Raising the body with emphasis on the legs. Hanging bent leg raise

Raising the legs in support is an exercise with which you can pump the muscles of the press. According to the technique of execution, it can be compared with lifting the legs in the hang on the crossbar. However, it is much easier to do it. Such an exercise can be done on a special simulator or on the uneven bars.

What muscles work when lifting legs

When lifting the legs in an emphasis, first of all, the muscles of the lower region of the press work. In particular, we are talking about the rectus abdominis muscle. It bears the main load.

The oblique muscles of the abdomen also work, upper area rectus, oblique and transverse abdominal muscles. In addition, the iliopsoas muscle and the rectus and comb muscles of the thigh are actively working. Also, during the exercise, the muscles are involved. shoulder girdle and legs. If you perform the exercise on the uneven bars, and not on a special simulator, then the muscles of the hands get a big load.

Leg raise rules

Raising the legs in emphasis must be carried out taking into account some rules, namely:

You don't have to keep your legs straight. They should be slightly bent at the knees, otherwise the load will not be on the abdominal muscles, but on the back muscles.
When lifting the legs, you also need to twist the pelvis. Thanks to this movement, the abdominal muscles will receive the necessary load and cubes will soon form on the stomach.
It is not recommended to lower the legs completely when returning to the starting position. Thanks to this, the effectiveness of the exercise will increase, since the muscles will receive a greater load.
Movements should be smooth, unhurried. If you do the exercise abruptly, you can "earn" muscle strain.
Do not sway while doing the exercise. Raise the legs and pelvis only due to muscle strength.
Keep your head straight. You can't flip it back.
Practice at least 3 times a week. It is not recommended to skip workouts.
In total, 10-15 repetitions and 3 sets should be done.

Leg raise technique

Raising the legs in emphasis can be performed on a special simulator, as well as on uneven bars. The execution technique will be approximately the same, but with some nuances. Therefore, each type of exercise will be considered separately below.

Leg lift on the simulator.

The advantage of doing a leg raise on a machine rather than on the bars is that your back is pressed against the wall. This means that doing the exercise will be much easier.

The technique for its implementation is as follows:

Press your back against the back of the simulator, place your forearms on special stops. Grasp the handrails with your palms. Hold them firmly, as this is what will allow you to keep your balance. Bend your legs slightly and lift slightly.
Take a deep breath and lift your legs as high as you can while twisting your pelvis. The muscles of the press during the exercise should be as tense as possible. Freeze at the top for 3 seconds.
Exhale and return to the position that you took from the very beginning. IN lowest point no need to rest, immediately repeat. Perform the exercise for the prescribed number of times.

Bar exercise.

Exercise on the uneven bars can only be performed if you have Strong arms.

The fact is that in this case it is necessary not only to hold all your weight, but also to control the holding of the position, this despite the fact that it is impossible to sway when lifting the legs. Therefore, if you are not yet confident in your abilities, then it is better not to try. If you have strong arms, then you can afford just such a leg raise in emphasis. The technique for performing the exercise on the uneven bars will be as follows:

Climb up on the uneven bars so that the emphasis falls on straight arms. Bend your legs slightly at the knees and slightly tilt your pelvis forward.
Take a deep breath and lift your legs as high as you can while twisting your pelvis. Try to tighten your abdominal muscles at this time. Hold this position for 3 seconds.
Exhale and come back. Repeat without rest. Do the exercise for the prescribed number of times and repetitions.

Weight training exercise.

Raising the legs in an emphasis can be performed with weighting. You can do this exercise both on the simulator and on the uneven bars. As a weighting agent, you can use a disk from a barbell or a dumbbell.

The weight of the projectile should not initially be too large, because. exercise will be difficult. Over time, you can increase it a little. The technique for performing the exercise with weighting will be as follows:

Take a starting position on the simulator or on the uneven bars. After that, ask someone to give you a projectile. Secure it between your feet.
Take a deep breath and lift your legs as high as possible, twisting your pelvis. Stay at the top for 3 seconds.
Exhale and slowly come back. This exercise at the first stage you need to do as many repetitions as you can perform. Gradually bring them up to 15 times. Sets remain unchanged. The number of approaches is 3.

Raising your legs in support will help you quickly pump your abdominal muscles, but only if you don’t skip workouts and do the exercise according to all the rules. Then in a month you will be able to evaluate the result.

