Hanging leg raises with a twist. Hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar

Hanging leg raises are one of the most exhausting abdominal exercises. However, such exercises are extremely effective in working out the press. They have a particularly powerful effect on the lower cubes. If done correctly, you can "grind" and the upper. This exercise can be beneficial to athletes involved in football, gymnastics, karate, acrobatics, in general, those sports where it is necessary to bend the spine and hip joint at the same time.

Technics

1. Raising the legs while hanging on the bar is performed as follows: you should grab it with an average grip. Legs sag freely without touching the floor. If the grip is weak, then you need to use special support straps.
2. Bend your back slightly in the lower back, arms and legs should be straight.
3. Taking a breath, take your legs back a little and raise them higher with a strong jerk. It is advisable to keep them straight. However, if you do not have enough strength for such a performance, you can slightly bend your knees. It is important that the angle at which they are bent remains the same until the end of the set.
4. Legs must be lifted above the waist. At the highest point, you need to try to hold on for a few seconds, while straining the press strongly. After that, you can lower your legs slowly and smoothly down.
5. After a second pause, repeat the exercise again.

1. Light "cheating" at the beginning of the exercise "Hanging leg raise" does not affect the work of the press. In the first phase, the muscles of the thigh take part in the work. In the middle and final, the abdominal muscles work.
2. The higher the legs are raised, the stronger the load on the press. It is advisable to perform the leg raises in the hang so that the angle between the torso and the hips is minimal. Correct execution of the exercise increases the training effect at times.
3. It is important to properly lift the pelvis. To achieve maximum results, lifting the legs in the hang must certainly be performed, strongly straining the press. After the legs reach waist level, you need to force the pelvis up.
4. Do not use additional weights when performing this exercise. The weight of the legs, as well as the weight of the athlete's shoes, is quite a sufficient load. However, trained athletes sometimes use weights in the form of dumbbells or special bracelets sandwiched between their feet. You should not abuse excess extra weight - you can get a hernia.
5. You should breathe correctly during the exercise: lifting your legs up, you need to exhale the air, lowering them down - inhale with force.
6. For those who cannot keep their weight hanging for a long time, you can use specially sewn shoulder straps.

7. Hanging leg lifts can be performed using specially equipped machines that are available in gyms. A variant of the lightweight exercise would be a simulator on which elbow raises are performed.

Regular training, correct exercise and, of course, perseverance, work on yourself will certainly give stunning results!

Hanging leg raises are especially popular among ab exercises. In gyms, special designs are provided for them, but such lifts can be performed not only on bars with a back, but also on a horizontal bar.

When the decision is made to work the lower cubes, hanging leg raises come to mind. But, it is not easy to perform them if the athlete does not differ in all-round development of the body: strong muscles of the core, legs and upper body.

In addition to the muscles listed, work: the shoulders, back and forearms, which play the role of stabilizers.

This means that in the leg raises in the hang, the main muscles are:

• iliac lumbar (targeted); tailor leading long and
• short, comb, tendon of the broad fascia of the thigh (synergists); muscle
• press - oblique and straight (stabilizers); straight thigh muscles - dynamic stabilizers.

In the picture version, the muscles involved in lifting the legs in the hanging look like in the picture below:

Hanging leg lift begins due to the strength of the hip flexors. These muscles cannot be felt because they are buried deep. The rectus femoris muscle helps them. Further, the rectus femoris takes the baton in the "control" of the lift. At the same time, the abdominal muscles (oblique), which are located on the sides and together with the straight ones, are involved in the movement of the muscles of the core (muscle corset).

The main share of the load falls on the abdominal muscles during leg lifts, which take part in lifting the legs after they reach an angle of 30-45 degrees, where they "get" thanks to the hip flexors.

In order to achieve a stronger contraction in the lower area of ​​the permanent residence and increase the working amplitude, at the upper point, the pelvis can be thrown up.

The main advantages of the exercise

The list is quite large:

• at the same time, the main abdominal muscles work and the auxiliary ones that help them contract;
• muscles develop that correct posture;
• developing abdominal muscles create a dense muscular frame of the trunk;
• the spine gets a beneficial stretch;
• there is no risk of injury to the lower back;
• for athletes with lower back and back pain who are not recommended to do abdominal crunches, hanging leg lift training will be a complete replacement;
• a huge number of options.

