Do I have to do sit-ups?

If you have a physical fitness test coming up (in the military, police force, fire department, etc), you may well have to do sit-ups, but if you’re just interested in having a strong core … nope! You’re off the hook!

Core strength and stability is important. It helps you stand upright and maintain your balance, it helps prevent back injury, and it makes everything easier on your body — from sitting at the computer to twisting and bending to exercise. But sit-ups are just a tiny part of the picture.

Lots of activities help support core strength and stability:
– Planks
– Push-ups
– Knee fold tuck
– Bridges (also called glute bridges)
– Pilates “Hundred”
– Rowing machine
– Barbell lifts, such as squats and deadlifts

You can see more floor exercise for the core at the Mayo Clinic Patient Info site, core-focused poses at the Yoga Journal site, and a broader mix of core exercises at BodyBuilding.com.