Raising the legs bent at the knees. Hanging leg raises

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

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 was impaired. Special exercises to strengthen the knee joint will help to fully restore motor functions, return a person to his former life.

Before we consider in detail 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 causes:

1. Excess weight, in which the joints are regularly subjected to a large physical load, leading to rapid wear of cartilage tissues.
2. Passive lifestyle.
3. Poor diet. Articular elements do not receive enough necessary nutrients, and this leads to the development of a number of degenerative diseases, weakens cartilage, bone tissue.
4. Strong loads on the knees that athletes have. Often, the knee joints are subject to injuries, bruises, fractures, meniscus rupture after a fall.
5. Metabolic disease.
6. Severe hypothermia, as the cause of the onset of a long inflammatory process.
7. Various hormonal disruptions.
8. Bad habits.
9. Individual genetic predisposition.
10. Congenital structural defects, weakening of the ligamentous apparatus.

Even a minor injury after a while can easily impair limb mobility and lead to the progression of dangerous inflammatory diseases. Such failures cannot be ignored.

Symptoms

Typical symptoms:

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

If you suspect a joint injury, a person is advised to immediately contact an experienced traumatologist. The patient may need to be examined and consulted by an orthopedist, rheumatologist, endocrinologist, surgeon.

When to Strengthen Your Knees

Ways to strengthen the ligaments of the knee joint is determined by the root cause of the lesion. Often such problems occur with a weak ligamentous apparatus, 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;
• sprain or rupture of tendons;
• the occurrence of bursitis, a high tendency to arthritis;
• meniscus injury;
• general instability in the work of the joint.

1. During the recovery period after the removal of the cast.
2. In inflammatory and degenerative lesions (arthrosis, bursitis, arthritis).
3. Past injury or bruise.
4. Excess weight.
5. Prolonged physical stress on the joint.
6. Lack of necessary tension on the knee joint.
7. Recovery after surgery.

To increase the effectiveness of these workouts, you can supplement them with nutrition correction, lifestyle changes.

The effectiveness of training

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

Joint treatment More >>

1. Ligament Strengthening Exercises knee joint can be started only after the permission of the doctor. It is undesirable to engage in uncontrolled physical activity, especially if a person is already suffering from joint diseases, or if the recovery period after an injury has not yet ended.
2. Do not perform strengthening exercises in the presence of severe pain, high body temperature, edema, or an active inflammatory process. Only after the permission of the doctor, such exercises should be performed by pregnant women and people who have undergone surgery.
3. Only regular training will allow you to achieve noticeable improvements in the state of the ligaments. It is recommended to perform exercises daily for 15-20 minutes. This will be enough to achieve stable improvements after a month of classes.
4. Exercise should be supplemented with restorative physical activity. Walking and swimming are preferred.
5. All movements during training should be smooth, without sharp jerks and overexertion of the legs. If a crunch or soreness appears, it is better to postpone the lesson until the next day.
6. You need to start training with a preliminary warm-up of the muscles. This will improve blood circulation, protect against injury.
7. To improve blood circulation, knee joints are allowed to be rewound with a special elastic bandage. With regular use, it will relieve spasm, reduce pain in the leg. It is especially effective to use it in case of trauma.
8. As an aid to exercise, a person may need baby ball small diameter. It should be light, medium hardness. You need to prepare a fitness mat to exercise at home in your free time.

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

Best Exercises

1. Become straight, raise your leg up. Bend it at the knee as much as possible. Slowly straighten your leg, pulling the sock towards you so that the calf muscles tense up. Repeat the exercise at least ten times.
2. From the same position, draw a circle in the air with the toe in one direction, then in the second. The main mobility should be localized in the knee, while the ankle does not need to be involved. Repeat the exercise five times on each side. Exercise to perform the right and left foot.
3. Stand next to the bed, put your feet shoulder-width apart. Lean on one leg, stand on the toe. Bend and unbend the second leg in the air. Repeat ten times.
4. Stand on the pillow and keep your balance for a few minutes. This will engage the leg muscles and strengthen them. Gradually, you should complicate the exercise using two pillows.
5. Lean on one leg, close your eyes with your palms. Maintain balance. Repeat with support on the other leg.
6. Sit on the mat, put outstretched legs together. Pull socks towards/away from you.
7. Sitting on the mat, place a ball under your knee. Press on it with your foot, bend / unbend the knee twenty times.
8. Perform the exercise "bike" with both legs at once.
9. Lie down and embrace bent knees hands. Pull them to the stomach.
10. Bend your knees. Sit in a yoga pose, throw one leg over the other. Press your hands on your knees.
11. Take a jump rope and jump. At first, you need to do this slowly in order to learn how to jump well. Movements are allowed to accelerate. The main thing is to land on the legs half-bent at the knees.

