Hanging knee raises on the horizontal bar- this is an exercise for the lower part of the abdominal muscles and a little touches the upper part, it works this area very well thanks to the twisting of the pelvis. The exercise has various ways execution for different levels preparation. It is much easier to perform than straight leg raises; it is considered one of the best exercises for working out the lower abs. Perform lifting bent legs You can do it wherever there is a horizontal bar, the main difficulty lies in physical preparation. Must have strong hands, shoulders, grip and abs, because the whole body tenses at the same time, which may seem too difficult for an untrained person.
Starting position
Choose a bar with a consistent grip (standard bar) or parallel grip(both on a monkey bars and on a crossover). If you choose a standard horizontal bar, take a lock grip ( thumb wraps around the bar) at the width of your shoulders or slightly wider. I definitely recommend that beginners get belts. After hanging, tense your arm muscles and bend your elbows slightly, bringing your legs together.
Technique for performing hanging knee raises on a horizontal bar
While hanging from the bar, inhale. Raise your knees bent until your hips touch your body. In this case, the pelvis should rise, only in this case the lower abdominal muscles will be activated as much as possible. When your legs touch your body, exhale and tense lower press. Inhale again and begin to slowly lower them along with your exhalation (it’s better to exhale slowly). You can lower them completely (the muscles of the lower abs will relax and contract better during the next rise) or not completely, leaving the muscles of the lower abs tense, so the muscles will become tense and work out faster. The ideal position of the legs when lowering is to the horizontal position of the hips and immediately rise up. The most common way of breathing during an exercise is to exhale with effort (when rising), and inhale when lowering, but then the knees fall as if by themselves without much effort.
- To better work out the lower abs during the exercise, I advise you to wear straps or hooks, especially for girls and women, then it will become easier to hold on and you will be able to concentrate more on working the muscles of the lower abs. Guys and men are not recommended to use sports equipment, train your grip strength.
- Beginners who want to learn how to perform the leg lifting exercise on the horizontal bar (because doing it is a direct road to six packs) need to start by lifting the knees.
- Beginners are advised to raise their legs to a horizontal position until all abdominal muscles (including the lower abs) are strengthened. This method of performing the exercise is less effective and is therefore considered transitional. Your main task is to raise your knees to your chest.
- Beginners can lift their limbs with their knees fully bent. For greater load, you need to gradually straighten your knees, thereby making the exercise more difficult.
- To increase the load during the exercise, attach additional weights to your ankles or place an elastic band on your knees.
- Most correct option performing the exercise - raising the knees from a horizontal position to the chest, so the least involved iliacus muscle, which takes a lot of load on itself, reducing the pumping of the press.
Errors
- The most common mistake when swinging the lower press - throwing the legs down.
- Performing an exercise in the style of a pendulum, swinging the lower body.
- In general, it would be wrong to raise your knees only to the horizontal, because half of the load is taken by the iliacus muscle. The abs actively begin to work from the horizontal position of the legs until they touch the body.
The most effective exercise with which you can pump up your abs and achieve the appearance of those desired “cubes” on your stomach is considered to be lifting your legs while hanging on a horizontal bar. However, in order for it to be beneficial, it must be done correctly. Our material is about the nuances of performing the exercise.
The exercise is done while hanging on a horizontal bar or crossbar. Many gyms have a parallel bars simulator with a backrest. There are three options:
- raising bent knees is the easiest way;
- raising the lower limbs above parallel to the floor is a classic option;
- lifting your legs to the bar is a difficult way.
The peculiarity of raising legs while hanging is that in this way all the abdominal muscles are worked, even the especially complex ones - the lower ones. In addition, including the exercise in the training program will allow you to straighten your posture and usefully stretch the spinal column.
Such training is suitable for people whose bodies are already quite athletically prepared. By performing them, a person is able not only to achieve nice abs, but also to develop muscle tone, and at the same time reduce the size chest and waist size. The risk of injury is minimal.
When lifting your legs to the bar, seven muscle groups are used: two main and five additional.
Basic
When performing the exercise, the main, external and internal oblique abdominal muscles work. They come into action when the lower limbs are raised above an angle of 45°.
There are over 400 muscles in the human body that perform specific functions. Only on muscle tissue the load is approximately 20 kg, which is 40% of the total mass human body. The most strong muscle– tongue, the fastest – blinking, the largest – gluteal.
Additional
Bending the legs is carried out with the help of the hip flexors: pectineus, lumbar minor and major, adductor longus, and rectus femoris. Static load falls on the arms, back and shoulders.