Raising the legs in support is an exercise for the press. It partially involves the front surface of the thigh. The movement itself came to us from gymnastics. There, this exercise is performed in full support - hands hold on to the handles, elbows are straightened and inserted, and a full leg lift is performed with toes above the midline, passing at waist level. In the fitness version, the movement is performed in the simulator, the athlete stands in emphasis on the forearms.

Initial position
Stand facing the simulator;
Step onto the footrests;
Grab the handles with your hands;
Turn around with your back to the stops;
Take a standing position on your forearms.

Movement

The exercise itself is simple:
It is necessary to reduce the press and tighten the stomach inward;
Further, straight legs, by reducing the press and pulling the pelvic bones to the lower ribs, are brought up;
For maximum contraction, the hips must pass the midline of the press;
After reaching the peak contraction, the legs should be released slowly and under control.

Attention

It is necessary to completely remove cheating attempts with your feet. The technique used in competitive CrossFit for the "socks to the bar" exercise is not valid and acceptable here;
The knees do not need to be hard "inserted" so that the legs are straightened. With this position of the joint, it will not be possible to achieve a complete contraction of the press, and partially the legs will be brought due to the quadriceps;
The tension in the trapezoid must be removed. Shoulders pulled up to the ears are a bad helper. They will only contribute to an even greater buildup of the body, and an active violation of the technique, in addition, the shoulders to the ears greatly increase the risk of spasm of the trapezius itself and pain after training;
Dropping your legs down is not recommended. For beginners, the bar from the bar is often placed on the middle line across the lower clamps of the simulator so that they do not lower their legs below this neck and work in balance

Legs need to be lifted by the press, and not by the power of buildup, inertia and quadriceps. To achieve this, one must imagine how the pelvic bones are drawn to the lower ribs, and not how the athlete is actively throwing his legs up;
After passing the midline with the hips, it is necessary to bring the legs a little higher, and then do not throw them down, but smoothly “unwind” the press and go down;
Socks cannot be pulled back like a ballerina, then they will allow you to “insert” your knees as much as possible, and the quadriceps will start working, but on the contrary, you need to work with the press;
This movement can be mastered better if you learn how to do a lying pelvic lift with straight legs, you are pulled up. You need to understand exactly how the rectus abdominis contracts, and not how a person simply swings his legs above the waist.

Implementation options

This version of the exercise is suitable for beginners and those who still find it difficult to raise straight legs up. It is anatomically simpler, as it is easier to understand how to bring the hips to the ribs if the legs are bent. The athlete takes the starting position similar to the previous option, and then gently pulls the pelvic bones to the lower ribs. Lowering is also smooth. With each repetition, you do not need to straighten your legs at the knees.

It's the same gymnastic exercise, which mimics the fitness option. For fitness purposes, you do not need to learn to throw your legs with your toes up due to inertia and twisting in shoulder joints. Here you need to carefully pull up straightened legs with socks pulled over you just above the midline of the body, and just as gently lower the entire “construction” back.

This option is for those who want to pump oblique muscles. Here it is necessary to pull the knees to the waist, but “along the oblique”, tending the knees to one or the other shoulder.

Analysis of the exercise

Anatomy of exercise - what muscles work

In this exercise, the rectus abdominis works as the main engine. If the athlete bends his knees, then the hip flexors are also involved, with careless execution, often the load goes into the quadriceps. The muscles of the back work as stabilizers, and are activated when the athlete draws the shoulder blades and lowers them to the pelvis.

pros

This movement allows you to build a strong core, especially for those who have problems pumping the rectus ab muscles due to significant lumbar lordosis;
The exercise involves the press in isolation, but gives a significant load;
One of the movements that relieve tension from the iliac muscle. Those who like to pump their back and buttocks with hyperextensions and any kind of tilt with a barbell need to do one of the hanging leg raises. This option is suitable even for those who have already decently worked on the grip and performed a bunch of pulls;
The exercise is well suited for those who have problems with upper back fixation and hanging coverage. It allows you to remove the compression load from the spine, but does not additionally involve the muscles of the forearm and palm. Thus, the movement allows those who perform a lot of deadlifts to get their share of the load;
This exercise will help relieve tension in your lower back. The athlete must qualitatively press his back against the back of the simulator, and work, twisting up.

Disadvantages of the exercise

The movement will be technically difficult for those athletes who have not learned how to work with the press and are trying to throw their legs up by inertia, or raise them due to swinging and body assistance. Such athletes may not be able to perform the exercise correctly the first time;
Spasms of the trapezius muscle with weak or, conversely, overloaded trapezoids is a typical minus of this movement.

