Sit-ups or crunches?

[poolee_plaster]

When doing IST are you require to do sit-ups or crunches? Or are they considered the same thing? I've read both from different sites.
Thanks!

[22DevilPup87]

I've seen the terms used interchangably a lot. To the best of my knowledge they want you to hold your biceps, come up till your elbows touch your thighs, and down till your shoulderblades hit the deck.

Does that help?

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

The change to crunches from sit ups happend a few years ago. This is probably why you still see people talking about sit ups in places. The Marine Corps does crunches now. You hold your arms against your chest and go up until your elbows touch your knees. Makes it harder than doing a sit up. The change happened at the same time that kipping went away on the pull ups. Talk about some PFT scores dropping! But with the new rules, it is about how fit you are, not how skilled you are.

[22DevilPup87]

While I could certainly be wrong, I'm almost positive that we only have to have our elbows touch our thighs and go down till our shoulderblades hit the deck ... I'm guessing that'd be called a crunch (even though at NASS they called them situps ... I'm so confused!)

[lurchenstein]

I'm guessing that'd be called a crunch (even though at NASS they called them situps ... I'm so confused!)

There's a difference.

[22DevilPup87]

Ahh, okay. Well, at NASS we were definately coming up further than that. Our elbows touched our thighs ... but we didn't come up to our knees. Still a sit-up?

[jenrmurray]

I was always taught that you just had to touch your thighs.

[wrbones]

sit-ups ya used to have to break the 'plane' between yer knees with yer head. Do 80 of those in two minutes!

[wrbones]

Oh. Look up Marine Corps Orders on this site. Might be a link to one that will tell ya everything ya want to know about crunches.

Some of you kids ain't readin' what's already here, mebbe.

[22DevilPup87]

It's possible. I'll check it out. Crunches and sit-ups have had me confused for a while. It's time I find out for sure.

[poolee_plaster]

I'll just have to adjust to doing that type of crunches then. Oh well! Anything to better prepare myself.

[22DevilPup87]

I'm not sure what they're called (I just called my recruiting office and one recruiter called it a crunch, while another called it a sit-up; both explained them the same way), but I'm absolutely positive as to how to do them.

In the IST and PFT they want you to start in the typical sit-up position, grab your biceps (or your shirt right next to your biceps), keep your arms against your chest, come up until your elbows touch your thighs and down until your shoulderblades hit the deck.

Whatever it's called, just do it.

[jenrmurray]

That is exactly how I have been instructed to do them.

I think they are supposed to be called crunches now because the old way when they were called sit-ups was bad for your back. But, ya. Who cares what they are called... just begin.

[jenrmurray]

I found this on about.military.com, it is taken from Marine Corps Order (MCO) P6100-12. So now there is no more debate.

Abdominal Crunch. The goal of the abdominal crunch event is for a Marine to execute as many proper and complete crunches within the prescribed time limit. The procedures are:

(1) 2-minute time limit.

(2) On a flat surface, Marines will lie flat on their back with shoulder blades touching the deck, knees will be bent, and both feet will be flat on the deck.

(3) The arms will be folded across the chest or rib cage with no gap existing between the arms and chest/rib cage. Both arms must remain in constant contact with chest/rib cage throughout the exercise. A single repetition consists of raising the upper body from the starting position until both forearms or elbows simultaneously touch the thighs, and then returning to the starting position with the shoulder blades touching the deck.

(4) The buttocks will remain in constant contact with the deck throughout the event. No arching of the lower back or lifting the buttocks is permitted.

(5) An assistant may be used to hold a Marine's legs or feet, at or below the knees in whatever manner that is most comfortable for the Marine. Kneeling or sitting on the Marine’s feet is permitted.

(6) A repetition will be counted when an accurate and complete abdominal crunch is performed.

[22DevilPup87]

Yay! Thanks, Jen!