If you are an athlete whose sport requires you to throw, kick, swing, or punch, training your abs to contract correctly is essential.
When performing any of the above movements, the abs brace quickly and allow power to be transferred to either the legs or arms. To have the right skill transfer, the training movement must mimic the sporting movement as close as possible.
Enter the sit-up press and pull back. The speed of moving the weight overhead and to either side as you sit up is less important than the speed of drawing the weight back to your body. The abs isometrically contract (squeeze but don’t go through a range of motion) and the shoulders move to extension returning the weight back to the body.
Great off-season teaching tool or in-season accessory movement!