Raising your legs bent at the knees. Hanging Leg Raises

17.08.202127.05.2017

The knee is one of the largest joints in the human musculoskeletal system. Due to daily physical activity and the complex physiological structure, the joint is very often exposed to various diseases and injuries. This leads to pain, swelling, inflammation, and other unpleasant consequences, which not only reduce the quality of life, but also cause mobility impairment.

Exercises to strengthen the knee joints form the basis of the rehabilitation program for a patient who has suffered an injury, as a result of which the mobility of his limb has been impaired. Special exercises to strengthen the knee joint will help to completely restore motor functions and return a person to his former life.

Before we look in detail at how to strengthen the knee joints and ligaments, we will give the main causes and signs of such lesions.

Causes of knee problems

The most common reasons:

Excess weight, in which the joints are regularly subjected to great physical stress, leading to rapid wear of the cartilage tissue.
Sedentary lifestyle.
Poor diet. The joint elements do not receive enough essential nutrients, and this leads to the development of a number of degenerative diseases and weakens cartilage and bone tissue.
Heavy loads on the knees that athletes experience. Knee joints are often subject to injuries, bruises, fractures, and torn meniscus after a fall.
Metabolic disorder.
Severe hypothermia as the cause of the onset of a long-term inflammatory process.
Various hormonal imbalances.
Bad habits.
Individual genetic predisposition.
Congenital structural defects, weakening of the ligamentous apparatus.

Even a minor injury after some time can easily worsen the mobility of a limb and lead to the progression of dangerous inflammatory diseases. Such defeats cannot be ignored.

Symptoms

Characteristic symptoms:

the appearance of a crunch while moving;
severe pain, burning when bending a limb, physical activity;
increased body temperature;
impaired mobility;
swelling, redness of the knee joint;
deterioration of blood circulation and metabolism;
violation of the integrity of bone tissue and cartilage;
accumulation of fluid.

If a joint injury is suspected, a person is advised to immediately contact an experienced traumatologist. The patient may require examination and consultation with an orthopedist, rheumatologist, endocrinologist, or surgeon.

When should you strengthen your knees?

Methods for strengthening the ligaments of the knee joint are determined by the root cause of the lesion. Often such problems arise when the ligamentous system is weak, when any injury or careless movement provokes serious damage that will require long-term treatment.

Most frequent consequences weak ligaments, in which it is recommended to perform strengthening exercises:

bone fracture;
tendon sprain or rupture;
the occurrence of bursitis, high tendency to arthritis;
meniscal damage;
general instability in the joint.

During the recovery period after plaster removal.
For inflammatory and degenerative lesions (arthrosis, bursitis, arthritis).
Previous injury or bruise.
Excess weight.
Prolonged physical activity on the joint.
Lack of necessary tension on the knee joint.
Recovery after surgery.

To increase the effectiveness of these workouts, they can be supplemented with nutritional correction and lifestyle changes.

Training effectiveness

improved blood circulation;
normalization of metabolism;
improved mobility;
strengthening the ligamentous apparatus of the legs;
prevention of further injury;
restoration of function of the affected joint;
slowing down the destruction of cartilage.

Treatment of joints Read more >>

Exercises to strengthen ligaments knee joint You can start performing it only after your doctor’s permission. It is undesirable to engage in uncontrolled physical activity, especially if a person already suffers from joint diseases, or if the recovery period after an injury has not yet ended.
Do not perform strengthening exercises if there is severe pain, high body temperature, swelling or active inflammation. Only after the doctor’s permission, such gymnastics should be performed by pregnant women and people who have undergone surgery.
Only regular training will achieve noticeable improvements in the condition of the ligaments. It is recommended to perform the exercises daily for 15-20 minutes. This will be enough to achieve stable improvements after just a month of training.
Exercises should be supplemented with restorative physical activity. The most preferred are walking and swimming.
All movements during training should be smooth, without sudden jerks or overexertion of the legs. If a crunch or pain appears, it is better to postpone the lesson until the next day.
You need to start training by pre-warming your muscles. This will improve blood circulation and protect against injury.
To improve blood circulation, knee joints can be rewound with special elastic bandage. With regular use, it will relieve spasms and reduce pain in the leg. It is especially effective when used in cases of trauma.
As auxiliary elements for performing exercises, a person may need children's ball small diameter. It should be light and of medium hardness. You need to prepare a fitness mat to exercise at home in your free time.

