Pretty frustrated!!!!

[yeahbuddy289]

I'm taking this physical test for a job I want. One of the tests is sit ups. Now, I never train abs so I knew this would be a problem. I received the letter to take the test about a month and a half ago. The test is this coming Monday. I have been training abs pretty constantly at the gym on the decline sit up bench and with some of the machines. I work them very hard and they are always sore after training them.
I need to do 38 sit ups in one minute. when I first started I was able to do 30. So I thought id have a pretty decent chance... well I train the crap out of them at the gym and then wait for them to heal, then check and see where I'm at by doing them at home in the same manner I would have to do them at the test. I haven't improved one bit... in fact I think I am going backwards.
I'm so frustrated because I have been training the crap out of them and yet I am not able to do one single sit up more than the day I started. What's even worse is I am on cycle... so you'd think if my abs were ever going to get stronger now would be the time.
But I'm getting worse not better.

[Obs]

I'm taking this physical test for a job I want. One of the tests is sit ups. Now, I never train abs so I knew this would be a problem. I received the letter to take the test about a month and a half ago. The test is this coming Monday. I have been training abs pretty constantly at the gym on the decline sit up bench and with some of the machines. I work them very hard and they are always sore after training them.
I need to do 38 sit ups in one minute. when I first started I was able to do 30. So I thought id have a pretty decent chance... well I train the crap out of them at the gym and then wait for them to heal, then check and see where I'm at by doing them at home in the same manner I would have to do them at the test. I haven't improved one bit... in fact I think I am going backwards.
I'm so frustrated because I have been training the crap out of them and yet I am not able to do one single sit up more than the day I started. What's even worse is I am on cycle... so you'd think if my abs were ever going to get stronger now would be the time.
But I'm getting worse not better.

Situps and pushups are quickly increasable. I used to drop down and do pushups all day ever day when I had a spare minute. I lterally logged probably 5000 pushups a day. You are looking for speed at high reps so dont treat it like you are trying to gain mass. Just go till you cant and fail thirty times a day and I bet your number goes way up.
Btw it will hurt the first three days. Push through it and when the pain goes away you will mash the 38 mark.

[yeahbuddy289]

I'm frustrated beyond belief man... I'm right in the middle of a cycle and training them hard, and yet I am making no improvement... it's like my body just wants to try to screw me over any chance it gets. The fact that I am 6'2" and 230lbs probably isn't doing me any favors but I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there bigger than me who can do it.

[Obs]

I'm frustrated beyond belief man... I'm right in the middle of a cycle and training them hard, and yet I am making no improvement... it's like my body just wants to try to screw me over any chance it gets. The fact that I am 6'2" and 230lbs probably isn't doing me any favors but I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there bigger than me who can do it.

Its a bitch. I did my pushups until I was light as hell probably about as light as I have ever been over 18.
I have never understood the pushup situp shit military and police require.
I can do half the amount of pushups or sit ups I could at 18-19, but I gurantee you If you put my current self in any type of situation... I would handle it ten times as well as my younger self. I could fold the old me up like a book in about four seconds.

But hey... the old me would pass through any boot camp like it wasn't shit.

[Couchlock]

I'm frustrated beyond belief man... I'm right in the middle of a cycle and training them hard, and yet I am making no improvement... it's like my body just wants to try to screw me over any chance it gets. The fact that I am 6'2" and 230lbs probably isn't doing me any favors but I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there bigger than me who can do it.

Are you having a hard time and failing before 38? Or are you just not able to get them done in time?

Keep that mind muscle connection tight and make the movement fluid, not choppy

[songdog]

We had to do that in the USMC phyical fitness test I believe 80 was 100% didn't take long to learn how it's speed not a strick pretty looking sit up.Rock that body and get in a rythum.

[yeahbuddy289]

I get to 30 and literally couldn't do another one if you had a gun to my head. If I rest for a minute or two I can crank out another 12-15. I guess I'll just go even if I'm going to fail it just for the experience. I can schedule a re test it will just cost me money.

[Obs]

I get to 30 and literally couldn't do another one if you had a gun to my head. If I rest for a minute or two I can crank out another 12-15. I guess I'll just go even if I'm going to fail it just for the experience. I can schedule a re test it will just cost me money.

