INTRODUCTION

Sit-ups are an exercise commonly performed to strengthen abdominal muscles. There are many methods to executing sit-ups, however, two methods were specifically examined. One method was performing a full sit-up without assistance of any kind: an unassisted sit-up. The other method was performing a full sit-up in which the feet were held in place: an assisted sit-up. The objective of this project was to determine whether one method of performing sit-ups was better for focusing on the use of the abdominal muscles. Because many women choose to perform sit-ups as a part of their exercise routine, it is important to execute sit-ups in a way that uses the least variety of muscle groups and specifically utilizes the abdominal muscles. It is also important to perform the exercise that is most beneficial in both the use of time and accomplishing the intended goal. Therefore, the question that was analyzed was "how do unassisted sit-ups compare to assisted sit-ups in untrained college-age women?"

In performing a sit-up, there are many aspects of the movement that can be analyzed. The aspects focused on are movements about the joints and segments of the neck, the thoracic spine, the lumbar spine, the thoracolumbar junction, the thigh, the knee, and the ankle. Analyzing the unassisted sit-up and the assisted sit-up of an untrained college-age woman can indicate whether one method uses the least variety of muscle groups and specifically utilizes the abdominal muscles.