During training, you should not turn your feet so that your knees are turned outward. This leads to stretching or tearing of the ligaments that hold the knee joint together.

To reduce the risk of developing problems with the knees, to improve their condition already in the presence of lesions of these joints, a person needs to adhere to the following recommendations of specialists:

1. Exercise regularly active species rest, which will strengthen all the muscles of the body. For this the best choice yoga will become, as it improves the condition of the ligaments and strengthens the muscles. Cycling and walking will help keep you in shape. It is better to refuse strong loads on the joints.
2. Enrich your menu with anti-inflammatory foods: fish, olive oil, apples and avocados. Lean meat, liver, greens, vegetables and dairy products are required in the diet.
3. Avoid carrying and lifting heavy loads.
4. 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.
5. To prevent osteoporosis, it is desirable to introduce more foods with calcium into the diet. They are rich in cheese, yogurt, almonds and goat's milk.
6. Reduce stress on your knees. It is especially important not to move around on your knees if you are overweight.
7. Avoid severe hypothermia.
8. Timely treat those diseases that can give impetus to the development of pathologies of the knees.
9. Wear comfortable orthopedic shoes that will relieve stress on the joints of the legs.

With arthrosis of the hip joints, Evdokimenko's healing gymnastics is an important part of the successful treatment of the patient. Only A complex approach to the treatment of the disease will help to achieve an improvement in the state of 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 the necessary nutrients to the cartilage tissue.

The principles of exercise therapy from Evdokimenko

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

Dr. Evdokimenko with arthrosis developed special exercises for all large joints, which must be taken into account. A personal approach will ensure the 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. At the same time, there are no exercises in which the patient must bend, unbend or rotate the damaged joint. After all, increased loads lead to further progression of the disease and deterioration of the patient's health.

When performing gymnastics, there may be slight soreness due to the load on muscles that were not previously intensively involved. This condition will pass in a few days. regular classes. If the movement is accompanied by a sharp pain, you can not do it. There are 2 explanations for this: either the execution is incorrect, or it does not suit you.

Exercise therapy should be done only during remission. It is strictly forbidden to carry out 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 on the muscles of the back and the press. One session of physical therapy should include about 2-3 exercises for stretching, and 5-7 for strengthening. A large selection will diversify the workout, its duration should be about 15-30 minutes daily.

Types of exercises for joint diseases

In diseases of the joints, complicated by degenerative-dystrophic processes, it is strictly forbidden to make fast dynamic movements. These are squats, swinging 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 will eventually lead to their atrophy.

The most common example of a static exercise is to lift your leg 10-20 cm above the level of support while lying on your back 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 done very slowly and carefully. You can not 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

Physiotherapy in diseases of the hip joints should be carried out very carefully, taking into account the patient's condition. Lessons should start with static exercises. In this case, the thigh muscles are involved, and the joint itself remains motionless. Coxarthrosis involves training in the position of the patient lying on his back or sitting.

