360 degree situps (360's).
Description:A situp that allows one person to make a complete 360 degree rotation
Motions trained:Torso flexion
Main muscles used: abcominals
Other muscles: Shoulders and arms
How to do it: Stand facing your partner. Do a handstand. putting your palms
squarely between his feet, taking care not to whack him in the head. Lock your knees about
his shoulders (one of you may have to adjust a bit depending on height). Your partner holds
onto your legs, taking care not to lean back but to round his back to transmit the load to the
floor. You then to a situp, wrap your hands behind his neck. He lets go of your legs and you
end up in the starting position, ready for another.
How to work up to it: Handstands. Lots of them. Get good at other abdominal
exercises. If you want, use an inclined bench for them first.
Ramping it up: Do pyramids of these. So do a handstand + situp, then
a handstand + 2 situp, then a handstand + 3 situps, etc. all the way up to 10 situps.
You can march the number back down. Just going to 10 total gives you 55 while also
marching back down to 1 gives a total of 100.
Do's and don'ts: It is imperative that the supporting partner not just
lean back and try to use the lower back. With the amount of moving that has to go on
this will run a serious risk of a back injury. Keep the pelvis tucked under and lock
the abs into a solid unit. This also gives the person doing the situps something of a shallow
seat.
Comments: The load for a normal situp starts at the maximum and decreases the further
from the ground you get your torso. This increases. Once you pass the 90 degree mark, your hips
muscles must kick in. Lowering your legs to the ground slowly stresses these again. A great
exercise.