Preparation can be considered a normal and joint warm-up, as well as a warm-up hip joint. But in ordinary life, this movement is performed as the last exercise of the training, therefore the entire training serves as a kind of warm-up, there is no need to perform additional warm-ups. It is sometimes recommended to do one set of pelvic raises from the supine position before lifting the legs in the hang to get the press into work.

Proper execution

The back must be pressed qualitatively against the back of the simulator and during the exercise, do not tear it off;
The shoulder blades should be reduced to the spine and lowered to the pelvis, and the press should be tightened, only then it will be possible to pull the lower ribs to the pelvic bones;
Swinging legs is not allowed, it is not necessary to bring them behind the back line after lowering, and “dump” from top to bottom with sharp movements;
The exercise is performed by general rules synergy of muscle contraction and respiration, that is, exhalation occurs on effort;
The movement should not be too active, that is, fast. You need to try to work more smoothly, and avoid sharp jerks and leg throws.

You can’t swing your legs sharply, change the position of your forearms on the stops and push your socks to the crossbar too quickly;
It is better to do the exercise in sync with the breath, and not to change the position of the body at random, and hold the breath on the effort;
It is not necessary to start the hips behind the line of the back, so as not to gain excess momentum and train efficiently.

Experienced athletes can do this exercise with weights. It is convenient to hold the medicine ball between the shins and lift the legs up. If there is no ball in the hall, you can try hanging weights on your legs, or lifting a dumbbell, holding it between your legs. At slow pace doing the exercise is more than real;
The start is always due to the muscles of the legs, but if you bring your hips slightly forward and start by twisting the abdominal muscles, you can make the exercise more effective;
The slower the pace, the better it will be to pump the abdominal muscles;
If the option for pumping obliques is used, it is important to press the upper back to the back. The hips must be carefully brought to one and the other shoulder;
It is more effective to do the exercise with straight legs, but in this case it is necessary to maintain a small angle in knee joint, and do not straighten your knees completely;
Bent legs are suitable for beginners and those who find it difficult to do crunches.

It is worth including this movement in the training program at the stage when there is already a physical opportunity to perform the exercise and there are no problems with mobility in the hip joints. Newbie women often just can't keep up with the forearm stand. They fall down due to the fact that a weak back and a trapezoid do not allow their own weight to stabilize. Girls must first strengthen their backs with pull-ups to the belt, and exercises in the rack (bar), and then do this movement. You can replace the exercise with hanging leg raises.

Usually the movement is included on the day when the athlete squats, not pulls, but this rule does not work with a rack on the uneven bars, you can do any option, even if you can’t separate the traction and ab exercise on different days.

Contraindications

Herniated discs and protrusions are considered a contraindication for this exercise, but this is not recognized by all trainers. A number of experts believe that it is possible to perform exercises in this style without special problems, even if there is a hernia, but then you have to twist quite smoothly, and train slowly, under control;
Diastasis of the rectus abdominis is a contraindication for all twists, including this exercise too;
The movement is not suitable for pregnant women, although there is no direct pressure on the abdominal region;
You can not perform this option for injuries of the hip joints;
If a person cannot take his head away from his shoulders, and stand in an emphasis throughout the approach, he must strengthen the trapezius muscles;
You should not do the exercise when the trapezium is overtrained and the inflammatory process has already begun;
Usually, the movement is not put on a heavy bench day if the lifter prefers a medium grip and tricep press;
Exercise is contraindicated for radicular syndrome, that is, pinched nerves in lumbar spine;
It is not recommended to stand on the forearms for injuries and inflammation of the elbows, shoulders, and other joints. Should not be done when cervical osteochondrosis if there is a pinched nerve.

This favorite exercise past champion Mike Francois. He believed that hanging leg raises were the only way to build strong and sculpted abs, and no crunches matched the lifts in this great undertaking. Mike recommended alternating regular hanging leg raises with weights, and a fast pace with a slow pace to get the best ab work. He did the movement three sets to failure, but fitness enthusiasts can limit themselves to 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions. Only experienced athletes should do more.

What to replace

Alternatives to this exercise are as follows:

Raising the legs from a prone position on the floor, heels up;
Reverse crunches using an incline bench;
Hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar

The exercise is very common and is aimed at working out the lower part of the abdominal press (rectus abdominis). These muscles are quite hardy, and they need to be given no less attention than training the legs or back. For this, an exercise such as lifting the legs in emphasis on the elbows is perfect for us. Coming in Gym, you can see that this exercise very popular among visitors, and it is performed equally by both girls and boys. But for the most part, unfortunately, they do it wrong. But this is not their fault, since this exercise has been taught to us incorrectly since school. Let's look at the technique and the main mistakes of this exercise.