The main exercises for physiotherapy exercises for diseases of the hip joints at home:

1. Spread a rug on the floor, lie on your back. Slowly and carefully lift each leg 15-20 cm and hold for 30-40 seconds. During classes, you need to follow the rules of training: raising the legs should be carried out using the muscles of the thigh and buttocks. Do the exercise with both limbs and rest a bit. After that, repeat the load in a dynamic version: smoothly raise the leg by 10-20 cm and slowly lower it, holding it in highest point for a few seconds. It is necessary to complete 10-12 approaches, each time taking a short break.
2. Roll over on your stomach, stretch your arms along the body, and bend one leg at the knee. Raise it above the floor by 10-15 cm and hold for 30-40 seconds. Lower the limb, relax and reproduce the movement with the other leg. Repeat the exercise in a dynamic form - gently raise and lower several times. Gymnastics for arthrosis should be carried out correctly and slowly, it is worth following the recommendations. Your goal is to increase circulation and strengthen muscles, not to lift the limb as high and fast as possible.
3. Lying on your stomach, stretch your arms along the body and straighten your legs. Suitable for physically strong people, as it is a rather difficult exercise, and can provoke an increase in the 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. It is necessary to do 8-10 approaches.
4. Lie on your right side, bending the limb of the same name at the knee. Left leg raise to 45 ° and hold for 20-30 seconds. Turn to the other side and repeat.
5. Starting position - similar to the previous one. Raise the straight leg to a level of about 45 °, and holding it at a height, slowly turn it out and back. Repeat rotational movements 8-10 times. You should twist 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 provoke damage to the diseased joint.
6. Lie on your back, bend your knees, and stretch your arms along the torso. Raise the pelvis, leaning on the 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

With arthrosis of the knee joint, physiotherapy exercises include certain types of exercises that are performed from different positions. The first 4 movements are similar to those that need to be done with coxarthrosis.

Subsequent workouts should be carried out sitting on a chair or standing. To achieve a positive result from physiotherapy exercises, the load must be increased gradually, increasing the number of movements and total time conducting a lesson. After the end of 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 cure the knee:

1. Sitting on a chair with a flat back, alternately straighten and raise each leg. If possible, it is desirable to hold it in this position for about 40-50 seconds.
2. The patient should face the chair and lean on its back. Rise on your toes and stand like this for 3-5 seconds. Repeat the exercise several times.
3. Without changing position, rise on the toe of one leg, and then completely stand 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”, due to which blood circulation is activated in the area of ​​​​the knee joint.
4. The final stage of any workout is a light massage. You can do it yourself, without resorting to the help of relatives and friends. It is necessary to gently stretch the muscles of the anterolateral surface of the thigh.

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

An excellent way to open the hip joints is 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?

1. Women who are consciously preparing for childbirth in order to facilitate labor activity.
2. People who care about their precious health. The thing is that the condition of the spine and, in general, the functioning of all organs of the small pelvis directly depend on the work of the joints.
3. Professional athletes, dancers, acrobats, to perform the necessary elements easily and aesthetically.
4. For people who practice yoga, so that they can sit in padmasana (asana for meditation) 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 position.

Unfortunately, there are many reasons why disclosure is needed:

1. Long stay in sitting position at work, at home at the computer, in the car.
2. Wearing bad shoes, especially with heels, which noticeably deform the arch of the foot and change the distribution of the load of the body on the legs.
3. Wrong lifestyle, unnatural diet, lack of physical activity, rare sitting on the ground leading to blockage of your lower energy centers.

Yoga for the hip joints

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

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

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

Keep in mind 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 strengthening the muscular corset.

After warming up, you need to spend 15-20 minutes in standing poses. It’s worth starting with asanas that help create warmth in the muscles, they prepare for deep opening. These are Trikonasana, Utkatasana and Warrior Pose. After that, perform balance poses using the deep rotational muscles of the thighs, for example, Tree Pose, Ardha-Badha-Padmottanasana (you can use it in a light version), Utthita-hasta-padangushthasana. Each asana should be held for at least 5 deep breaths.

The tree pose (Vrikshasana) works great on the joints of the pelvis. When lifting, the leg bends at the knee and hip joints, turning the latter outward. Tighten up gluteal muscles, quadriceps femoris, long and short adductors, comb, thin muscle are stretched. This asana strengthens the muscles of the back, develops the flexibility of the legs and arms, and helps to treat scoliosis.

The pose of a warrior qualitatively stretches the inguinal region, strengthens the muscles of the legs, and has a positive effect on the pelvic organs.

