you get so many that by the time you have your feet held, you drop down to still a lot. I did a pyramid thing recommended by the BUDS book today and it kicked my ass, do a pyramid of up to 30 and back down starting at 3.
Unforunately I'm a college student in a very very small dorm room, with hardly enough room as it is, so I don't have a couch.
End of a bed/bunk you can usually adapt something.
Do you have to do the PRT with your feet flat on the ground? I haven't been in the Navy for a little while. I know for the Army PFT only your heels have to stay on the ground, so I always let my feet point up. I feel like it stretches my quads too much when my feet are flat on the ground.
The requirement for the navy curl-up (sit-up) is on page 68 of 167.
http://doni.daps.dla.mil/Directives...s/06-100 General Physical Fitness/6110.1H.pdf
That acid is called lactic acid. It is a primary biproduct of anaerobic exercise.
Creatre
BDCP Hopeful
Thanks for all the great replies guys. Just as an update, I've been just using the situp bench in the gym the past few weeks, 3 times a week using a weight. I'm steadily being able to do more and more reps per set with the 10lb weight I've been using. I've also been using a 15lb weight and working the sides of the abs, forgot what they are called at the moment though. I've also noticed the more and more I do the situps the stronger and stiffer my ligaments are becoming, or whatever was bothering me in the first place. I've been working out harder the past week or so since I haven't been running, due to an IT band injury, so I'm taking it easy a week or so running wise and see how that does.
I see this instruction (PFA standards) were set in 2005. Are these the current PFA standards used now? Thanks.
-Ken