More details

All exercises for strengthening the ligaments of the knee joint are divided into two groups: training for developing the leg and exercises for strengthening the ligaments. To achieve maximum recovery effect, it is recommended to practice both sets of exercises.

Best exercises

Stand straight, raise your leg up. Bend your knee as much as possible. Slowly straighten your leg, pulling your toe towards you to tighten your calf muscles. Repeat the exercise at least ten times.
From the same position, draw a circle in the air with your toe in one direction, then in the other. The main mobility should be localized in the knee; the ankle does not need to be involved. Repeat the exercise five times in each direction. Perform the exercise with the right and left legs.
Stand near the bed, place your feet shoulder-width apart. Lean on one leg, stand on your toes. Bend and straighten the other leg in the air. Repeat ten times.
Stand on a pillow and maintain your balance for a few minutes. This will engage the leg muscles and strengthen them. Gradually make the exercise more difficult by using two pillows.
Lean on one leg, close your eyes with your palms. Maintain balance. Repeat using the other leg.
Sit on the mat, put outstretched legs together. Pull your toes towards/away from you.
Sitting on the mat, place a ball under your knee. Press on it with your foot, bend/extend your knee twenty times.
Perform the “bicycle” exercise with both legs at once.
Lie down and hug bent knees hands. Pull them towards your stomach.
Bend your knees. Sit in a yoga pose, cross one leg over the other. Press down on your knees with your hands.
Take a skipping rope and do jumping jacks. You need to do this slowly at first to learn how to jump well. Movements are allowed to be accelerated. The main thing is to land with your knees bent.

During training, you should not turn your feet so that your knees are turned outward. This causes the ligaments that hold the knee joint to stretch or tear.

To reduce the risk of developing problems with the knees, and to improve one’s condition even if there are lesions in these joints, a person needs to adhere to the following recommendations from specialists:

Exercise regularly active species rest that will strengthen all the muscles of the body. For this best choice yoga will become, as it improves the condition of ligaments and strengthens muscles. Cycling and walking will help you stay in shape. It is better to avoid heavy loads on the joints.
Enrich your menu with foods with anti-inflammatory effects: fish, olive oil, apples and avocados. The diet requires lean meat, liver, herbs, vegetables and dairy products.
Avoid carrying and lifting heavy objects.
Eat enough vitamin E. It is found in peanuts, mangoes and spinach. Additionally, it can be obtained from vitamin E capsules, which are sold in pharmacies.
To prevent osteoporosis, it is advisable to introduce more foods with calcium into your diet. Cheese, yogurt, almonds and goat's milk are rich in it.
Reduce stress on your knees. It is especially important not to walk on your knees if you are overweight.
Avoid severe hypothermia.
Timely treat those diseases that can give impetus to the development of knee pathologies.
Wear comfortable orthopedic shoes that will relieve stress from the joints of your feet.

For arthrosis of the hip joints, Evdokimenko’s healing gymnastics is an important part of the successful treatment of the patient. Only integrated approach to the treatment of the disease will help achieve improved health, especially when large joints are affected. Exercise therapy will successfully strengthen muscles and ligaments, activate local blood circulation and ensure the delivery of all necessary nutrients to cartilage tissue.

Principles of exercise therapy from Evdokimenko

A set of exercises is developed depending on the location of the affected joint individually for each patient. This takes into account the patient’s health status, the degree of development of the pathological process, the severity of the disease, the presence of complications and concomitant diseases. Incorrect selection of movements can significantly worsen the patient’s well-being. It is advisable that the set of exercises be agreed upon with a physical therapy specialist.

Dr. Evdokimenko developed for arthrosis special exercises for all large joints that must be taken into account. A personal approach will ensure achievement of a positive result in the shortest possible time, while minimizing the risk of side effects.

Gymnastics is aimed at strengthening muscles, ligaments and improving tissue trophism. In this case, there are no exercises in which the patient must bend, straighten or rotate the damaged joint. After all, increased stress leads to further progression of the disease and deterioration of the patient’s health.