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

1. Forward bends from a seated position help stretch rear surfaces thighs, as well as the lower back. Can be done with a bent knee.
2. The twists of the back and Gomukhasana (cow's head) help to stretch the abductor and external rotator muscles of the thigh.
3. Low lunges help open the hip flexors.
4. Upavishta konasana (bending with wide legs) increases the mobility of the hip joints.
5. The pigeon pose prepares for the lotus, as it perfectly opens the hips.
6. Hanumanasana (longitudinal twine). The final asana, the execution requires some skills. The pelvis should be closed, support should be on the hands, you should lean forward a little and at the same time prevent the occurrence of a crease in the lumbar region. The body should be straightened only after the hips fall to the floor, and the pelvis turns forward.

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

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

Unfortunately, the majority of trainees have a lack of symmetry in the development of the joints, and quite noticeable, often periodically moving from one leg to another. To avoid this, you need to try to perform poses symmetrically, without focusing on the easier leg.

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

Related videos

If you have had a knee injury or suffer from arthrosis of the knee joint, you may be afraid to give a painful joint a load. 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 exercises to strengthen both healthy and diseased knee joint.

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

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

Hamstring tension

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

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

Calf stretch

• Stand facing a 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 body weight to it. In this case, the knee of the right leg should remain straightened, 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.
• It is not necessary to hold the pose for a long time. You can jump right back.
• Do 30 repetitions for each side of the body.

Lateral leg lift

• Lie on the floor on your left side.
• Raise your body by leaning on your left forearm. Raise your right leg up, trying not to bend it at the knee. Raise 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 brushes.
• Bend one leg at the knee, and lift the other up. The leg should remain straight and form an angle of 90 degrees with the body. Do not tear your lower back or arms off the floor.
• Repeat 10-12 times for each leg.

Leg raise, 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 apart 1.2-1.4 meters.
• 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, just bend your legs to the extent that your physical fitness allows.
• Keep your back straight and your knees out to the side (you may want to bring them together, but don't give in to that urge).
• Hold the pose for 15 breaths and then slowly return to the starting position.
• Repeat 3 times.

• Stand up straight.
• Slowly sit down so that a 45-degree angle is formed (knees should not go beyond the toes).
• Fix the pose for a few seconds. In order not to fall, protect yourself from behind with a chair.
• Repeat 10-15 times.

Climbing stairs

• Stand up straight with a small bench in front of you.
• Raise your right leg on it, and then pull your left leg up.
• Return to the starting position and make a rise to the bench, starting with the left foot.
• Repeat for each leg 20 times.

To increase the load, take dumbbells.

COMPLEX FOR TRAINING IN THE GYM

LIFT OF THE TORSO AND LEGS BENT AT THE KNEES OVERALL

ATTENTION, GET READY:

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

With the help of the lower part of the abdominal press, raise the legs bent at the knees to the 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. Hold on for a second. Then slowly and gently return your shoulders and yoga to the starting position. As soon as the legs and left shoulder blade touch the floor, repeat the exercise with the right shoulder, to which you raise your legs bent at the knees. Two incline lifts different sides count as one repetition. Perform the desired 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 you will get great results with this double effort.

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

SECOND COMPLEX

We present to you three exercises that require the equipment available in gym or health club. To perform the lifting of the legs bent at the knees, you will need a crossbar, for tilting 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 to perform forward bends.

The weights that you use on dumbbell side bends and forward on the block device greatly increase the intensity of the workout, reducing the time spent on it. However, using weights is a very advanced method and should not be used until you have successfully completed all levels of the main program.

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

In general, you should practice this complex for 5-6 weeks, which will greatly contribute to the further development of your abdominals.

ATTENTION, GET READY:

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

With the help of the lower part of the abdominal press, raise the legs bent at the knees to the shoulders, bending the pelvis towards chest. Hold on for a second.

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

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS

When pulling your knees to your shoulders, your pelvis should rise by 5-10 cm. If you just raise and lower your knees, only the hip flexors, devoid of external attractiveness, work.

Hold at the top of the positive phase to force the muscles to experience the maximum load.

Keep your leg swing to a minimum, and wait until your body stops swinging before starting the rep.

If your lower abs allow you to freely perform three sets of 12 reps, do this exercise with a light dumbbell 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 their upper and lower body, forcing it to function in elbow or knee mode. However, the lower back is not a joint at all, and attempts to use it as such can stretch or strain the muscles and ligaments in the lower back.