How to do it right

The leg lift technique is not difficult, but without appropriate training, the athlete cannot do it.

Preparatory step.

• Hang on a horizontal bar on straight arms, set shoulder-width apart (straight grip).
• Tilt your straight legs back a little.

You have taken your starting position.

First step.

• After inhaling, hold your breath, and raise your legs to a right angle with the body, exhale.
• The delay time in this position is 1-2 counts.
• Controlling and slowly return to the PI, making the required number of repetitions.

The picture will help you master the correct technique:

You can watch the training in dynamics:

Leg raises options

There are many variations, in addition to the classic version.

Some are presented below:

• lifts of the legs bent at the knees;
• straight or bent on uneven bars with a back;
• with special sleeves.

Secrets of Hanging Leg Raises Effectiveness

Knowing them allows you to conduct training with 100% efficiency:

• do not use the forces of inertia;
• do the climbs cleanly, without swinging the body;
• lingering for a couple of accounts at the end point, tighten the abdominal muscles additionally;
• with a lot of weight, use bars equipped with a back;
• if the grip is weak, i.e. hands are "disengaged" on the bar, use belts and straps for the wrists;
• for beginners, the same bars and a wall bars can serve as an option. For easier lifting, you can lift, bent legs;
• for "advanced" athletes, weights are needed, which are dumbbells and pancakes fixed between the feet;
• in the classics, it is required to raise the legs 90 degrees, but beginners can reduce the angle;
• it is recommended to do 10-15 repetitions and 2-3 approaches.

We load the press "in full"

The tension of the press at the beginning of the trajectory, until the legs have reached 30 degrees, isometric, i.e. he practically does not participate in the work, but only helps the hip flexors. The press is connected when the angle becomes more than 45 degrees. From this moment on, it is qualitatively loaded.

To continue the impact on the press, it is necessary to increase the amplitude, i.e. raise your legs to the highest possible height. This is achieved by feeding the pelvis upward due to inertia. A ballistic moment is created due to the slight deflection of the legs back at the start and feeding up the pelvis. This helps to throw the limbs high, increasing the amplitude and loading the abdominal muscles more.

When approaching the pelvic body, the knees should be bent, since fully extended legs are extremely difficult to raise high.

Will Hanging Leg Raises Help Get Abs

This training is considered to have a "drying" effect, i.e. performing 50 hanging leg raises and more, you can drive fat from the abdomen and see the cherished cubes. But, it is important to understand that not a single exercise on the press has an effect on the fat accumulated in the abdominal region. They only help to strengthen muscle tissue. Therefore, neither an insane number of repetitions, nor a burning sensation, the press will show.

Without diet - the main developer of the cubes, even the existing press hidden under the layer of fat cannot be seen. It will remain a "nasty" ball.

The best training for getting the bottom cubes

At the American Institute of Exercise Physiology, in 2006, measure muscle activity (EMG) of the abs during various training sessions. The results that were obtained are presented below:

It is clear from the diagram that the roller has come out on top. The lifts in the hanging of the knees practically do not lag behind the roller for the press in terms of efficiency. Moreover, both of them are equally productive for the upper and lower abdomen. Also, the roller gives the least tension to the muscles of the back. In the last place were twists with bent legs on the floor. Now it's up to you to decide.

Video: Hanging Leg Raises

(2 estimates, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Despite the abundance of abdominal exercises, crunches are truly effective. All other movements are just one of the twisting options. The article will talk about hanging leg raises as an advanced version of reverse crunches on the press.

Reverse crunches on the press: features of the exercise

The rectus abdominis muscle is a solid, flat muscle that runs from the sternum to the lower abdomen. The cherished cubes are formed due to the transverse intersection of the rectus abdominis muscle by the tendons. The main thing is that IMPORTANT to assimilate this is that any muscle (including the rectus abdominis muscle) cannot be partially contracted.

You will often hear such nonsense as lower abs exercises. They say that certain movements load this very difficult-to-pump part of the press.

