How to.....Butterfly Sit Up (with Hannah and Mackenzie)

The first thing you will need is an exercise mat or a relatively soft floor. You can perform them without a mat but the external discomfort could draw your focus away from the exercise itself.

All you have to do now is follow the simple step-by-step guide below.

1. Lie flat on your back.
2. Place the soles of your feet flat together and bring them as close to your butt as you can.
3. Let your knees fall to the sides as you open your legs/hips.
4. Reach your hands overhead and tense your abdominal muscles to bring your upper body off of the ground.
5. Keeping your feet on the ground, sit up until your torso is between your thighs.
6. Slowly return to the start position and repeat for the next rep.

Foot Position and Finish Position

 Assisted Butterfly Sit Up (to ensure foot placement)

 Assisted Butterfly Sit Up (ensure knees are low and hips relaxed)

Butterfly sit ups tips

Here are a few quick tips that you can use to make sure you are getting the very most out the exercise.

• Exhale as you sit up. By breathing out as you tense your stomach, you force your body into contracting your abdominals even harder.
• Relax your neck. Try not to tense your neck muscles up during the sit up. All of your focus should be on contracting your stomach muscles. Keep your neck and still and relaxed as you can.
• Bring your feet close to your body. The closer your feet are to your body, the harder your abs have to work to complete the sit up.
• Place your hands across your chest. Instead of extending your arms overhead, try placing them across your chest to make the exercise harder for your abs. When your arms are overhead, you are able to use them in a swinging fashion to gain a bit of extra momentum. Placing them across your chest eliminates this.
• Lower your body slowly. Your abs are still being forced to work as you lower your torso back to the ground after each sit up. The slower you lower your body, the more of a workout your abs will be getting.