If it is necessary to bend the trunk, the hip joints should be used, allowing the pelvis and spine to move forward as a whole. Lifting loads and tilting the 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 deformity.

No body movement puts as much strain on the lower back as lifting an object off the floor with straight knees and a bent torso. 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 work the quadriceps located in front of the thighs, the attention is focused on the alignment of the upper half of the body. Abdominal and powerful thigh muscles they will take the brunt of the lowering and lifting of the body, leaving the back muscles and the spine itself with little or no load.

To ensure that your back is not subjected to increased stress, always make sure your movements are correct and correct them if necessary. In particular, erratic movements during daily work can cause the lumbar curve to sag too much, causing back fatigue and increasing the risk of injury.

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

The whole cycle of your daily activities includes six basic movements: you sit, stand, lean, lift, bend or stretch.

How to stand
If you stand for even a few minutes, your vertebrae begin to sink into each other, and as a result, your lower back may arch too much. To prevent this from happening, put one foot on a bench, a book, or something similar. If one leg is higher than the other, the spine straightens.
	When standing at the stove, sink, or cutting table in the kitchen, use a stool or other footrest.
	When leaning towards the mirror while shaving or applying makeup, put one leg forward, bend the torso from the hip, and keep your back straight.
	When you brush your teeth, put one foot on the stool. Bending over the sink, bend the torso at the hip joints.
How to lift
	When you need to lift something in a leaning position, for example, when you want to take the baby out of the crib, put one leg forward and bend the torso at the hip joints (left picture). Bring the child closer to you and then straighten up (right picture).
	The correct position of the body is the core moment of the lifting technique. Get close to the item you are about to pick up 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 sit down, keeping your back straight. As you straighten your legs, keep the object being lifted close to you.
	If you are lifting an object while twisting your torso, squat down first (top picture) and pull the object towards you. Without straightening your knees and hips to the end, turn around and only then finally stand up.
Centering the load makes it easier to hold. Legs should be fairly wide apart, knees slightly bent. Keep your burden close to your body so that it rests on both your arms and your torso.
	The presence of a shoulder strap on the briefcase helps to redistribute its weight on upper part torso. Adjust the length of the strap so that you can support the bottom of the briefcase with your hand. To ease the load, wear the briefcase alternately on one shoulder, then on the other.
	To evenly distribute the weight of the handbag on both sides of the body, throw its strap over your head to the opposite shoulder. Support the bag from below with your hand.
	When you need to carry luggage with you, 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 apart for stability. Change hands often.
Always sit close to the back of the chair. If he has armrests, lean on them with both hands. If you need to stand up, move to the front of the chair and lean your torso forward from the hip. Rise behind your head, keeping your torso straight.
	When traveling by train or plane, put something from your luggage under one leg. Change the position of the legs every 10-15 minutes to reduce pressure on the lower back.
	Adjust your car seat so that your arms are bent at the elbows on the steering wheel and your knees are slightly bent on the pedals. Support your lower back with a lumbar or a small regular pillow to keep your torso nearly upright.
	When you read while sitting, hold the book at about chest level and make sure that your torso does not lean forward. If your arms start to get tired, place a pillow on your knees and place a book on it.
When doing household and garden work that requires bending and bending the torso, try to put the main part 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. Movement "forward" - "backward" is carried out by transferring 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 all the way down by bending your knees and squatting down. When you need to fasten 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 gardening with a rake, keep your feet well apart. Move the rake back and forth, bending the torso at the hip joints, the spine remains straight. Keep a snow shovel wide grip- this will allow you to increase the leverage. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight.
If you sleep on your side, put a large, not very soft pillow under your head and neck. Bend your knees and pull towards your chest. In order to reduce the pulling force of the overlying leg on the lower back, place a second pillow between the knees.
	The prone position is the worst for the back, since in this position its lower part bends the most. If you still have to lie in this position, place a large pillow under your stomach and pull your leg bent at the knee to it. Don't put a pillow under your head.
	If you sleep on your back, place one or two fairly large pillows under your knees to reduce your lumbar arch. Another pillow should be placed under the head and neck.
	When you read in bed, place one pillow vertically between your back and the front of the bed, place a second pillow with the long side under your lower back, and slip a third under your knees so that they are slightly bent.
	If you need to reach an object that is above your head, go to 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 - this will avoid excessive stretching of the arm and back.