Technique for performing leg raises in emphasis on the elbows:

Take a starting position. The back is pressed to the back, the elbows are on the stops and the hands hold tightly to the handles of the simulator. The gaze is directed in front of you.
Bend your knees a little - this will be the starting point of this exercise.
Inhale and lift your legs up. When the hips are above the horizontal with the floor, tear off the pelvis from the back and try to lift it up, directing it towards the chest. It is at this moment that the lower part of the rectus abdominis muscle will come into play.
passing point maximum load exhale
Having reached the point of maximum contraction of the press, lower your legs down to the starting position.
At the bottom, inhale and repeat leg raises for the prescribed number of reps.

Muscles involved in exercise

Features of leg raises in emphasis on the elbows:

Although this exercise sounds like a leg raise, by performing only this movement with the legs, we only indirectly engage the abdominal muscles, the iliopsoas, rectus and comb thigh muscles receive the main load. Therefore, if we do not want to swing only the legs, then it is necessary to raise the pelvis as well.
The main task of our press is to bring the upper part of the body (chest) to the lower (pelvis), and vice versa, the lower to the upper. If you do not tear off the pelvis from the back and do not lift it up, then the press will not perform its main function, respectively, it will not receive a load.
Do not perform inertia leg lifts, swinging them like a pendulum. It is necessary to control and hold the legs at any point in the movement.
Do not tilt your head back, lifting your legs and pelvis up.

Effective press training on the site “Your press trainer”

During the exercise, the hip flexors additionally begin to work: the iliopsoas muscle, as well as the rectus femoris muscle.

Correct technique

To perform lifts in an emphasis on the elbows, you will need a special simulator-machine, which has convenient stops for the forearms and elbows. They will completely turn off the muscles of the hands. At its core, this exercise refers to a lightweight version of the swing of the press on the horizontal bar. To properly perform the lift, you must:

Stand in the simulator, leaning back against its back. Then you need to take a comfortable position on the elbows. At the same time, the legs should be bent at the knees so that all the load goes into the abdominal press, and not on the legs.
You should hold your breath and fully raise your knees on the muscles as high as possible, and then a little higher.
At the top point of the amplitude, the muscles should tighten as much as possible. To do this, you need to linger for a few seconds. Only after that you can lower your legs down.
It is advisable to perform 20-25 repetitions for trained athletes and 15-20 for beginners.

Here's what it looks like:

Safety

Before starting the lift, you must make sure that the simulator itself is stable. Too wobbly position of the barre can lead to the fact that it will constantly stagger, preventing the athlete from completing the exercise.

The leg raise is a difficult exercise for beginners, so they should be carefully monitored to elbows and forearms did not move out. Constant forced emphasis on this part of the body can lead to painful elbow injuries. That is why it is better to prepare in advance for the study of the press by improving the strength of the hands.

It is important to properly protect your back. It should be well pressed against the back of the simulator, since any deflection in the lower back can stretch it. If you can’t keep your back straight, then you can ask a partner to help - hold your legs or reduce the swing of the simulator.

Common Mistakes

Most common during leg raises the pelvis is too far off the back of the machine. So the exercise is much more difficult to do, since not only the lower, but also upper press. For beginners, such an exercise may seem almost impossible, and professionals will not be able to pay maximum attention to the lower abdomen.

It is also not uncommon for athletes to start lifting their legs completely straight. This position increases the load on the lower back and stretches it. In poorly trained people, this can cause injury or severe pain. To prevent this, it is enough to keep your knees in a constantly bent state.

Equipment

The exercise is performed on a special simulator that has a comfortable back and hand rests. Beginners may not take extra weights as they need to develop their abs to the point where they can support their own weight. As for professionals, they often take additional weights: discs from barbells and dumbbells.

First and most important tip: do not exercise on straight legs. At this point, the press stops working and the entire load goes to the lower back. This may result in injury. Legs must be bent at the knees. While reaching the top point of the amplitude, it is worth twisting the pelvis up a little. It is at this moment that the abdominal press is maximally strained.

