Sit-ups (or crunches) aren’t just about having a “six-pack.” A strong core which includes your abdominal and lower-back muscles supports posture, helps protect your spine, and stabilizes your body during everyday moves such as bending, lifting, walking, or reaching. As we age, having a well-conditioned core becomes even more important. Good core strength helps reduce the risk of back pain, improves balance, and makes everyday tasks easier as muscles naturally weaken over time. Because of this, fitness experts suggest that sit-ups can serve as a simple benchmark: an easy-to-check way to gauge how healthy and functional your core is at various stages of life.
Recommended Sit-up Targets by Age
Fitness professionals have offered guideline targets for how many sit-ups (or crunches) people should be able to do — not as a strict rule, but as a reference point for general fitness and core strength:
Here’s a rough breakdown:
- Age 30–39: Aim for about 40 sit-ups per session, a few times per week.
- Age 40–49: A good target is roughly 30 sit-ups in one go.
- Age 50–59: Around 20–25 sit-ups is a reasonable benchmark.
- Age 60–69: About 10 sit-ups seems adequate for core health at this stage.
- Age 70 and above: Even 5 sit-ups per session can be a helpful goal — it’s better than none.
- These numbers are intended as benchmarks rather than strict standards. The emphasis remains on maintaining proper form and functional fitness, not just on high rep counts.
Quality Over Quantity: How to Do Sit-ups Properly
Pushing yourself to reach a high number of sit-ups is tempting — but improper form or excessive reps can cause more harm than good. Here’s how to use sit-ups effectively:
- Focus on correct form: Lie flat on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and your core engaged. Lift your upper body slowly using your abs, not momentum or neck strain. Lower slowly and with control.
- Don’t rush: A sit-up done properly — slow and controlled — is more effective than doing many quickly.
- Combine with other core or mobility exercises: Sit-ups mainly target the front abdominal muscles. For a balanced core, include exercises that strengthen deeper stabilizing muscles, hip flexors, and lower-back muscles.
Many fitness specialists argue that relying solely on sit-ups doesn’t build full-body stability — and might even burden the spine if done improperly. For older adults or those with spine/joint issues, gentler core-strengthening exercises may be safer and more beneficial.
How Sit-ups Fit Into a Healthy Lifestyle
Sit-ups alone won’t make you “fit” — the real goal is overall physical health. That means combining core work with:
- Regular aerobic activity (like walking, cycling or swimming),
- Muscle-strengthening exercises for legs, back, arms, and hips,
- Flexibility and mobility work,
- Proper rest, posture, and body awareness.
Health guidelines recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week and complement that with muscle-strengthening sessions on two or more days each week — core strength included.
Use Benchmarks Wisely — And Listen to Your Body
Think of these sit-up targets as loose guidelines. Everyone’s body is different: age, overall fitness, past injuries, and daily lifestyle all matter. If you’re under 40 but new to fitness, 15 good sit-ups with perfect form can be more beneficial than 40 done poorly. If you’re older, even a few sit-ups done correctly can help maintain your core and mobility. If sit-ups cause discomfort — especially in your back or neck — consider alternative core exercises (planks, “dead bug” drills, hip/hug raises, etc.) that are gentler on your spine but still effective.
Bottom Line
Sit-ups can be a simple, accessible tool to help gauge and maintain core strength throughout life. As a guideline: 40 reps for 30-somethings; ~30 in your 40s; ~20s in your 50s; ~10 in your 60s; and 5 or more beyond that. But more important than hitting a number is focusing on quality, safety, consistency, and overall movement health. Used wisely — and combined with regular activity — sit-ups can be part of a healthy routine at any age.
