by 4CRANE Computing Kinesiology of Exercise Information Products Based on the Work of Dr.

Michael Yessis

KinesPDFS

Glute-Ham Developer Sit-Up

Version 1.0

4CRANE Computing Inc. www.kinesconnection.com

These exercise documents are informational only. No representation is made or warranty given as to their content or usability. The user assumes all risk of use. 4CRANE Computing assumes no responsibility for any loss resulting from such use.

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Table of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................... Execution ....................................................................................... Muscle Action ............................................................................ Muscles Involved ............................................................................ Sports Uses ................................................................................... Tips .............................................................................................. Muscle Anatomy ........................................................................ 3 3 3 3 4 4 6

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Introduction Many people do sit-ups or crunches to develop their abdominals, but these exercises have limited effectiveness. However, because of the great intensity and levels of performance needed for almost all sports, athletes and bodybuilders should do exercises commensurate with their levels of ability exercises which produce a greater development of the midsection that is needed for lifting heavy weights or executing skills that require great force or speed. Doing Glute-Ham Developer (GHD) sit-ups will give you the greater intensity needed for the highest levels of athletic performance. Execution Variant 1 - Upper abdominals. Adjust the BFS Glute-Ham Developer so that when you sit on the seat with your feet secured between the rollers and against the back plate, your pelvis will be in full support on the seat. Your legs should be straight and basically horizontal and your trunk vertical in the starting position. Hands should be placed on the chest. Inhale slightly more than usual and then hold your breath as you slowly lower your trunk until it is slightly below the level of the horizontal. In this final position your head and shoulders will be below the level of the hips. After reaching the bottom position, hold your breath and slowly curl back up to about a 45-degree angle and then straighten the back as you return to the upright position and exhale. As a general rule, in the bottom position there should be a slight arching in the lumbar spine and in the upright position your back should be slightly flexed. Do each repetition at a slow to moderate rate of speed. Initially, weights are not needed. To increase the difficulty hold a barbell plate on your chest with both hands. Variant 2 - Lower abdominals. Adjust the BFS GHD so that when seated, support will be under the backside of the upper thighs. Your feet should be secured between the rollers and your legs should be fully extended. Inhale slightly more than usual and hold your breath as you lower your body back and down until the trunk is below the level of the thighs. Your legs should remain straight at all times. When in correct position you will feel tension in the abdominal, hip and thigh muscles. Curl the trunk up for about 30 degrees and then use the hip flexors to return to the initial position and exhale. At this time the spine should be slightly rounded. Do each repetition at a slow to moderate rate of speed. To increase the resistance hold weights on the chest. Muscle Action In the GHD sit-up the abdominal muscles are responsible for spinal flexion. In this action your abdominal muscles pull your head and shoulders up and forward from a slightly lower than horizontal position. In some variants the hip flexors contract to rotate the pelvis (together with the trunk) up and forward from a slightly below horizontal position on an axis in the hip joint. Muscles Involved The rectus abdominis and the internal and external obliques are involved.

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Sports Uses GHD sit-ups are very important in all sports that require firm stabilization of the spine. This is especially important in sports such as football and rugby where you must withstand great forces applied to the upper body. The stabilization is also seen in many exercises, especially when lifting overhead or applying force from the legs to the arms as in the tennis serve. The variant which also involves the hip joint is very important in sports which require lifting the legs up high in the hanging or horizontal position. This action is needed by gymnasts in a multitude of movements on the apparatus and in free exercise. In addition, it is needed by dancers who leap high as in ballet and modern dance, trampolinists, divers, acrobats (who hold an L position), and so on. These exercises are also very important for baseball pitchers and football quarterbacks. The muscles and actions involved in the GHD sit-ups are very important for pulling the trunk forward to create more force and speed when throwing. Thus, it is valuable for javelin throwers, tennis players in serving, soccer players in kicking and in the throw-in, volleyball players in spiking, and so on. Swimmers, especially in freestyle and butterfly, must also have very strong lower abdominals and hip flexors to maintain proper body position and for force in kicking. The GHD sit-ups are very effective as an advanced exercise for producing a flat and well defined abdominal wall. Because of this they are very important to bodybuilders and fitness buffs. In addition, a strong abdominal wall together with strong erector spinae muscles of the lower back are the key to injury prevention and a pain-free back. Tips 1) When doing GHD sit-ups it is important that the movements be at a slow to moderate speed and under control at all times. There should be no quick or jerky movements. If there are, they can prove to be dangerous to the spine or hips. When you move slowly in the down position, concentrate on a slight arch in the lower back and a stretching of the abdominal muscles. Feel the abdominal muscles contracting as you rise up. 2) In both variants the hip flexors are involved. However, it is important to understand that throughout the entire exercise your abdominals are under very strong contraction. They, in essence, hold the spine in place and do not allow the hip flexors to hyperextend the spine. Because of this, this is a very safe but advanced exercise. It should also be noted that the hip flexors and abdominals are under constant contraction supporting the trunk in this non-support position (when the trunk is beyond the hips). When you lean back, the muscles undergo a strong eccentric contraction (which is also responsible for muscle development) and then a concentric-isometric contraction on the way up. Thus the muscles undergo all these muscle contraction regimes. 3) If you keep the legs straight, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to lower the trunk so that the head is pointing vertically toward the floor with your back excessively hyperextended. If this happens, you are in a very potentially dangerous position. Hanging down backwards as far as possible creates tremendous pressure on the posterior aspects of the discs and is a leading cause of back problems. The key to successful execution is to lower the trunk so that there is approximately 15 to 20 (30 maximum) degrees of hyperextension when doing the exercise. This is more than sufficient to produce a great training effect on the abdominals. If you drop lower, you are most likely bending the knees.