When performing gymnastics, there may be minor pain due to the load on muscles that were not previously intensively involved. This condition will go away in a few days regular classes. If the movement is accompanied by sharp pain, it should not be done. There are 2 explanations for this: either it was done incorrectly, or it doesn’t suit you.

Exercise therapy should be done only during remission. It is strictly forbidden to perform gymnastics during an exacerbation of the disease. Pavel Evdokimenko has developed a fairly large set of exercises for large joints. However, it is not necessary to do them all at once. Among them there are movements not only to strengthen the affected joints, but also to the back and abdominal muscles. One physical therapy session should include about 2-3 stretching exercises and 5-7 strengthening exercises. A large selection will allow you to diversify your workout; its duration should be about 15-30 minutes daily.

Types of exercises for joint diseases

In case of joint diseases complicated by degenerative-dystrophic processes, it is strictly forbidden to make fast dynamic movements. These are squats, swings of arms, legs with maximum amplitude and others.

All exercises should be static, in extreme cases - slow dynamic. With their help, you can strengthen weakened muscles and ligaments of the joint, because with pain in the knee, a person will spare this leg, which over time will lead to their atrophy.

The most common example of a static exercise is to lie on your back and raise your leg 10-20 cm above the support level and hold it in this position for 1-2 minutes. Slow dynamic movement - slowly raise and lower the limb several times.

An important role in the successful treatment of diseases of large joints is played by exercises aimed not only at strengthening, but also at stretching the joint capsule and ligamentous apparatus. These movements must be performed very slowly and carefully. You cannot do gymnastics through force, overcoming pain. You need to be patient, and after a few weeks of regular gymnastics, joint mobility will increase slightly.

Exercise therapy for coxarthrosis

Therapeutic exercise for diseases of the hip joints, it should be carried out very carefully, taking into account the patient’s condition. Classes should begin with static exercises. In this case, the thigh muscles are used, and the joint itself remains motionless. Coxarthrosis involves training with the patient lying on his back or sitting.

Basic exercises for physical therapy for diseases of the hip joints at home:

Spread a rug on the floor and lie on your back. Slowly and carefully raise each leg 15-20 cm and hold for 30-40 seconds. During classes, you need to ensure that the training rules are followed: lifting the leg should be done using the muscles of the thigh and buttock. Do the exercise with both limbs and rest a little. After this, repeat the load in a dynamic version: smoothly raise your leg 10-20 cm and slowly lower it, holding it there. highest point for a few seconds. You need to make 10-12 approaches, each time taking a short break.
Roll over onto your stomach, stretch your arms along your body, and bend one leg at the knee. Raise it above the floor level by 10-15 cm and hold it for 30-40 seconds. Lower the limb, relax and repeat the movement with the other leg. Repeat the exercise in a dynamic form - smoothly raise and lower several times. Gymnastics for arthrosis should be carried out correctly and slowly, you should follow the recommendations. Your goal is to activate blood circulation and strengthen muscles, not to lift the limb as high and quickly as possible.
Lying on your stomach, extend your arms along your torso and straighten your legs. Suitable for physically strong people, as it is a rather difficult exercise and can provoke an increase in level blood pressure. To perform it, you need to slightly raise both legs, spread them apart and bring them together. Movements should be slow and smooth. You need to do 8-10 approaches.
Lie on your right side, bending the same limb at the knee. Left leg raise 45° and hold for 20-30 seconds. Turn to the other side and repeat.
The starting position is similar to the previous one. Raise your straight leg to a level of about 45°, and while holding it at the height, slowly turn it outward and back. Repeat rotational movements 8-10 times. You should turn out not only the foot, but the entire limb, starting from the hip. The exercise is quite difficult; it must be done very slowly and smoothly so as not to cause damage to the diseased joint.
Lie on your back, bend your knees, and extend your arms along your torso. Raise your pelvis, resting on your shoulders and feet. Stay in this position for 20-30 seconds, lie down and relax. Repeat the movement several times in a slow dynamic version.

Exercise therapy for gonarthrosis

For arthrosis of the knee joint, physical therapy includes certain types of exercises that are performed from different positions. The first 4 movements are similar to those that need to be done for coxarthrosis.

