fadsie1

I cant do that situp!! I am panicking a little. I dont consider myself to be fat or unfit but I canr get up without lifting my feet no matter how hard I try. Anyone else having a problem with it? Anyone got any tips for me? Would be awful to miss out over one situp!!!

Garbatellamike

fadsie1,

If I were you I would practice a number of situps with your feet held or under a sofa and whilst doing it suck your belly button in as that will activate the deep-lying core muscle that you need. Do this a couple of times a day for a week or two with feet held and you should then be able to do one without aid. If sucking in belly button doesn't help activate the muscle thentry clenching your sphincter, which works for some people!

good luck

fadsie1

Cheers mate ill try that.

gregster10217

Yep! I'm struggling with it to. I've looked it up on the Internet, it's called the Janda sit up. There are tips on there about how to train to do it, and the best way to actually do it. I've been doing supported sit up to improve abdominal strength and then sit ups with my ankles raised on my bed, one of the tips, but only getting about 1/2 way up with those. Practise, practise and more practise I think/hope!!!

old.sparkles

Sorry guys - saw this in passing and is it that difficult? Try building sit-ups into your morning routine, but try a 5 x 5 approach to strengthen total core

1) 5 standard sit ups.
2) 5 toe touches - stick your feet up in the air, legs straight and reach up and try touching your toes
3) 5 isolated sit ups - bring your legs up so your knees are above your hips, legs bent and sit up
4) 5 leg raises - keep your back on the floor and raise legs keeping them straight, don't let them touch the floor
5) 5 crunch situps - bring your knees in to meet your elbows when you sit up.

If you want to add a 6th exercise for the obliques stay in the sit up position but reach round to touch left then right ankles, and repeat

I haven't done any exercise in the last couple of months and I'm a little overweight, but I had no trouble doing that sit up - how many do you have to do?

Garbatellamike

Sparkles - as I understand it, it is an isolated sit up he has to do - one

old.sparkles

That wasn't what the janda sit up looked like - anyway, its the same thing - a little everyday and build up the core strength as you say.

Good luck OP - when is the test?

fadsie1

Well hopefully september depending on if I get through the other selection process. I do think its just a matter of working hard at it. I was very surprised at how hard I found it. Maybe I aint as fit as I thought!! Thanks for all the advice

old.sparkles

Its surprising what a difference just doing a little everyday will make

Are there any other fitness tests? (sorry being nosy now - I'm a spark so have my own issues )

Pincher

You've just got to practise. I have very good overall fitness, but did find the technique a little tricky. After a few tries I got the hang of it. I found it easier if I placed my feet just outside of shoulder width, rather than putting them together.

Nottsscouse

I'm stressing about the same. Everyone laughs when I say it's one sit up and then they try it..... And look like a dying fish thrown on the bank.
I've head the latter part of the movement is about hip flexors rather than 6 pack area.
If I get through the first stage, I've vowed to wrap up ale until I achieve it!

PaqMusic

I have never practiced for it, but I do do normal situps daily (at least 50 spread around the day) and pushups and so found the strenght elements of the fitness test fairly easy.
Also remember that legs have to be at around 90 degrees angle, the closer they are to your bum, the harder it is.

The Illionois Agility test and bleep is what you should focus on as they will be a pain. You can dowload the bleep from their website, find 20metres somewhere and try it at least once. I went up to 7 the first time and though Iwas gonna die but after couple weeks of doing it I go up to 9.1. It surprised me though how difficult it was at first as I did 9.8 on the Met's 15m bleep.

Good luck

Nottsscouse

Cheers mate,
I am fairly confident on the running aspects of the test, as I know I can train to this standard. I've already earmarked a decent stretch of track at the local park for the bleep test.
Got to get through the other bits first!!!