Tray of straight legs to the crossbar in the hang. Hanging Leg Raises for Effective Abs Workout

Among the exercises for the press, leg raises in the hang are especially popular. In the gyms, special designs are provided for them, but you can perform such lifts not only on bars with a back, but also on a horizontal bar.

When the decision is made to work the lower packs, hanging leg raises come to mind. But, it is not easy to perform them if the athlete does not have a comprehensive development of the body: strong muscles of the core, legs and upper body.

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

So, in hanging leg raises, the main muscles are:

  • iliac - lumbar (targeted); tailoring, leading long and
  • short, comb, tensor of the wide fascia of the thigh (synergists); muscles
  • press - oblique and straight (stabilizers); thigh muscles are straight – stabilizers are dynamic.

In the picture version, the muscles involved in hanging leg raises look like in the picture below:

The lifting of the legs in the hang begins due to the strength of the hip flexors. These muscles cannot be felt because they lie deep. The rectus femoris helps them. Further, the baton in the "management" of the rise is taken by the rectus femoris. At the same time, the abdominal muscles (obliques), which are located on the sides and, together with the straight lines, create the muscles of the cortex (muscular corset), participate in the movement.

The main part of the load falls when lifting the legs in the hang on the abdominal muscles, which take part in lifting the legs after they reach an angle of 30-45 degrees, where they “get” thanks to the hip flexors.

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

The main advantages of the exercise

Their list is quite large:

  • at the same time, the main muscles of the abdomen work and the auxiliary ones that help them contract;
  • muscles develop that correct posture;
  • developing abdominal muscles create a dense muscular frame of the body;
  • the spine receives a useful stretch;
  • there is no risk of injury to the lower back;
  • for athletes with pain in the lower back and spine, who are not recommended to twist on the press, training for lifting the legs in the hang will be a complete replacement;
  • a huge number of options.

How to do it right

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

preparatory step.

  • Hang on the horizontal bar on straight arms set shoulder-width apart (straight grip).
  • Slightly bend your straight legs back.

You have taken your starting position.

First step.

  • After inhaling, hold your breath, and raise your legs for a right angle with the body, exhale.
  • The delay time in this position is 1-2 counts.
  • Return to the PI under control and slowly, doing the desired number of repetitions.

The picture will help you understand correct technique:

You can watch the training in dynamics:

Leg lift variations

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

Some are presented below:

  • leg lifts, bent at the knees;
  • straight or bent on bars with a back;
  • with special sleeves.

Hanging leg raise secrets

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

  • do not use inertial forces;
  • perform lifts cleanly, without swinging the body;
  • lingering for a couple of accounts at the end point, additionally tighten the abdominal muscles;
  • at big weight use bars equipped with a back;
  • if the grip is weak, i.e. hands "disengage" on the crossbar, use belts and straps for brushes;
  • for beginners, the same bars and wall bars can serve as an option. To facilitate lifting, you can lift, bent legs;
  • for “advanced” athletes, weighting agents are needed, which are dumbbells and pancakes fixed between the feet;
  • in the classics, you need to raise your legs 90 degrees, but beginners can reduce the angle;
  • it is recommended to do 10-15 repetitions and 2-3 sets.

We load the press "in full"

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

In order to continue the impact on the press, it is necessary to increase the amplitude, i.e. raise your legs to the maximum possible height. This is achieved by filing the pelvis up due to inertia. A ballistic moment is created by slightly tilting the legs back at the start and pushing the pelvis up. This helps to throw the limbs high, increasing the amplitude and loading the abdominal muscles more.

When bringing to the body of the pelvis, the knees should be bent, because fully extended legs, lifting high, is extremely difficult.

Will hanging leg raises help you get abs?

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

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

The best training for getting lower cubes

At the American Institute of Exercise Physiology, measure abdominal muscle activity (EMG) during various workouts in 2006. The results that were obtained are shown below:

It is clear from the diagram that the roller came out on top. Practically do not lag behind in efficiency from the roller for the press rises in the knees. Moreover, both of them are equally productive for the upper and lower abdomen. Also, the roller gives the least tension to the muscles of the back. Twisting was in last place. bent legs on the floor. Now it's up to you.