Subsequent training should be done while sitting on a chair or standing. To achieve a positive result from physical therapy, the loads must be increased gradually, increasing the number of movements and total time conducting a lesson. After finishing the workout, the patient should rest and relax. To do this, you can lie on a horizontal surface: this will improve blood circulation in the joints. It is advisable to take a contrast shower.

The following set of exercises will help heal your knee:

Sitting on a chair with a flat back, straighten and raise each leg in turn. If possible, it is advisable to hold it in this position for about 40-50 seconds.
The patient should face the chair and lean on its back. Raise yourself on your toes and stand there for 3-5 seconds. Repeat the exercise several times.
Without changing your position, lift yourself onto the toe of one leg, and then stand completely on the sole. At the same time, stand on the toe of the other limb. Repeat the movement several times. You will get a “roll”, thanks to which blood circulation in the knee joint is activated.
The final stage of any workout is a light massage. You can do it yourself, without the help of family and friends. It is necessary to gently stretch the muscles of the anterolateral thigh.

Gonarthrosis is quite difficult to treat, so you need to make every effort to achieve a positive result. Therapeutic physical education can provide effective help, but for this you need to do exercises regularly for a long time.

An excellent way to open up the hip joints is to practice yoga, which offers several types of asanas for this. However, it should be remembered that the opening of the hip joints is a long process, it can even take several years, depending on age and initial mobility.

Who needs disclosure?

Women who are conscious about preparing for childbirth in order to facilitate labor.
People who care about their precious health. The thing is that the condition of the spine and, in general, the functioning of all pelvic organs directly depend on the functioning of the joints.
Professional athletes, dancers, acrobats to perform the necessary elements easily and aesthetically.
For people who practice yoga, to be able to sit in padmasana (meditation asana) and sit in it for several hours. According to the primary sources of yoga, all asanas are designed specifically to prepare for the main goal - the Lotus pose.

Unfortunately, there are many reasons why there is a need for disclosure:

Long stay in sitting position at work, at home at the computer, in the car.
Wearing poor shoes, especially those with heels, which noticeably deforms the arch of the foot and changes the distribution of body load on the legs.
Wrong lifestyle, unnatural diet, lack of physical activity, rarely sitting on the ground, leading to blockage of your lower energy centers.

Yoga for hips

To open up your hip joints, yoga is just what you need! We will describe the basic principles and exercises.

It is necessary to carry out a dynamic warm-up for 10-15 minutes, both warm-up from yoga and standard ones for aerobics and Pilates are suitable.

By the way, some people believe that exercises for opening the hip joints are designed solely for pulling the legs. This is a completely wrong point of view, because in order for the joints to give in, the pelvis, ligaments and lower back must also be sufficiently flexible.

Please note that ligaments and tendons are needed precisely to limit excessive mobility, so by focusing too much on opening, you risk getting excessive mobility of the femoral head, this will lead to discomfort, and sometimes even dislocation of the femur, everything should be in moderation. In this regard, asanas designed to open the joints should alternate with ones that strengthen the muscle corset.

After warming up, you need to spend 15-20 minutes doing standing poses. You should start with asanas that help create heat in the muscles; they prepare for deep opening. These are Trikonasana, Utkatasana and Warrior Pose. After this, perform balance poses using the deep rotator muscles of the hips, for example, Tree Pose, Ardha-Badha-Padmottanasana (possible in a lighter version), Utthita-hasta-padangusthasana. Each asana must be held for at least 5 deep breaths.

Tree pose (Vrikshasana) perfectly works the joints of the pelvis. When lifting, the leg bends at the knee and hip joints, turning the latter outward. Tensing up gluteal muscles, quadriceps femoris, adductor longus and brevis, pectineus, and gracilis muscles are stretched. This asana strengthens the back muscles, develops flexibility in the legs and arms, and helps treat scoliosis.

The warrior pose qualitatively stretches the groin area, strengthens the leg muscles, and has a positive effect on the pelvic organs.

Then you need to perform asanas designed to stretch the muscles around the thigh?

Bend forward from a sitting position to help stretch rear surfaces hips, as well as lower back. Can be performed with a bent knee.
Back twists and Gomukhasana (cow's head) help stretch the abductor and external rotator muscles of the hip.
Low lunges help open up the hip flexors.
Upavista konasana (bending with legs wide apart) increases the mobility of the hip joints.
The pigeon pose prepares you for the lotus, as it perfectly opens the hip area.
Hanumanasana (longitudinal splits). The final asana requires some skill to perform. The pelvis should be closed, the support should be on the hands, you should lean forward a little and at the same time avoid the occurrence of a crease in the lumbar region. The body should be straightened only after the hips have dropped to the floor and the pelvis has rotated forward.