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4) The GHD sit-up is an advanced exercise and should not be undertaken by anyone who has a weak back. The forces involved in this exercise are quite high. Because of this, you should have well developed muscles to not only do the exercise correctly, but also to create sufficient muscular force to hold the spine in a stable position at all times. 5) As you start using weights, you will notice that the greater the amount of weight that you use the less the flexion and hyperextension of the spine. The reason for this is that your muscles contract so tightly to hold the back in place that it is difficult for them to relax to get sufficient arching and flexing of the spine. Because of this, it is not always necessary to use excessive weights when doing this exercise. A slightly greater range of motion is often more desirable than merely holding the spine in place throughout the entire movement. In the latter case the action is performed more by the hip flexors while the abdominals are under very strong isometric contraction. However, this is still effective for spinal stabilization. 6) Variant 2, in which your hips are positioned beyond the seat, is especially effective for stressing the lower abdominals along with the hip flexors. This is a very good example of how the hip flexors and lower abdominals work in coordination when doing flexion of the trunk. Because of this, this version is especially important for athletes who must run and kick and who must raise their legs or trunks in many exercises. 7) An effective substitute for the GHD sit-up is the bench sit-up. In this exercise you sit on a bench and have someone (or something) hold your legs in place. A key safety factor in this version is maintaining yourself in a proper and stable position. Execution is the same as on the GHD.

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Muscle Anatomy External Oblique The external oblique, which covers the front sides of the abdomen, is located on both sides of the rectus abdominis. The fibers run diagonally upward and sideward from the lower attachment on both sides of the abdomen and form a letter V when viewed from the front. Origin The external oblique originates (at the upper end) at the lower eight ribs. Insertion Insertion is at the lower end at the front half of the ilium, the crest of the pubis, and the linea alba. Function The external oblique muscles are responsible for rotation of the upper and lower trunk, lateral flexion, and flexion of the spine.

Anterior view of the abdomen

Internal Oblique The internal oblique is located directly under the external oblique, and at its upper end its fibers run at nearly right angles to the external oblique fibers,forming an inverted letter V when viewed from the front. At the lower end, however, the internal oblique fibers are almost horizontal. Both the internal and external obliques cover a very wide area on the front side of the abdomen. Origin The internal oblique muscle originates on the lumbar fascia, the anterior crest of the ilium, and the outer half of the inguinal ligament. Insertion At the upper end it inserts on the cartilage of the eight, ninth, and tenth ribs and the linea alba. Function The internal oblique muscles are responsible for rotation of the upper and lower trunk, lateral flexion, and flexion of the spine.

Muscle Anatomy Color Legend Featured Muscle Surrounding Muscles Surrounding Bone Structues Anterior view of the abdomen

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Rectus Abdominis The rectus abdominis is a fairly slender muscle that runs vertically across the front of the abdominal wall. The right and left halves are separated by a tendinous strip about an inch wide called the linea alba. The muscle fibers run parallel to one another and are crossed by three tendons, which provide the divisions usually seen in a person with little fat in the abdominal area and a well-developed rectus abdominis muscle, commonly known as being "ripped". The rectus abdominis follows a curved line when at rest, and when contracted it becomes straight. Origin The rectus abdominis originates on the crest of the pubis. Insertion It inserts on the cartilage of the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. Function Flexes the spinal column and draws the sternum toward the pelvis.

Anterior view of the abdomen

Muscle Anatomy Color Legend Featured Muscle Surrounding Muscles Surrounding Bone Structues

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There are 90 other popular exercises available in KinesPDFS. *** Also available is the complete set of Kinesiology of Exercise eBooks:
Volume 1- The Ankle Volume 2 - The Knee Joint Volume 3 - The Hip Joint and Pelvic Girdle Volume 4 - Combination Exercises Volume 5 - The Spine: The Abdominals Volume 6 - The Spine: Lower Back Muscles Volume 7 - The Shoulder Joint Volume 8 - The Elbow Joint Volume 9 - The Radio-Ulnar Joint Volume 10 - The Wrist Joint Volume 11 - Combined Shoulder and Arm Exercises ***

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