Abstract: A sit up exercise bar is employed to add resistance for sit up exercises, and positions the subject's hands and arms so as to produce a fluent motion, reducing stresses on the lower back. The sit up bar has yoke form of a pair of aligned straight sections and a central neck bow which curves behind the subject's neck. A pair of handles extend forward from the respective straight sections. These position the subject's hands in front of the shoulders or particularly, a few inches in front of the anterior deltoid.