It is really difficult to pump it due to the fact that there are fewer nerve endings there than in the upper part, which means that the brain cannot generate the same strong signal (order) to contract. Plus, it is this area that fat cells have chosen to replenish energy reservoirs (it is easier here that fat accumulates more easily), which makes it difficult to see well-developed muscles.

Physiologically, you can twist the upper torso towards the pelvis, as in the variant, or the pelvis to the upper torso, as in the reverse crunches. What is the difference? In the load and complexity of execution, plus performing different versions of twisting, you make the workout more varied not only for yourself, but also for your muscles.

Hanging leg raises are an advanced form of reverse crunches. The more vertical the body is, the harder it is to twist the lower body (pelvis) to the top. That is why, the position of the legs GENERALLY does not affect exercise performance. The press does not lift the legs up (this is done by other muscles that you train if done incorrectly), the press twists the pelvis to the chest (and the chest to the pelvis).

You shouldn't think about raising your legs as high as possible. You should think about raising your pelvis as high as possible.

The legs can be bent at the knees (it's easier to do this), be straight or crossed among themselves - it doesn't matter, but the higher the pelvis is, the more complete the contraction of the rectus abdominis muscle will be.

A few words about the execution technique

Hanging leg raises, in principle, is not a difficult exercise, if you understand that your task is not to raise your legs (a terrible absurdity in the name of the exercise), but to lift the pelvis. It can be performed in the hanging position on the bar or in a special simulator, resting your elbows and forearms on the pillows, and with your back on a soft back.

Take a starting position and straighten completely. As you exhale, begin to lift your legs up, while, as it were, twist the body from the pelvis into yourself. I hope such a figurative comparison will help you better understand the nuance of movement.

The higher the pelvis is, the better the rectus abdominis will contract and the more work it does. Don't think about your legs. Here, certainly, do not chase the number of repetitions. Quality is important. A slow pace of lifting will force you to consciously and in a controlled manner perform the correct contractions. Think about twisting the body and cutting the abs.

From the top point on inhalation, also gradually begin to descend, as if unwinding the body from top to bottom. Do not let the muscles rest at the lowest point. Maintain tension throughout the set. Sink to the bottom and immediately begin to curl up.

Described correct technique exercises, starting position and technique, muscles being trained, important tips + video.

Probably one of the hardest abdominal exercises if done correctly. Perfectly works out the entire front part of the abdominal cavity of the body.

The press really starts working when the pelvis begins to rise up and works as much as possible when the toes of the legs touch the crossbar.

WORKING MUSCLES

The upper part of the thighs, the lower and central part, the external oblique muscle, and when the legs are raised high, the upper part is partially included. Additionally, the rectus femoris muscle is included.

STARTING STAND

Hang on the bar with an average grip, shoulders relaxed, legs brought together and slightly bent at the knees (you should feel a slight tension in your abdomen), look straight.

TECHNICS

Using the strength of the abdominal muscles, lift the slightly bent legs up so that the socks are at chest level, only after overcoming the parallel with the floor, when the hips are raised above their axis, the press really begins to be included in the work.
Smoothly lower your legs down, keeping them slightly at an angle to contract the abdominal muscles and rise again. On the contraction of the muscles upwards, while relaxing the muscles downwards, we inhale.

LIFTING LEGS ON THE TOURNIQUE

1) Do not let the torso sway, keep it in one position (does it work ?, ask your partner to hold your hips so that when lowering your legs down, the torso does not lean back;

2) Raise your legs without a starting jerk, only the press does all the work;

3) Raising and lowering the legs occurs at the same, slow pace;

4) Do not help raise your legs with your hands, you just hang on your hands, and your legs and pelvis are lifted exclusively by the abdominal muscles.

5) Try not to lower your legs to the very end, leaving a small angle of inclination, this forces the abdominal muscles to be in constant tension.

6) If you want to target the lower part of the press, raise your legs to the very bar, this is the most difficult option, but it is he who loads the lower abdominal muscles well.

VARIETY OF EXERCISES

1) Raising the legs on a vertical bench - the difference is that the hands do not hang on the crossbar, but with their elbows rest against the soft side supports. The legs are slightly bent at the knees to minimize muscle tension in the lower back.