Video: Hanging leg raises

And a lot has already been written to achieve the appearance of press cubes on your stomach. But still there is, perhaps one of the most effective exercises on the press is hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar. This exercise is known primarily for the fact that it mainly loads lower part the press, which is lagging behind for many. Also, most of the load goes to the rectus abdominis and external oblique abdominal muscles, and at the beginning of the movement, the rectus femoris, which is not the target for us, works.

There are many different options this exercise, but we'll talk about them later, but for now, more about the technique. The leg raise will produce results if done correctly, i.e. control all movements, raise the legs with force, and not with the help of swinging, and also slowly lower them with force, and not throw them down. At first, so that the body does not sway, you can perform it on wall bars or ask a friend to hold you in the lumbar region.

Hang on the bar, arms shoulder-width apart at the elbows, legs and back straight. It is important here that the horizontal bar is of sufficient height so that you do not touch the floor with your feet. Tightening your abs, raise your legs as high as possible. The higher you raise your legs, the greater the pressure of the press. You can raise your legs a little higher than to the level of the belt or higher - so that the toes almost touch the crossbar, but this option is more difficult. Legs can be raised both straight (well, or almost straight) and bent at the knees. In this case, you need to try to raise your knees so that you practically press them to your chest. Now you also need to slowly lower your legs with the force of the press. Thus, the payload on the press occurs not only during the raising of the legs, but also during their lowering.

Now about the options for performing this exercise. key point is the height of the bar. No matter how high the horizontal bar is, you should not touch the floor or the ground with your feet. In my case, the IronGym bar does not allow me to hang with straight arms, because it hangs in the doorway, which is low for such an exercise. Therefore, to begin with, I pull myself up, and already in this position (hanging on bent arms) I raise and lower my legs. This option is even harder, because just hanging in this position already strains the press in itself, plus you also need to raise and lower your legs, so the load increases.

You can also raise your legs bent at the knees alternately to the right and left sides. So the oblique abdominal muscles work more intensively.

If you are faced with the fact that your grip starts to get tired earlier than the press, then you should use the straps. This will help solve the problem of a weak grip for this exercise, but it’s still worth training your grip strength at least with the help of expanders.

If there is no horizontal bar or just some kind of crossbar, leg raises can also be performed on the bars, just like that you will hang not on straight arms on the bar, but on the bars on straight arms or on your forearms.

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

Reverse crunches on the press: features of the exercise

The rectus abdominis is a whole flat muscle running from the sternum to the lower abdomen. Cherished dice are formed due to the transverse intersection of the rectus abdominis muscle with tendons. The main thing that IMPORTANT to learn is that any muscle (including the rectus abdominis) cannot contract partially.

You can often hear such nonsense as exercises on " lower press". They say certain movements load this particular part of the press that is difficult to pump.

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

Physiologically, you can twist upper part torso to pelvis, as in the variation, or pelvis to upper torso, as in reverse crunches. What is the difference? In the load and complexity of execution, plus performing different variants crunches, 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 the legs up (this is done by other muscles that you train during incorrect execution), the press twists the pelvis to the chest (and chest to the pelvis).

You should not think about getting your legs as high as possible. You should think about lifting your pelvis as high as possible.

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

A few words about the execution technique

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

Take a starting position and fully straighten up. As you exhale, begin to bring your legs up, while twisting the body from the pelvis into yourself. I hope such a figurative comparison will help to better understand the nuance of movement.

The higher the pelvis is, the better the rectus abdominis will contract and the more work it will do. Don't worry about legs. Here, certainly do not chase the number of repetitions. Quality matters. slow pace lifting will force you to consciously and under control perform the correct contractions. Think about twisting your core and contracting your abs.

From the top point on inhalation, also slowly begin to descend, as if spinning the body from top to bottom. Don't let your muscles rest lowest point. Maintain tension throughout the entire set. Drop to the bottom and immediately begin to twist up.

After completing the approach, stretch the 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 pull out of the muscles, stretch the muscle fascia and improve the blood supply to this area.

Reverse crunches on the press: video

For a better understanding of how to perform reverse crunches on the press, Denis Borisov's video will tell you about the nuances of execution.

Conclusion

By performing hanging leg raises and straight crunches on the press, you can already develop. You will have to reinforce the aesthetics of this area with a low fat layer, and this is already a task.

Deservedly considered one of the most difficult, but at the same time very effective exercises for the abdominal muscles of the abdomen. This has been confirmed not only by numerous scientific research, but also on personal experience professional athletes. Today I will tell you how to do hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar. You will also learn which muscles work when we do this exercise for the press.

