What is a curl-up ?
The curl-up exercise targets abdominal muscles. It increases its strength, improves endurance, enhances core stability, and provides back support.
Technique of curl up-
- Start in supine position
- Place your feet comfortably flat on the floor with knees bent
- Spine should be maintained in neutral position
- curl the upper body off the floor.
- Similar to performing a partial sit up , keep other body parts relaxed
- Do not hold your breathing
- Slowly return to starting position
Muscles activated-
The following muscles are targeted with this exercise-
- Rectus abdominis
- Obliques- external and internal
- Transversus abdominis
Maximum activity- 30 degrees angle (lift only shoulders off the floor). As angle increases activity decreases
How much to perform?
- Do not exceed 60 repetitions
- For untrained individuals -2 sets of 15 repetition, progressively increase.
- 48 hour to 72 hour rest period
- Avoid Spinal flexion exercise until 1 hour of waking up, (decreases the risk of injury)
Curl Up fitness Test
To record the maximum number of sit ups in a certain time period, is a common method of fitness test.
One count refers to The completion of one complete curl-up performed in the correct technique.
Values-
Males
>32 = excellent
25-32= average
<25= needs improvement
Females
>25 = excellent
15-25= average
<15= needs improvement
Also read- https://vcurehealthcare.com/an-introduction-to-cimt-constraint-induced-movement-therapy/