Beginners need to remember - the more the legs are bent, the easier it is to perform the lift. This should be taken into account during the first workouts. For those people who suffer from excess weight, experts generally do not advise to engage in such a simulator.

Usually in such cases, the shoulders do not support the weight of the body, so it is better to pump the press with the help of more simple exercises. You can return to doing elbow raises after a few months, when some of the excess weight is gone, and the shoulders are stronger.

For those athletes who easily lift their own weight, you can complicate the work with a dumbbell sandwiched between the feet. You can also put a disk from the barbell on the feet. Thus, the exercise becomes so complicated that it must be done slowly so that the weight does not fly down. At the same time, you can not lower your legs too low - this will allow you to strain as much as possible. lower part abdominal press.

Conclusion

Elbow leg raises are good exercise to work out the abdominal muscles. It is perfect for training both men and women. However, at the beginning of training, it is important to determine whether your shoulder girdle is able to support the weight of your own body. If the shoulders do not withstand, then they need to be additionally trained, and with abdominals have to work on the floor.

The push up leg raise is a great exercise for training the abs, especially the lower rectus abdominis. In fact, it is a simplified version of hanging leg raises. The exercise is performed in a special simulator with two soft stops, on which the athlete puts his forearms. You can also perform it on the uneven bars. In the latter case, lifting is more difficult, since there is no support for the back, and the emphasis is not on the elbows, but on the hands.

Impact on muscles

Traditionally, leg raises are considered an exercise aimed at developing the lower part of the press. However, the abdominal muscles cannot be forced to work in isolation from each other. During the twisting or lifting of the legs or body, the entire press works. It’s just that one or another execution mechanic contributes to a shift in the emphasis of the load on various groups muscles.

Raising the legs in emphasis on the elbows maximally loads the lower part of the rectus muscle, and this is especially problem area both in women and in men. For most people, the lower abdomen is not ideal, even if the top is pumped down to the cubes. Therefore, there is always something to work on.

Additional load is received top part rectus muscles, external and internal obliques, the transverse abdominal muscle, and the hip flexor muscles also work in the lower phase of the lift.

When performing an exercise on the simulator, the shoulder girdle experiences a static load. An important point is that during the entire movement it is impossible to sag in the shoulders. You should keep straight, the neck should be straight and stretched up.

If you do leg raises on the uneven bars, then not only the shoulders, but also the muscles of the arms experience static stress. A significant part of the energy is spent on maintaining the body in a stable position, since you are in contact with the support only with your hands, and there is no support for the back. Therefore, the exercise on the uneven bars is more difficult to do than on the simulator.

In general, the exercise is well suited for beginners, but it is contraindicated for people with increased body weight. This is also related to high load on the shoulder girdle. It is also worth refraining from doing push-up leg lifts for people with injuries to the joints of the shoulders, elbows or wrists.

Execution technique

Consider the technique of performing leg raises in emphasis, first in the simulator, and then on the uneven bars.

So, take the position of emphasis on the forearms in the simulator. Your back should be firmly pressed against the back. Grab the special handles with your hands. Fix the position of the shoulder girdle, during the movement you should not sag, pulling your head into your shoulders. Tilt your tailbone forward a little.

From the starting position, as you exhale, lift your legs up to the highest possible position. Legs bent at the knees are easier to lift, straightened legs are more difficult. Choose a load based on your level of training. While moving up, twist the coccyx forward - this maximizes the use of the abdominal muscles. Hold at the top for 1-2 seconds.
While inhaling slowly, without throwing your legs down, return to the starting position. Do not relax the press, immediately proceed to the next repetition.

On the uneven bars, the exercise is performed as follows:

Starting position - emphasis on the bars on straight arms. Just like in the previous version, the shoulders are rigidly fixed, the back is straight, the coccyx is slightly tucked forward. In this version of the exercise, the muscles of your arms will not only have to support the body, but also stabilize the position during movement. Therefore, the hands must be strong enough.
As you exhale, lift your legs up - the higher, the better. Hold for 1-2 seconds.
On an inhale, return to the starting position. Try not to make sudden movements and jerks.

When doing the movement on the uneven bars, you can swing your legs back a little before starting the lift. This will help to overcome the lowest phase, which is mainly the hip flexors. You can’t swing strongly - you can get injured, and the effectiveness of the exercise due to inertia will be significantly reduced.

Leg raises in emphasis are performed 20-25 times in 3-4 sets.

This exercise is perfect for both men and girls. For a comprehensive study of the abdominal muscles, combine it with twists and other abdominal exercises.