In each of the listed yoga asanas for the hip joints, you should try to relax, exhaling into those areas where pain is felt, but you should not allow acute pain and discomfort to arise.

Remember that yoga should include two types of impact on the joints: opening and strengthening the muscles.

Unfortunately, most practitioners experience a lack of symmetry in the development of joints, which is quite noticeable, often periodically moving from one leg to the other. To avoid this, you should try to perform poses symmetrically, without placing emphasis on the easier leg.

If during the exercises you notice that the joint begins to lose mobility, you should definitely consult with an experienced teacher and doctor before continuing.

Video on the topic

If you have had knee injuries or suffer from knee arthrosis, you may be afraid to put stress on the sore bone joint. And this is the biggest mistake that a person with joint problems can make.

And after injuries, and with arthrosis, and with arthritis, and with other joint ailments, the knee must be given physical activity. Another thing is that it should be done correctly. Below are 12 safe exercise to strengthen both healthy and diseased knee joints.

This is the simplest exercise that even people with serious joint damage should perform.

Sit on a chair. Feet are on the floor. Hands rest on the knees or at the sides of the body.
Slowly lift one leg, straightening it at the knee.
Hold the pose for 2-3 seconds, then return to starting position.
Repeat 10-15 times for each leg.

Hamstring strain

Stand up straight. You can hold on to a wall or chair. However, it will be better if you do the exercise without support. This will not only put stress on the tendon, but also improve the functioning of the vestibular apparatus.
Slowly bend one leg at the knee, moving your foot back.
Repeat 20 times for each leg.

If you don't have any serious knee problems, give them additional load. To do this, do not lift your free leg, but pull the elastic band or expander with it.

Calf stretch

Stand facing the wall with your palms on it.
Take your right leg back, and put your left leg forward and bend at the knee, transferring the entire weight of your body to it. In this case, the knee of the right leg should remain straight, and the feet of both legs should be pressed to the floor.
Hold the pose for 30 seconds.
Repeat for the second leg.

Lateral hip lift

Lie on the floor on your left side.
Raise your body by leaning on your left forearm. Lift your left thigh off the floor, accepting.
There is no need to hold the pose for a long time. You can immediately lower yourself back.
Do 30 repetitions on each side of your body.

Lateral leg lift

Lie on the floor on your left side.
Raise your body by leaning on your left forearm. Lift up right leg, trying not to bend it at the knee. Lift it as high as you can.
Do 30 repetitions for each leg.

Straight leg lift

Lie on your back. The arms are parallel to the body and pressed to the floor with the hands.
Bend one leg at the knee and lift the other up. The leg should remain straight and form a 90-degree angle with the body. Do not lift your lower back or arms off the floor.
Repeat 10-12 times for each leg.

Leg raise while lying prone

Lie on your stomach.
Raise one leg up, without bending it at the knee, as high as possible.
Hold the pose for 3-5 seconds.
Repeat 10 times for each leg.

Stand straight with your legs 1.2-1.4 meters apart.
Place your hands in front of your chest.
Slowly bend your knees. Ideally, your thighs should be parallel to the floor. But if this is not possible, simply bend your legs to the extent that your physical fitness allows.
Keep your back straight and your knees out to the side (you may be tempted to bring them together, but resist the urge).
Hold the pose for 15 breaths and then slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat 3 times.

Stand up straight.
Slowly squat down to form a 45-degree angle (knees should not go beyond your toes).
Hold the pose for a few seconds. To avoid falling, secure yourself from behind with a chair.
Repeat 10-15 times.

Climbing stairs

Stand up straight with a small bench in front of you.
Lift your right leg onto it, and then pull your left leg up.
Return to the starting position and lift yourself onto the bench, starting with your left leg.
Repeat for each leg 20 times.

To increase the load, take dumbbells.

