Chin ups!?!

[Optimus Prime]

Well said Opti .

But just a small glitch. Holding arms behind your neck/lower backpart of your head is very great once you know the technique. I've been doing it for many months now, allthou I did start out with my hands following my body at start.

Reason I switched is because this is the way you get to use your maximum stomach capacity. Try it yourself, because when you put your arms behind your neck, you strech some of your musches so that your moving upwards becomes a lot harder. I also do them on a 120 degree instead of 90.

But actually, my workout instructor told me there were tons of risks if I did exercises such as these without proper knowledge ;p.

If you can do them without pulling, then by all means go for it. It is just a natural inclination, that when your hands are behind your head, to pull on the neck to help yourself do the exercise. Which can put some serious strain on your neck.

Do a situp with your hands behind your ears, now do one with your hands behind your neck. You moved your hands about 2 inches. I seriously doubt that moving your hands two inches from your ears, to the back of your neck increases muscle potential. The only thing it really increases is the potential for a strained neck. Breathing plays more of a factor than hand position.

 

[Killface]

Some fat guy can't do 1000 sit ups a day and expect to have a six-pack in three months. It doesn't work that way. Situps are an anaerobic exercise, anaerobic exercises generally don't burn fat at as fast or as efficient a rate as aerobic exercises (running, jogging, etc). You actually need a pretty low body-fat percentage to have visible abs. So it's not all about the situps.

Walmart, you're only about half right. The main muscle group worked by pull-ups are your lats. But, there are about eight or nine other muscle groups that get used doing a pullup, not to mention stabilizer muscles.

Also, there is a lot more difference in a situp and a crunch than the position of your hands. For someone who acts like the authority on working out, I thought you'd know at least that much. In fact, you can do either sit-ups or crunches with your hands by your head or accross your chest, moreover, anyone who does them with their hands behind their neck is a moron asking to injure themselves. You should actually put your hands on the sides of your head and never behind your neck (unless of course you cross them), as you usually end up pulling on your neck, which not only does not work the abs, but can injure your neck and lower back. Your hands are not there to help you do the exercise, it's merely for balance.
In a crunch, you simply want to bring your shoulder blades off the ground about 8-12 inches, and stop. Where as in a sit up you are trying to bring your sternum into your knees or as close to them as possible (hence sitting up).

BOLD - Nicely said man.

ITALIC - I know man, I said in one of my previous posts that you use many minor muscle groups.

UNDERLINED - I know that there was more to the difference than the position of your hands.... I should've listed them though. Thanks for the correction and sorry for confusion.

 

[jp]

OOoo those,

I can't do them really, I would probably rip off whatever i'm holding, LMAO.

Have to try them tho, even if it could mean the impending doom of our house.

 

[Killface]

Im pretty sure you could do atleast one man.

 

[Zeonix]

He was saying doing a pullup in his house would probably break whatever hes doing them with.

I do them at a park thats near me and theres a fire escape ladder at the back of my home. I jackie chan my way to the ladder and then do the pullups (the ladder is 7 feet up).

 

[Godhand]

If you can do them without pulling, then by all means go for it. It is just a natural inclination, that when your hands are behind your head, to pull on the neck to help yourself do the exercise. Which can put some serious strain on your neck.

Do a situp with your hands behind your ears, now do one with your hands behind your neck. You moved your hands about 2 inches. I seriously doubt that moving your hands two inches from your ears, to the back of your neck increases muscle potential. The only thing it really increases is the potential for a strained neck. Breathing plays more of a factor than hand position.

I was refering to holding them on your chest and behind your head. Try it, there is quite the difference.