In addition, below I will give some recommendations and give examples of the most common mistakes during hanging leg raises. By reading these recommendations and examples of mistakes, you will greatly increase the effectiveness of your abs workout.

Execution features

There are several ways to perform hanging leg raises. All of them differ in complexity and technique of execution. Only trained athletes can perform the classic variation of hanging leg raises to the crossbar. For beginners, hanging knee raises or push leg raises are more suitable.

To perform the exercise for the press "Raising the legs in the hang" you just need to have at hand only a horizontal bar or a bar of a suitable height. By the way, there is a horizontal bar, probably in any gym or yard sports ground. Due to this, this exercise is available to almost everyone and is very popular among athletes. For convenience, you can buy a horizontal bar in the doorway and perform hanging leg raises even at home at any suitable time.

With a press exercise "Hanging Leg Raise" you can perfectly pump not only the straight, but also the external oblique muscle of the abdomen. In addition, if you want to pump up the side press with emphasis, I advise you to do leg raises or hanging knee raises with knees turning to the sides at the top point of the range of motion.

Muscles involved

Many beginners are interested in exactly what muscles work when they do hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar. First of all, like everything for training the abdominal muscles of the abdomen, hanging leg raises directly engage the abdominal muscles. Namely, the rectus and external oblique muscles of the abdomen. In addition, at the beginning of the movement, until the moment when you raised your legs by 30-45 degrees, the muscles of the legs also work hard. First of all, it is the long adductor and rectus femoris muscles.

Then the entire load goes directly to the abdominal muscles of the abdomen. At that time, the forearms receive an indirect static load. Therefore, if you want to not only pump up the press, but also strengthen the forearms and hands, then instead of the usual twisting on the press, do hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar.

Hanging leg raises: execution technique

Now it's time to learn the correct technique for doing traditional hanging leg raises. The classic version of the exercise is performed mainly due to the effort of the abdominal muscles of the abdomen and with the raising of the legs slightly bent at the knees to the level of the crossbar. It should be noted that this hanging leg raise technique is only suitable for trained athletes. Beginners should resort to more elementary varieties of this exercise on the press. For example, hanging knee raises on the bar or leg raises in support.

The technique for performing hanging leg raises on the bar is very simple. First of all, you need to take the starting position - hanging on the bar with a direct grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Now you can begin to perform this exercise for the abdominal muscles. To do this, you need to use the effort of the target muscles to raise your legs slightly bent at the knees to the level of the crossbar or at least above the parallel with the floor. After passing the most difficult part of the range of motion, exhale.

Then, keeping tension in the abdominal muscles, lower your legs down while inhaling. The main task is to prevent the body from swinging while hanging on the horizontal bar and not only raise the legs, but also lift the pelvis up, while rounding the back, as when performing twisting for the press. This is the only way to effectively pump the abdominal muscles of the abdomen.

  1. During the Hanging Leg Raise exercise, do not swing your legs back and forth to avoid inertia and disperse the load throughout the body. Remember, if you want to pump up the abdominal muscles, you need to concentrate on the work of the target muscles, that is, the abdominal muscles.
  2. The height of the crossbar or horizontal bar should be such that the legs slightly touch or do not touch the floor at all.
  3. To increase the load on the abdominal muscles of the abdomen, try to keep your legs together during the exercise.
  4. In the upper phase of the movement, try to lift the pelvis up, as during the twisting on the press. Only in this location is the most effective contraction and study of the abdominal muscles.
  5. When doing leg raises to the bar in the hang, do not try to do pull-ups or bend your elbows. The arms should remain straight throughout the approach. The pelvis can be slightly forward so that the abdominal muscles maintain constant tension.
  6. To do this, do hanging leg raises twice a week at the end of your workout. Do 3-4 sets to failure due to hellish burning in the abdominal muscles.
  7. Hanging leg raise on the bar refers to difficult exercises for the press, which can be performed by trained athletes with strong core muscles. Therefore, as a rule, leg raises are performed without additional burden. However, if you were able to master 3-4 sets of 20 repetitions without much effort, then you can use special leg weights as an additional burden. This will allow you to further increase the workload on the abdominal muscles of the abdomen.
  8. If you have a weak grip, use special wrist straps or do leg raises in emphasis on the simulator.