Number of approaches and correct technique
The choice of one of three techniques - simple, classical or complex - depends on physical training training.
Step 1. In order to perform the exercise correctly, you need to reach the bar and grab it with your palms. Grip – shoulder width apart. The legs should either lightly touch the floor or hang freely. They need to be pulled back a little. This will be the starting position.
Step 2. As you inhale, you should twist your pelvis forward and raise your legs (bent or straight) to the point where they are above parallel to the floor, i.e. The angle between the hips and the body should be less than 90°. You will need to hold in this position for 3-5 seconds. Exhale.
Step 3. Slowly lower your lower limbs into starting position.
About the technique of performing hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar:
How to raise your legs correctly
The higher the lower limbs rise, the greater the load on the abs. Maximum abdominal tension can be achieved by lifting your legs to the bar.
It is quite difficult to perform the exercise with perfectly straight legs - for this you will need good stretch hips at the back. Therefore, as a rule, it is performed with the knees slightly bent.
When lifting, your heels should be pressed together and your toes pointed.
Legs bent at the knees
When bending your knees, you need to ensure that the angle of bending is as equal as possible each time. Bent knees at the top point also need to be fixed “one-two”. In this case, the abdominal muscles need to be tensed as much as possible.
The legs lower smoothly to the lowest point.
Abdominal crunches do not reduce belly fat. Abdominal muscles can be perfectly pumped up, while they will remain under a layer of fat. To get rid of fat deposits, you need to eat healthy, low-calorie and move a lot. 80% of beautiful abs depends on nutrition, 20% on sports.
Number of repetitions: program
First, you need to perform as many repetitions as you can until you feel tired in the abdominal area.
In the future, it is better to do 15-25 lifts and 3-4 approaches. Beginners are recommended to perform 8-12 repetitions for women, 10-15 for men, 2-3 approaches.
The break between approaches should be at least 0.5-1.5 minutes. Training with this exercise should be done no more than twice a week.
Below are some tips and recommendations on lifting techniques. lower limbs hanging, which will help to avoid gross mistakes, wasted efforts for beginners and to do the exercise efficiently for those whose sports training is at the average and above levels.
Basic mistakes of newbies
Beginners tend to make the following mistakes that should be avoided:
- strong swaying of the body and lifting of the lower limbs by inertia - when done this way, the exercise will bring absolutely no benefit;
- relaxation of the muscles of the shoulder girdle;
- helping with hands;
- improper breathing.
To avoid swinging, you need to learn to lower your legs smoothly and pause when they reach the lowest point.
About the features of the exercise and common mistakes:
Execution Features
- When performing the exercise, you can use straps to secure your hands on the bar and elbow clamps. They will help you focus only on your abdominal muscles.
- The hands are not used during execution; they are relaxed and are used only for gripping.
- For maximum load on the oblique abdominal muscles, it is necessary to twist the body left and right - this is done when bent knees, which turn into different sides, getting up every time.
- When lifting your legs, you need to tuck your pelvis - this will allow you to maximally tense your abdominal muscles.
- Inertia during execution this exercise unacceptable. The ankle should rise and fall at each segment of the amplitude in the same amount of time.
- The lowering of the lower limbs should not be carried out completely - they should stop at the level of 15-25°. This way the abdominal muscles will remain tense throughout the entire exercise.
- It is not recommended to attach additional weights to your shins. The legs are a normal load to achieve the desired result.
- The chest must be kept open.
- If you feel pain in the lower back, you need to spread your toes and knees, while leaving your heels closed to each other. This should be more comfortable.
- If you cannot stabilize your body, you can ask a partner or instructor to hold you from behind.
- You need to look straight ahead. The chin resting on the chest is undesirable.
- At the end point of lifting your legs and after fixing them for two seconds, you need to additionally tense your abs.
- It will be easier for beginners to do lifts of the lower limbs in a vertical position on wall bars or parallel bars with a vertical back.
- The smaller the angle between the body and the hips, the greater the load on the abs.
Raising your legs only parallel to the floor does not produce any results for the abdominal muscles. It should be above an angle of 90°.
- A reverse grip on the bar is not recommended.
- The main attention should be paid not to raising the lower limbs, but to lowering them.
Contraindications
There are no special contraindications to including knee raises or straight leg raises while hanging. It is not suitable for people who:
- lower back problems;
- the ability to stabilize the body is poorly developed;
- the problem area is the shoulder joints;
- there were injuries.
In such cases, it is better to replace the exercise with crunches performed on incline bench or reverse crunches performed on the floor.