Dont give up. Good luck man.

[yeahbuddy289]

Thanks man!

[Sark]

Pardon me if this is just something obvious that you didn't feel the need to share with us, but you mentioned nothing about you actually practicing your situps? Seems to me if you wanted to get better at doing situps, you would train your abs by doing situps. Sure, hitting abs with other exercises will have some carry over, but spending all your training swinging a golf club isn't going to have much carry over to your batting on the baseball field, if you catch my drift.

[Mr.BB]

I get to 30 and literally couldn't do another one if you had a gun to my head. If I rest for a minute or two I can crank out another 12-15. I guess I'll just go even if I'm going to fail it just for the experience. I can schedule a re test it will just cost me money.

Seems like you cardio sucks.... Either that or you are not eating carbs.

[yeahbuddy289]

Pardon me if this is just something obvious that you didn't feel the need to share with us, but you mentioned nothing about you actually practicing your situps? Seems to me if you wanted to get better at doing situps, you would train your abs by doing situps. Sure, hitting abs with other exercises will have some carry over, but spending all your training swinging a golf club isn't going to have much carry over to your batting on the baseball field, if you catch my drift.

I've mentioned in almost all of my posts that I have been training them... I've been working them extremely hard and have seen little improvement. Hence the source of my frustration.

[yeahbuddy289]

Seems like you cardio sucks.... Either that or you are not eating carbs.

Funny thing that you mention cardio lol I also have to run a mile and a half in under 13 minutes so I have been running/biking like crazy trying to improve that as well. I am eating a large amount of carbs as I am running a bulking cycle. I was starting to think my high calorie diet was part of the problem so I have backed off on the amount of calories I'm taking in.

[Sark]

I've mentioned in almost all of my posts that I have been training them... I've been working them extremely hard and have seen little improvement. Hence the source of my frustration.

Yes you mentioned you're training your abs, but you didn't say you specifically have also been doing situps. In your OP you specifically said your ab training consisted of decline situps, and machines. Hence my golf/baseball analogy. If I want to get better at swinging a baseball bat, I practice swinging a baseball bat, not a golf club. If I want to get better at doing situps, I practice situps, not machine crunches and ab wheel rollouts.

I understand you're frustrated, my point is maybe you are just going about training them wrong. Sometimes keeping it simple and not over-complicating things is best. Practice doing situps everyday, don't fatigue your abs on other ab movements. You have a specific goal and that is to do more situps, so that's what you need to do, more situps.

[PT1982]

A strong lower back is usually stronger for numbers than decent abs. They may not look pretty, but it'll get done

[yeahbuddy289]

Yes you mentioned you're training your abs, but you didn't say you specifically have also been doing situps. In your OP you specifically said your ab training consisted of decline situps, and machines. Hence my golf/baseball analogy. If I want to get better at swinging a baseball bat, I practice swinging a baseball bat, not a golf club. If I want to get better at doing situps, I practice situps, not machine crunches and ab wheel rollouts.

I understand you're frustrated, my point is maybe you are just going about training them wrong. Sometimes keeping it simple and not over-complicating things is best. Practice doing situps everyday, don't fatigue your abs on other ab movements. You have a specific goal and that is to do more situps, so that's what you need to do, more situps.

Ahhh ok I get what your saying and I agree with you. I just thought that by working the muscle harder that just doing an average sit up I would build strength quicker. I thought that after doing decline sit ups where there is a greater range of motion making them harder, and doing weighted ab work with the machines I would develop them a lot quicker and a regular sit up would seem easy.

[Obs]

Ahhh ok I get what your saying and I agree with you. I just thought that by working the muscle harder that just doing an average sit up I would build strength quicker. I thought that after doing decline sit ups where there is a greater range of motion making them harder, and doing weighted ab work with the machines I would develop them a lot quicker and a regular sit up would seem easy.

