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Sit-Up Stand-Up

Step by step instructions, muscle activation and variants for the Sit-Up Stand-Up.

MediumAbsCore

About this exercise

A functional full-body movement that combines a floor sit-up with rising all the way to a standing position, then returning back down in a controlled manner. It challenges the core, hip flexors, and legs while training the transition between lying and standing — a useful pattern for everyday movement.

How to Perform

  • Lie flat on your back on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the ground
  • Perform a sit-up by engaging your core and rising to an upright seated position
  • Continue the movement by pressing through your feet and stand all the way up
  • Pause briefly in the standing position with your core engaged
  • Lower yourself in a controlled manner back to the floor, bending your knees as you descend
  • Roll back into the starting lying position
  • Repeat for the desired number of repetitions

Muscle Activation

Primary
AbsCore
Secondary
GlutesQuadriceps

About the Sit-Up Stand-Up

The Sit-Up Stand-Up is a foundational movement that builds strength and muscle through controlled, progressive overload. Train it 1 to 2 times per week with 3 to 5 working sets per session, gradually adding weight or reps as form holds up.