Additional abdominal exercises
When planning hanging leg raises in an abdominal strengthening training program, it should be placed very first, as one of the most difficult. Behind it, place twists, lifts of the legs and body in various ways.
The most effective for the press are:
- hanging knee raises;
- press roller (roller).
Twisting on the floor with straight legs is least effective.
Any exercises designed to pump up the abs give the maximum and fastest effect if performed regularly, correctly, until you feel a burning sensation. Hanging leg raises are one of the most difficult abdominal exercises, but also the most effective. If carried out correctly, muscle strengthening can be felt within 2-3 weeks after the start of training.
Hanging leg raises are one of the key exercises For . When performing it, both the upper and lower parts of the rectus abdominal muscle are included in the work. At the same time, the complexity of the exercise and the level of muscle involvement depends on whether the legs are raised straight or bent at the knees.
Subject to correct technique this exercise helps you quickly achieve relief press and draw the cubes. However, we note that as such it does not burn fat, but only strengthens muscles. To get rid of subcutaneous fat on the abdomen you will need.
It should also be mentioned that incorrectly performing hanging leg raises can cause pain in the lower back and lower back. It is important to ensure that the load falls specifically on the abdominal muscles, and not on other muscles.
Upper or lower press?
Leg Raise Trainer
When performing leg raises in the simulator, when you lean on your arms bent at the elbows and lift your legs (most often push-ups are also performed in this simulator), mostly the anterior thigh muscles are involved in the work.
The reasons are trivial - trainees do not raise their legs high enough; in addition, by lifting the lower back from the back in an attempt to create additional tension for the abdominal muscles, they involve the leg muscles even more in the work.
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Hanging leg raises are the best exercise for creating the “Adonis Belt” and working out lower muscles belly. The ideal movement is to lift the legs above the horizontal by twisting the pelvis. Performing exercises in a simulator is most often incorrect.
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Despite the abundance of abdominal exercises, crunches are truly effective. All other movements are just one of the variations of twisting. The article will tell you about hanging leg raises, as an advanced version of reverse abdominal crunches.
Reverse crunches: features of the exercise
The rectus abdominis muscle is a solid, flat muscle that runs from the sternum to the lower abdomen. The treasured cubes are formed due to the transverse intersection of the rectus abdominis muscle with tendons. The main thing is that IMPORTANT What you need to understand is that any muscle (including the rectus abdominis) cannot contract partially.
You can often hear such nonsense as “lower abs” exercises. They say that certain movements load this particular part of the abs that is difficult to pump.
It is really difficult to pump it up due to the fact that there are fewer nerve endings there than in the upper part, which means the brain cannot generate the same strong signal (order) to contract. Plus, this area is chosen by fat cells to replenish energy reservoirs (it’s easier to accumulate fat here), which makes it difficult to see well-developed muscles.
Physiologically you can twist top part torso to pelvis, as in the variation, or pelvis to the upper torso, as in reverse crunches. What's the difference? In the load and difficulty of execution, plus performing different variations of twisting, you make the workout more varied not only for yourself, but also for your muscles.
Hanging leg raises are an advanced variation of reverse crunches. The more vertical the body, the harder it is to twist the bottom of the body (pelvis) to the top. That is why the position of the legs AT ALL does not affect the performance of the exercise. The press does not lift your 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 don't have to 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 (this is easier to do), 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
Lifting legs while hanging is, in principle, not a difficult exercise if you understand that your task is not lifting the legs (terrible nonsense in the name of the exercise), but lifting the pelvis. It can be performed in a hanging position on the bar or in special simulator resting your elbows and forearms on the pillows, and your back on the soft backrest.
Take your starting position and straighten up completely. As you exhale, begin to lift your legs up, as if twisting your body from the pelvis into yourself. I hope this figurative comparison will help to better understand the nuance of movement.
The higher the pelvis is, the better the rectus abdominis muscle will contract and the more work it will do. Don't think about your legs. Here, definitely don’t chase the number of repetitions. Quality is important. The slow pace of the lift will force you to perform the correct contractions in a conscious and controlled manner. Think about twisting your core and contracting your abs.
From the top point, while inhaling, also smoothly begin to lower, as if spinning the body from top to bottom. Don't let your muscles rest at the lowest point. Maintain tension throughout the entire approach. Sink to the bottom and immediately begin to twist upward.
After completing the set, stretch your abdominal muscles. Hanging on the bar and touching the floor with your feet, arch your back and push your stomach forward, stretching your abs as much as possible. 15-20 seconds is enough to release the muscles, stretch the muscle fascia and improve blood supply to the area.
