Janda Sit-Up
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Janda Sit-Up
- Position your body on the floor in the basic sit-up position; knees to a ninety degree angle with feet flat on the floor and arms either crossed over your chest or to the sides. This will be your starting position.
- As you strongly tighten your glutes and hamstrings, fill your lungs with air and in a slow (three to six second count) ascent, slowly exhale. Tip: It is important to tighten the glutes and hamstrings as this will cause the hip flexors to be inactivated in a process called reciprocal inhibition, which basically means that opposite muscles to the contracted ones will relax.
- As you inhale, slowly go back in a controlled manner to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Janda Sit-Up
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Jackknife Sit-Up
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
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2
Sit-Up
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
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3
Press Sit-Up
An advanced compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a barbell.
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4
Weighted Sit-Ups - With Bands
An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the abs.
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5
Barbell Side Bend
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a barbell.
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6
Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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7
Cable Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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8
Cable Judo Flip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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9
Cable Reverse Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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10
Cable Russian Twists
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do janda sit-up work?
Janda Sit-Up primarily works the abs.
What equipment do I need for janda sit-up?
None. Janda Sit-Up is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.
Janda Sit-Up: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Janda Sit-Up is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of janda sit-up?
Jackknife Sit-Up, Sit-Up, Press Sit-Up train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my janda sit-up reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; janda sit-up can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Janda Sit-Up with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.