Core · Bodyweight
Quarter Sit-up
How to do the quarter sit-up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Curl your shoulders and upper back off the floor a quarter of the way up, feeling your abs contract, then lower with control. Keep the range short and the tension constant.
- 1Feel your upper abs crunch as your shoulders lift
- 2Keep the motion short and controlled
- 3Curl your ribs toward your hips
Common mistakes
- Don't pull on your neck with your hands
- Avoid jerking up with momentum
- Don't let your feet lift off the floor
Muscles worked
The quarter sit-up mainly works the upper abs, with the lower abs and obliques assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the quarter sit-up for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.