Reverse crunches: video
For a better understanding of how to perform reverse abdominal crunches, Denis Borisov’s video will tell you about the nuances of execution.
Conclusion
By performing hanging leg raises and straight abdominal crunches, you can already develop. To enhance the aesthetics of this area, you will have to have a low fat layer, and this is already a task.
Hanging leg raises are basic exercise for working out the abs. It combines simplicity and versatility with great efficiency.
To perform it, a simple bar will be enough, while hanging raises will not only help to create a powerful press, primarily affecting its lower part, but will also allow you to strengthen your legs, arms and core muscles.
Exercise can be part of a training program whose main goal is weight loss.
This article will give you all the information you need about hanging leg raises.
What muscles work
The belly is the most problem area both in women and men. As you know, in order to burn fat in the body, it is necessary to normalize your diet and perform regular cardio training.
But abdominal exercises also help eliminate overweight on the stomach. Their regular implementation allows you to improve blood circulation in this area, as a result, fat will burn faster.
When lifting legs while hanging, the following are involved:
- rectus abdominis muscle;
- oblique muscles;
- muscles of the anterior thighs;
- wrist flexor muscles;
- latissimus muscles.
Exercise options
There are three main options:
- standard: leg lifting is performed on the crossbar, in this case it is necessary to make an effort to keep the body motionless during the approach, avoiding swinging;
- wall bars leg raise: in this case, the back rests against the wall, which makes it possible to fully concentrate on working out target muscles without being distracted by stabilizing the body, this option is especially good for beginners.
- another option is to use it instead of a wall bars bars, which also provide reliable support for the lower back.
The legs can be bent or kept straight during the exercise. The first option is simpler and is good for beginners.
It assumes that the knees are positioned higher than the pelvis when the legs are raised up with the shins hanging vertically. Straight leg raise is more difficult, it is great exercise for advanced athletes.
Can also be added to vertical movement side twist. This method of performing the exercise will allow you to properly load the oblique abdominal muscles to make your torso powerful and strong.
Grip options
The exercise can be performed both straight and with reverse grip. These options differ in the nature of the load on the arms, shoulders and back muscles. Which one to choose is mostly a matter of taste.
Execution technique
At first glance, the technique of this exercise is very simple:
- grab the bar, stretching your legs down freely;
- as you exhale, quickly, but without jerking, pull your knees to your chest, bending your legs at an angle of more than 90 degrees;
- while inhaling, gently lower your legs;
- Do the required number of repetitions, then rest and move on to the next set.
In fact, doing the required number of repetitions of leg raises is quite difficult. The body must be motionless when performing it. The legs must be lifted smoothly, without jerking, through a powerful exhalation, while you should feel how the abs work.
Common Mistakes
Common mistakes include:
- swinging the body during the exercise;
- performing leg lifts with jerks;
- improper breathing.
As noted above, when performing exercises on the crossbar, it is necessary to prevent the body from swaying. The legs need to be raised quickly, but without jerking, through a powerful exhalation, while mentally concentrating on the work of the abs.
Don’t be afraid to breathe loudly, even if you are working out in the gym - it is a powerful exhalation while lifting your legs that will allow you to fully load your abdominal muscles.
If you perform the exercise with the wrong technique, the effect will be minimal.
Those who cannot do leg raises on the bar should perform this exercise on the wall bars. Another option is to replace it with lying leg raises or other abdominal exercises.
American scientists from San Diego conducted research to determine the most effective exercises for working out the abs.
They used an electromyograph to evaluate the stress placed on the abdomen by the most popular abdominal exercises.
IN Top 7 exercises they compiled based on testing results, the hanging leg raise took second place. The first one was the “bicycle” exercise. According to scientific results, hanging leg raises 112% more efficient reverse twist, which is in seventh place in this efficiency ranking.
However, even before the study by American scientists, hanging leg raises were always included in various ratings of the best exercises for the abs.
They have traditionally been considered the most in an efficient way pumping of the lower part of the rectus abdominis muscle, which was confirmed by electromyography.
Hanging leg raises are the most energy-consuming and hard exercise for the press. For this reason, it is not suitable for everyone - women and beginners may either postpone its inclusion in their training program, or don't do it.
There are many other abdominal exercises that can be used instead. Also, hanging raises have contraindications - injuries shoulder joints and lower back problems.
Women also need to note that this exercise targets the oblique muscles, so including it in a training program may cause the waist to disappear, resulting in a masculine torso.
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