Lie face up on the floor. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips lightly on the sides of your head, just behind your ears. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor, and curl your upper body towards your knees. Slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position. Repeat the movement in a controlled manner.

How to perform the Curl-Up

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Curl-Up using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your abdominals.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your abdominals rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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