2) Hanging knee bending - performed if the exercise is difficult or to further contract a tired muscle. At the top, lift your knees above your hips, pausing for a second.

3) Raising the legs with turning the body - everything is similar, only the knees turn to the side raising the hips, including the transverse, internal and external oblique muscles in the work.

4) High leg raises - a hard version of the exercise, at the end point of the movement, the legs should touch the crossbar.

5) Raising the legs on a special fabric webbingX - if your forearms hurt, palms are injured or elbows "ache", hang on dense fabric belts, they will help you perform abdominal exercises without loading the forearms.

So, we figured out that there is no upper and lower press as such. Today, let's figure it out, is it possible to contract the lower part of the rectus abdominis muscle - the "lower press" - to a greater extent than the upper one? Suppose, for some reason, it is very important for you to load the lower abdomen. Is it possible?
The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, leg raises (bent or straight). We will consider a simpler option “hanging legs in support on the elbows in a special simulator with back support”.

It seems that the lower press strains, it is hard and sweaty for you, and even starts to "burn" after a few repetitions, but is the muscle itself contracting?

Muscles worked

• targeted - ilio-lumbar;
• synergists - tensioner of the broad fascia of the thigh, tailor, comb, long / short adductor;
• stabilizers - rectus, oblique abdominal muscles;
• dynamic stabilizers - rectus femoris muscle.

We see that the main the muscle involved is the iliopsoas, not abs! The movement itself is called "hip flexion."

The rectus abdominis muscle only plays stabilizing role - it is tense, but not shrinking. By the way, just like latissimus the back, which allows you to maintain a support position on the elbows, or the muscles of the neck, which prevent the head from falling to the side, on the chest, or leaning back. However, none of you would think of calling leg raises a back or neck exercise!

Let's study the features of this exercise.

pros

1. a large "muscle in a row" works at once: the main abdominal muscles and the auxiliary ones that help to reduce them;
2. the exercise will help you master the royal posture, because the muscles necessary for this develop;
3. there is a general development of the strength of the abdominal muscles and the creation of a denser muscle corset;
4. useful stretching of the spinal column (option in hanging on the hands);
5. the lower back is not at risk of injury;
6. a great alternative to abdominal crunches for those with lower back / spine pain;
7. variability.

Efficiency

In 2006, the US Institute for Exercise Physiology measured the EMG activity of the abdominal muscles during various exercises. The research task was to identify best exercise from a given list to the upper / lower sections of the press.
Here are the results.

Research has shown that roller(press roller) and hanging knee raises are the most effective exercise for both the upper and lower abdominal muscles. The roller also showed the least tension in the lower back muscles.

Lying on the floor with bent legs showed the lowest efficacy.

Technics

In fact, it is the hip flexor muscles that lift the legs to an angle of 30-45 degrees from the vertical, and the abs are tensed isometric, i.e. practically does not work, helping them. Only when the angle of 45 degrees is exceeded, the abdominal muscle begins to actively turn on and load qualitatively - it takes on the main load on raising the legs. Thus, in order to continue to influence the press, it is necessary to lengthen the range of motion due to the maximum possible lifting of the legs, so to speak, "toss" the pelvis above the parallel at the top point of the trajectory. Then all the work is transferred to the rectus / oblique abdominal muscles.

By tilting the legs a little back at the start and pushing the pelvis up (twisting the body more), we create a ballistic moment. All this allows you to throw your legs high, lengthening the amplitude, transferring more work to the abdominal muscles.

• Take the position of the rest on the elbows in the simulator, tightly pressed against his back... IT IS VERY IMPORTANT!

  Because: firstly, very often the weight of one's own legs is too large for the lower part of the muscle, so the iliopsoas muscle of the thigh takes all the work away from the press. Secondly, the body is not fixed.
  The best option would be to raise your legs while keeping your lower back still motionless.

  However, we will not completely remove the load from the lower back! When lifting, attention is focused on the flexion of the spine, as a result of which the hips that are motionless and bent in the hip joints will be at the chest. We remove the hip flexion phase, but the load on the hip flexors remains and turns into static - they keep the hips flexed and motionless. So this exercise is still not "pure" on the abdominal muscles.

