Wide Leg Sit-Up
Wide Leg Sit-Up Exercise Description
The wide leg sit-up is a bodyweight trunk-flexion exercise performed on the floor with your feet set wider than hip-width. It primarily targets the rectus abdominis, with assistance from the external and internal obliques for trunk control and the hip flexors as synergists as you transition to sitting. The movement blends segmental spinal flexion with controlled hip flexion: you roll up from the floor, then return under control to the start. A wider foot position offers a stable base and allows space for the torso between the thighs, which can help many lifters maintain clean mechanics without relying on arm swing. Emphasis is on smooth, sequential motion, steady abdominal bracing, and a relaxed neck/shoulder position. Performed correctly, it builds core control and awareness useful for everyday bending and upright tasks that require a strong, coordinated trunk.
- Muscle Groups: Abs, Core, Waist
- Target Muscles: Rectus Abdominis
- Assisting Muscles: External Obliques, Iliacus, Internal Obliques, Psoas Major
- Stabilizing Muscles: Multifidus, Transversus Abdominis
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Core, Torso
- Body Surface: Front
- Body Symmetry: Other
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Other
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Trunk Flexors
- Joint Involvement: Multi-joint
- Muscle Location: Stomach
- Movement Direction: Vertical
- Muscle Position: Anterior
- Gender: Male
How To Do The Wide Leg Sit-Up Exercise
‘- Lie supine on a mat; knees bent, feet flat and wider than shoulder-width, toes slightly turned out.
– Place arms across chest or fingertips lightly at temples; avoid pulling on your head.
– Set ribs down and gently posteriorly tilt the pelvis so the low back is lightly imprinted to start.
– Inhale to prepare; exhale and brace the abdominal wall.
– Initiate by slightly nodding the chin, then curl the head and shoulders off the floor segment by segment.
– Continue curling the spine until the shoulders pass the hips, then sit tall with the torso stacked over the pelvis.
– Pause briefly without using momentum or throwing the arms.
– Lower with control: reverse the motion, slowly placing the spine back to the mat from low back to mid back to head.
– Keep feet grounded and knees tracking over toes; avoid knees collapsing inward.
– Maintain a relaxed neck and steady breathing throughout the movement.
Wide Leg Sit-Up Tips
‘- Set your feet wider than shoulder-width with toes slightly turned out before you begin.
– Place arms across your chest or fingertips lightly at your temples, and avoid pulling on your head.
– Set your ribs down and gently posteriorly tilt the pelvis so your low back is lightly imprinted into the mat.
– Inhale to prepare, then exhale and brace your abdominal wall as you start the movement.
– Initiate by slightly nodding your chin, then curl your head and shoulders off the floor segment by segment.
– Continue curling until your shoulders pass your hips, then sit tall with your torso stacked over your pelvis.
– Pause briefly at the top without using momentum or throwing your arms.
– Lower with control by reversing the motion, placing your spine back to the mat from low back to mid back to head.
– Keep your feet grounded and your knees tracking over your toes, avoiding any inward collapse.
– Maintain a relaxed neck and steady breathing throughout the movement.
Wide Leg Sit-Up Beginner Introduction
The wide leg sit-up is a floor-based core exercise that uses only bodyweight and a broad foot position to challenge the midsection. From a reclined, bent-knee setup with the feet placed wider than the hips, the upper body gradually curls from the ground into an upright seated posture and then returns back down. This flowing motion works the abs as the main driver, with help from the side abs and hip flexors as the torso moves through a full range of motion.
Because the legs are set apart, the hips create a stable base and extra room for the torso between the thighs, which often suits people who feel crowded in a narrow stance sit-up. The movement highlights slow, deliberate spinal rolling, steady tension through the core, and easy, unhurried breathing with the neck and shoulders staying at ease. As coordination improves, this variation supports more controlled bending, rising, and other everyday actions that rely on a strong, well-organized center of the body.