Hanging Leg Raise (Toes to Bar) is one of the most effective exercises on the press, due to the fact that when it is performed, the body is in a stretched position, so our muscles receive a tremendous load even in the negative phase of the movement (when lowering the legs).

There are several varieties of this exercise: straight leg raises in the hang, leg raises bent at the knees, alternating leg raises, toe raises to the bar and “corner” (static holding of a right angle between the legs and the body). We will discuss all of them in more detail below.

Also in our today's article we will analyze the following aspects:

1. What are the benefits of doing this exercise?
2. Types of hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar and also the technique for performing the exercise;
3. Crossfit complexes containing this exercise.

What are the benefits of doing hanging leg raises?

Performing leg raises in the hang, the athlete works out the abdominal muscles with an emphasis on their lower part - the segment, the development of which is often lacking even for experienced athletes. Add one upper abs and one oblique exercise to the hanging leg raises, and you're done. full workout.

© Makatserchyk - stock.adobe.com

By focusing on the lower abs every workout, you can kill several birds with one stone by making your core stronger and improving your block definition. Everything is clear with the "cubes" - here the visual component is important to us, but a strong press is a completely different story. Fine developed muscles abdomen help us perform exercises such as deadlift and squats with a barbell, by improving 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(sprint, box jumps, bench squats, etc.); and also significantly increase the overall strength potential of the body - it becomes much easier for us to adapt to a huge amount of training load.

Types and technique of performing exercises

Hanging straight leg raises on the bar

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

1. The athlete hangs on the bar at a level slightly wider than the shoulders, keeping the arms and legs straight. We maintain natural lordosis in the spine, the gaze is directed forward. We take a deep breath.
2. We exhale sharply and begin to pull our legs up, making a slight movement of the pelvis forward. We try to keep the legs straight and keep them in the same position throughout the approach. Feet can be pressed against each other or just keep them at a short distance - as you prefer.
   
   

   © undrey - stock.adobe.com

3. 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 muscle group. Slowly lower your legs down while inhaling.
   
   

   © undrey - stock.adobe.com

   Lifting the legs bent at the knees in the hang

   This option is more suitable for beginner athletes who are not yet given the lift of straight legs in the hang.

   Its fundamental difference lies in the fact that by working in the same amplitude with a shorter lever, we perform less effort and can perform more repetitions. At the same time, it is important not to lose the neuromuscular connection, many beginners try to get 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, it makes no sense to rise higher.

   Alternate hanging leg raises

   An interesting option for those who want to bring something new to their training process. It differs significantly from the previous types of leg raises in that we combine static and dynamic load in it: 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 a little to the side.

   In this position, it is important to monitor the position of the lower back, do not bring the sacrum too far forward, as the spine will “twist” a little when lifting one leg.

   
   

   Lifting socks to the crossbar

   This exercise differs from regular leg raises in that here we work in the longest possible amplitude and load the entire array of abdominal muscles.

   Trying to touch the horizontal bar with your toes, try to minimize inertia and not raise the pelvis too high - this will create an unwanted load on lumbar and will include the extensors of the spine and buttocks. Our task is to work out as much as possible in isolation abdominal Press keeping the body immobile.

   
   

   © milanmarkovic78 - stock.adobe.com© undrey - stock.adobe.com

   Our task here is to raise straight legs to the level of parallel with the floor and stay in this position for as long as possible, keeping the legs motionless. It is important not to forget about breathing, it should be smooth, without delay.

   Many athletes who have well-developed quadriceps often complain that the front of the thigh does some of the work along with the press. To “turn off” the quadriceps from work, you need to slightly bend your knees (about 10-15 degrees). The biomechanics of the movement may change slightly from this, so try lifting 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 obviously not designed for beginners, be prepared for the fact that the next day the abdominal muscles will be so strong that it will even hurt you to laugh.