• Bend your knees at right angles, and then lift them up to the position of parallel hips to the floor. This is the starting position - the legs are perpendicular to the floor, the thighs are parallel.

  ADVICE : If, while lifting your legs in the hang, pain occurs in the lower back, then try to spread the toes of the feet and knees apart, leaving the heels together.
  With this position of the feet and knees, movement will be more comfortable.

• Breathe in and on exhalation try it to raise legs still bent at the knees forward and upward, twisting the spine and pulling the pelvis to the chest (the shoulder blades are pressed into the back of the simulator).
  Honestly, it's hard as hell. Be sure to try to linger at the top point for at least a second,. Prepare for suffering, because most likely the lower part of the rectus abdominis muscle has never worked in this mode.

Important nuances

Step 1: develop a firm grip

If you can't just hang on a horizontal bar, how will you raise your legs? Strengthening the grip is very simple - hang on the horizontal bar. By the way, as an option, you can do pull-ups in the gravitron or pull-ups on a low bar - it also strengthens the grip well. If you can hang for at least 30 seconds, then you can proceed to the next step.

IMPORTANT: Please do not swing or move up and down to, as they say, stretch the spine. In fact, with such movements, the compression load on the vertebrae increases, which can lead to injuries, hernias, protrusions.

Step 2: stretch

Alas, if you cannot bend forward and touch your feet with your hands (whether standing or sitting), then I have bad news for you. First you have to work on the stretch. The main exercises, we think, everyone knows: bending forward (not necessarily to absolutely straight legs, you can slightly bent) in different positions, in more detail.

Step 3: develop abdominal strength

The most important point. To raise your legs without momentum (swinging), you need a strong press. We remind you that this is a single muscle and that there is no separate "lower" press. True, the muscle is long and is innervated by intercostal nerves throughout. That is, you can shift the focus. For example, the more a muscle is stretched, the more impulse the muscle must receive to contract. It is probably best to start with other exercises initially. For example, reverse crunches or leg raises with an emphasis (with a twisting of the pelvis).

Workout plan

Week 1-2(sometimes it can be longer): Add low bar pull-ups or gravitron pull-ups to your workout to improve your grip.

Week 3-4: Keep pull-ups + add hamstrings at the end of the workout.

Week 5-6: Pull-ups in the main workout + abdominal exercises at the beginning of the workout or at the end (reverse crunches or raising the legs in support) + stretching exercises at the end of the workout.

Week 7-8: Include in the workout a simplified version - pulling the knees to the chest while hanging. For example, at the end of the workout, 3 sets of 5 times.

Week 9-12: Include a full workout option in your workout - leg raises to the bar. For example, 3 sets of 3-5-7-10 times (gradually increase the number of times).

A trick on the road to Dream Press

Since the weight of your legs for the lower press is still unbearable, and we cannot reduce it - except to put the simulator in the water - you can use cheating.

Again, take the position of the support on the elbows in the simulator, bend your legs at the knees, but now do not lift them forward. This lightweight starting position... Do not relax the muscles that fix the shoulder blades so that the shoulders do not look stooped. Straighten your body, bringing your shoulder blades together. Keep your chest straight.

Inhale and as you exhale, begin to quickly raise the bent legs forward and upward, creating acceleration and twisting the spine in the upper portion of the amplitude to lift the lower back from the back of the simulator. At the top point, try to linger for at least a second.

It will be difficult - our legs will inevitably pull us down to the bottom. Let them as slow as possible descend to the starting position while inhaling, and begin the next repetition with another attempt to make a short pause at the top point. Those. We don't throw our legs! Do not use the force of inertia, by which they are happy to plunge down. Perform a slow, controlled movement, otherwise there is no sense!

With each workout, this pause will become more and more distinct, and after a few weeks you will be able to perform a full version of the exercise from the starting position “legs bent in front of you”. Now you will powerfully load the entire rectus abdominis muscle with a clear emphasis on its lower region - such a desired and unattainable "lower press", although your next step may be an even more intense version of this exercise, performed in the hanging on the bar. But more about him later 😉

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