COMPLEX FOR TRAINING IN THE GYM

RAISING THE TORSO AND LEGS BENT AT THE KNEES OBLIQUE

ATTENTION, PREPARED:

Lying on your back, bend your knees, place your hands behind your head, relax your neck.

Using your lower abdominals, lift your knees bent toward your left shoulder. At the same time, use your upper abdominals to lift your left shoulder blade off the floor and lift your left shoulder toward your right knee. Pause for a second. Then slowly and gently return your shoulders and yoga to the starting position. As soon as your legs and left shoulder blade touch the floor, repeat the exercise with your right shoulder, to which you raise your legs bent at the knees. Two incline lifts different sides count as one repetition. Complete the required number of repetitions.

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS

Try to slightly lift your pelvis off the floor with each repetition. This is very difficult to do because you are lifting your shoulder blades at the same time, but as a result of this double load you will get excellent results.

Regardless of whether you can lift your pelvis, be sure to lift both shoulder blades off the floor, ensuring the fixed position of your neck and head.

SECOND COMPLEX

We present to you three exercises that require equipment available in gym or health club. To perform lifts with your knees bent, you will need a crossbar; to bend to the side, you need dumbbells, which you can have at home. But you are unlikely to want to install a block device in your apartment, which is necessary for performing forward bends.

The weights you use when bending sideways with dumbbells and forward on a pulley device greatly increase the intensity of your workout while reducing the amount of time spent doing it. However, the use of weights is a very advanced method, so should not be used until you have successfully completed all levels of the basic program.

Start with one set of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise to develop the sense of movement and weight you need when performing dumbbell side bends and cable pulley forward bends. During the second and third weeks, do two sets of each exercise. Continue in this manner until you can increase the number of repetitions.

In general, you should exercise this complex for 5-6 weeks, which will significantly contribute to the further development of your abdominal muscles.

ATTENTION, PREPARED:

Grab the bar with both hands or rest your elbows on the bars of the press machine (almost all gyms have it). You can also use a Roman chair.

Using your lower abdominals, lift your knees bent toward your shoulders, arching your pelvis toward chest. Pause for a second.

Then slowly and carefully lower your legs to the starting position. Complete the required number of repetitions.

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS

When you pull your knees towards your shoulders, your pelvis should rise 5-10 cm. If you simply raise and lower your knees, only the hip flexors, which are devoid of external attractiveness, are working.

Pause at the top of the positive phase to force the muscles to experience maximum stress.

Keep your leg swing to a minimum and wait until your body stops swinging before you begin the repetition.

If your lower abdominals allow you to do three sets of 12 reps, do this exercise with a light dumbbell secured between your legs.

Another option for performing the exercise is to raise straight legs.

Often the spine is forced to work not in the best way. In particular, many people use their lower back as a pivot point between the upper and lower body, causing it to function more like an elbow or a knee. However, the lower back is not a joint at all, and attempting to use it as such can strain or strain the muscles and ligaments in the lower back.

If you need to bend the torso, you should use the hip joints, allowing the pelvis and spine to move forward as a single unit. Lifting loads and bending your torso should always be done by bending at the hip joints, and not where your waist is. This will allow you to correctly use the appropriate muscles to prevent unwanted spinal deformation.

No body movement creates such a load on the lower back as lifting an object from the floor with straight knees and a bent at the waist. The technique of lifting with legs bent at the knees is the most correct. Its essence is as follows: the legs are bent at the knees, the torso is in hip joints, vigorously works the quadriceps located in the front of the thighs, focusing on alignment of the upper half of the body. Abdominals and powerful thigh muscles will take on the brunt of lowering and raising the body, leaving the back muscles and the spine itself practically free of load.

To ensure that your back is not subjected to increased stress, always ensure that your movements are correct and correct them if necessary. In particular, erratic movements performed during daily activities can cause the lumbar curve to sag too much, causing fatigue in the back and making it more susceptible to injury.

Simple techniques like bending your knees and using a bench will help you keep your lower back straight and less prone to injury.

The entire cycle of your daily loads includes six basic movements: You sit, stand, lean, lift, bend, or reach.

