Extra Decline Sit-up

The Extra Decline Sit-up targets your abdominal muscles while increasing the challenge of a standard decline sit-up.

  1. Secure your feet under the footpads of a decline bench.
  2. Lie back on the bench, keeping your arms crossed over your chest or extended for added difficulty.
  3. Engage your core and lift your upper body towards your knees.
  4. Lower your body back down with control and repeat.

How to perform the Extra Decline Sit-up

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Extra Decline Sit-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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