When it comes to working your core, not all exercises are created equal. In fact, despite being included in many of the best ab workouts, studies have found crunches and sit-ups aren’t that good for your spine.
Medical professionals explain that when you perform a sit-up, you push your curved spine into the floor while flexing upwards. If you suffer from tight hip flexors, or sit down a lot, your hip flexors can tug against your lower back during this upward motion, creating pain or discomfort in the lower back. It’s thought to be even worse if you perform sit-ups with your hands behind your head and almost pull your body upwards. While you might not notice this initially, doing endless sit-ups could lead to back pain over time.