There is an ab training artucle on here thats uses mainly leg raises in different positions. I will see if I can find it. Not saying you need to do it to increase situps but maybe for regular training

[Sark]

I understand. At this point I bet your abs are strong enough to do what you want, they just don't have the conditioning or endurance to hit your goal, which is why I think you'd start seeing the carryover from your heavy ab training if you now worked on just doing your situps. I'm sure you can squeeze out a couple more now if you practice, plus the adrenaline of the moment when you're testing will surely help you hit those last few. You've got this.

[yeahbuddy289]

Thanks boys! If not this time, I'll keep training and re take it at a later date.

[songdog]

Heck you could almost walk 1 1/2 mile in 13 min!

[yeahbuddy289]

Haha not me... the closest I've gotten is 12:50... still have to shave a few seconds off. I haven't done cardio in years and both my knees are shot from all the years of motocross. I didn't think they were this bad but all this running has really brought to light what a problem they are. You should see me try to get up and down stairs lol

[Obs]

There is an ab training artucle on here thats uses mainly leg raises in different positions. I will see if I can find it. Not saying you need to do it to increase situps but maybe for regular training

I looked all over and couldnt find it.
The thread made a good case for leg raises being the quickest way to get a six pack

[songdog]

Let us know how you do good luck!

[tarmyg]

So.... you want abs....

[Obs]

So.... you want abs....

^^^There its the link I was looking for.
Took someone smarter than me to find it.

[yeahbuddy289]

Failed it boys... only got 32. Time to put in some more work and schedule a retest.

[Obs]

Failed it boys... only got 32. Time to put in some more work and schedule a retest.

Hell yes never give up

[BG]

One of my buddies is in corrections also, failed the sit-ups and had to do them again. He could bench 550 but that didn't help with the sit ups

[BG]

As far as doing more you need to be doing them all the time.......every chance you get. Right when you wake up, got a minute during the day. Once a day won't do shit for adding reps.

[Obs]

One of my buddies is in corrections also, failed the sit-ups and had to do them again. He could bench 550 but that didn't help with the sit ups

Lol! Thats exactly what I meant about the government fitness tests, there is a lot of badasses out there that can squish anyone else taking the test, but they fail. You wouldn't think there would be that much endurance necessary to be a prison guard.
I know the prisoners are gonna respect someone like you described long before a track star that aces pft.

[yeahbuddy289]

I was without a doubt the biggest most muscular guy there... unfortunately it does nothing for sit ups... I watched a guy with a gut crank out more sit ups than me... that was really depressing. it didn't help I had the lightest guy there holding my feet... they kept coming off the ground which messed me up a little but it's still my fault... just wasn't condidtioned enough.

[songdog]

Failed it boys... only got 32. Time to put in some more work and schedule a retest.

Keep at it bro!

[BG]

I was without a doubt the biggest most muscular guy there... unfortunately it does nothing for sit ups... I watched a guy with a gut crank out more sit ups than me... that was really depressing. it didn't help I had the lightest guy there holding my feet... they kept coming off the ground which messed me up a little but it's still my fault... just wasn't condidtioned enough.

you will get it, do them constantly.

[NACH3]

Are you using weight ex's to do your abs?? I've always got much better results using body weight and say 4-5ex's in a s/s fashion without any breaks which will build your endurance of the muscle(just like everything go to failure)
Split legged leg raises
Feet straight out split and sit up
Use the ball for more stability in your abdominal region and hand behind your head straight out sitting up but rewatching for the ceiling

Just a few off the top of my head the latter will hit the upper transverse abdominous

[yeahbuddy289]

I haven't been using any extra weight... just body weight and going to failure over and over again. I have used the cybex ab machines but I don't feel like they work well.

[Couchlock]

I haven't been using any extra weight... just body weight and going to failure over and over again. I have used the cybex ab machines but I don't feel like they work well.

You need what 50 in 120 seconds?

[yeahbuddy289]

38 in one minute

[Couchlock]

38 in one minute

Why the odd number 38?

Concentrate on your form for building, then when test comes you can bang them out way easier

[yeahbuddy289]

I have no idea... the numbers for this test must have been pulled out of a hat.

[Sark]

Sorry you didn't get it bud. No doubt though that you'll get it next time around. Just keep at the situps every day, they will become second nature.