{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Situp",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Sit-ups",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Bent-Knee Sit-Up",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "sit up",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "rectus-abdominis",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "iliopsoas",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rectus-femoris",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "external-oblique",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "internal-oblique",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "tensor-fasciae-latae",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "transversus-abdominis",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "lumbar-spine",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "thoracic-spine",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "hip",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "calisthenics",
      "strength"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "spinal-flexion"
    ],
    "mechanics": "compound",
    "force": "pull",
    "kinetic_chain": "open",
    "laterality": "bilateral",
    "planes": [
      "sagittal"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "dynamic"
    ],
    "level": "beginner"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "optional": [
      "mat"
    ],
    "required": []
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "591"
  },
  "id": "oec:sit-up",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Lie flat on your back on a mat with your knees bent at approximately 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart.",
      "Cross your arms over your chest or lightly place your fingertips behind your ears without pulling on your neck."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Engage your abdominals and curl your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor, flexing your spine.",
      "Continue lifting by flexing at the hips until your torso reaches an upright seated position near your thighs.",
      "Pause briefly at the top while maintaining tension across your core.",
      "Lower your torso back to the floor in a controlled manner, unrolling through the spine until your shoulders and head lightly touch the mat."
    ],
    "breathing": "Exhale as you curl and sit up; inhale smoothly as you lower your torso back to the floor.",
    "cues": [
      "Peel up off the floor",
      "Lead with your chest, not your neck",
      "Control the descent"
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Pulling aggressively on the back of the neck with the hands.",
        "correction": "Cross hands across the chest or touch fingertips lightly beside the ears, maintaining a neutral cervical spine."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Using swinging arms or violent momentum to jerk the torso upward.",
        "correction": "Perform the movement smoothly, initiating with abdominal flexion before pulling through the hips."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Hyperextending the lower back at the bottom of the rep.",
        "correction": "Keep your pelvis in a neutral or slightly posteriorly tilted position so your lower back does not violently arch."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "Individuals with lumbar disc pathologies or active low-back irritation should limit spinal flexion or opt for non-flexion core exercises like planks."
      ],
      "spotter": "not-needed"
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "load": {
      "convention": "not-applicable",
      "kind": "bodyweight"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "reps"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "rpe"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {},
    "reps_counted": "total"
  },
  "name": "Sit-Up",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:sit-ups"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Sit-ups",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/591/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-3.0",
        "author": "wger.de"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "progression-of",
      "target": "oec:crunch"
    },
    {
      "type": "substitute-for",
      "target": "oec:crunch"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "position": "supine",
    "range": "full",
    "stance": {
      "kind": "parallel",
      "width": "hip"
    }
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A classic bodyweight core exercise that raises the torso from a supine position to an upright seated position via spinal and hip flexion."
}