How to stand
If you stand for even a few minutes, your vertebrae begin to fall on top of each other, and as a result, your lower back can arch too much. To prevent this from happening, place one foot on a bench, book or something similar. If one leg is higher than the other, the spine straightens.
	When you stand at the stove, sink, or cutting table in the kitchen, use a bench or other footrest.
	When leaning towards the mirror while shaving or applying makeup, place one leg forward, bend your torso from the hip, and keep your back straight.
	When brushing your teeth, place one foot on a stool. While bending over the sink, bend your torso at the hip joints.
How to lift
	When you need to lift something in a bending position, for example, if you want to take a baby out of a crib, put one leg forward and bend your torso at the hip joints (left picture). Bring the child closer to you and then straighten up (right picture).
	Correct body position is the core of the lifting technique. Stand close to the object you are about to lift and give yourself a good base of support. To do this, place your legs wider so that they are located on either side of the object being lifted, then squat down, keeping your back straight. As you straighten your legs, keep the object you are lifting close to you.
	If you lift an object while turning your torso, first squat down (top picture) and pull the object towards you. Without fully straightening your knees and hips, turn around and only then stand up completely.

Centering the load makes it easier to hold. Your legs should be fairly wide apart and your knees should be slightly bent. Keep your load close to your body so that it rests on both your arms and torso.
	The presence of a shoulder strap on the briefcase helps to redistribute its weight across top part torso. Adjust the length of the strap so that you can support the briefcase from below with your hand. To lighten the load, carry the briefcase alternately on one shoulder and then on the other.
	To evenly distribute the weight of a handbag on both sides of the body, throw its strap over your head to the opposite shoulder. Support the purse from below with your hand.
	When you need to carry luggage, it is best to distribute the load equally between two small suitcases. If you are carrying one bulky object, try to keep your shoulders straight and spread your legs to the sides for stability. Change hands often.

Always sit close to the back of the chair. If it has armrests, lean on them with both hands. If you need to stand up, move to the front edge of the chair and lean your torso forward from your hips. Rise with your head, keeping your torso straight.
	When traveling by train or plane, place something from your luggage under one leg. Change the position of your legs every 10-15 minutes to relieve pressure on your lower back.
	Adjust the seat of your car so that your arms are bent at the elbows while lying on the steering wheel, and your legs are slightly bent at the knees when resting on the pedals. To ensure an almost vertical position of the torso, support your lower back with a lumbar or small regular pillow.
	When reading while sitting, hold the book at approximately chest level and make sure that your torso does not lean forward. If your arms start to get tired, place a pillow on your lap and place a book on it.

When performing household and garden work that requires bending and bending of the body, try to place the bulk of it on your legs. For example, when working with a vacuum cleaner, place your feet shoulder-width apart, one in front of the other. Carry out “forward” and “backward” movements by transferring your body weight from foot to foot. If you need to lower your torso, tilt it from the hip.
	If you need to put something in the dryer or dishwasher, lower your upper body completely down by bending your knees and squatting. When you need to button a child's coat, do everything in the same sequence as in the previous example. For greater stability, you can lower one knee to the floor.
	When working in the garden with a rake, keep your feet a good distance apart. Move the rake back and forth, bending your torso at the hip joints, keeping your spine straight. Hold a snow shovel wide grip- this will allow you to increase your leverage. Bend at the hip joints, keeping your back straight.

If you sleep on your side, place a large, not very soft pillow under your head and neck. Bend your knees and pull them towards your chest. In order to reduce the pulling force of the leg lying on top of your lower back, place a second pillow between your knees.
	The prone position is the worst for the back, since in this position the lower part bends the most. If you are forced to lie in this position, place a large pillow under your stomach and pull your leg bent at the knee towards it. Do not put a pillow under your head.
	If you sleep on your back, place one or two fairly large pillows under your knees to reduce lumbar deflection. Another pillow should be placed under the head and neck.
	When you read while sitting in bed, place one pillow vertically between your back and the headboard of the bed, place the second with the long side under your lower back, and tuck the third under your knees so that they are slightly bent.

	If you need to reach an object above your head, approach it at arm's length and put one foot forward. The object should be low enough that you can reach it without arching your back. Otherwise, stand on a stool to avoid overextending your arm and back.

Raising legs while hanging on a bar (Toes to Bar) is one of the most effective exercises on the press, due to the fact that when performing it the body is in a stretched position, so our muscles also receive a colossal load in the negative phase of the movement (when lowering the legs).

There are several variations of this exercise: hanging straight leg raises, bent leg raises, alternating leg raises, toe raises to the bar, and “angle” (statically maintaining a right angle between the legs and body). We will talk about all of them in more detail below.

Also in our article today we will examine the following aspects:

What are the benefits of doing this exercise;
Types of leg lifts while hanging on the horizontal bar and also the technique of performing the exercise;
CrossFit complexes containing this exercise.

What are the benefits of performing hanging leg raises?

By performing hanging leg raises, the athlete works the abdominal muscles with an emphasis on their lower part - a segment whose development is often lacking even in experienced athletes. Add to the hanging leg raises one exercise each for the upper abs and obliques, and you have a great workout. full workout.

By focusing on your lower abdominal muscles every workout, you can kill several birds with one stone by making your core stronger and improving your six-pack definition. With the “cubes” everything is clear - here the only important thing for us is the visual component, but strong abs are a completely different story. Fine developed muscles abdomen help us perform exercises such as deadlift and squats with a barbell, due to improved coordination and more complete control over the position of the pelvis and lower back; improve our performance in exercises where we use our explosive force(sprinting, jumping on a box, squats on a bench, etc.); and also significantly increase the overall strength potential of the body - it becomes much easier for us to adapt to the huge volume of training load.

Types and techniques of exercises

Raising straight legs while hanging on the bar

The most common and, perhaps, the most effective variation of this exercise. The technique is as follows:

The athlete hangs from the bar at a level slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, keeping his arms and legs straight. We maintain natural lordosis in the spine, the gaze is directed forward. Let's take a deep breath.
We exhale sharply and begin to pull our legs up, making a slight movement of the pelvis forward. We try to keep our legs straight and keep them in the same position throughout the entire approach. You can press your feet together or simply keep them at a short distance - whatever is more convenient for you.

© undrey - stock.adobe.com
We raise our legs to a level just above the waist, trying to catch the maximum contraction of the rectus abdominis muscle. You can linger for a second at the point of peak contraction in order to additionally statically strain the desired tension. muscle group. Smoothly begin to lower your legs down, inhaling.

© undrey - stock.adobe.com
Raising legs bent at the knees while hanging
This option is more suitable for beginner athletes who are not yet comfortable raising straight legs while hanging.
Its fundamental difference is that by working at the same amplitude with a shorter lever, we perform less force and can perform more repetitions. At the same time, it is important not to lose the neuromuscular connection; many beginners try to touch their knees almost to the chin, and this is fundamentally wrong. The movement must be done to the level at which the load on our muscles will be maximum; going higher does not make sense.
Alternate hanging leg raises
An interesting option for those who want to add something new to their training process. It differs significantly from previous types of leg lifts in that in it we combine static and dynamic loads: lifting one leg up to a right angle, part of our press performs dynamic work, while the other part of the press performs static work, being responsible for the stable position of the body , otherwise the athlete will turn slightly to the side.
In this position, it is important to monitor the position of the lower back; you do not need to bring the sacral area forward too much, since the spine will “twist” a little when lifting one leg.

Raising toes to the bar
This exercise differs from ordinary leg raises in that here we work in the longest amplitude and load the entire array of abdominal muscles.
When trying to touch the horizontal bar with your toes, try to minimize inertia and do not raise your pelvis too high - this way you will create an unwanted load on the lumbar region and you will include the extensors of the spine and buttocks in your work. Our task is to work as isolated as possible abdominals, keeping the body motionless.

© milanmarkovic78 - stock.adobe.com© undrey - stock.adobe.com
Our task here is to raise your straight legs to a level parallel to the floor and stay in this position for as long as possible, keeping your legs motionless. At the same time, it is important not to forget about breathing, it should be smooth, without delay.

Many athletes who have well-developed quadriceps often complain that, along with the abs, part of the work is done by the front surface of the thigh. To “turn off” the quadriceps from work, you need to bend your knees slightly (about 10-15 degrees). The biomechanics of the movement may change slightly, so try raising your legs a little higher to feel the peak contraction of the abdominal muscles.
Crossfit complexes
The table below shows several functional complexes containing this exercise. Be careful: the load is clearly not designed for beginners; be prepared for the fact that the next day the strength in the abdominal muscles will be such that it will hurt you even to laugh.