Hanging leg raise exercise - pumping the lower abs on the horizontal bar. Raising legs while hanging on the bar Raising legs while hanging

Hanging leg raises can rightfully be called one of the most effective abdominal exercises. It is performed on a horizontal bar or crossbar, belongs to the category of advanced and is suitable for people with good sports training, for whom simple twisting is no longer so interesting. The exercise has three variations, differing in level of difficulty - raising the knees, raising the legs above parallel with the floor, and, finally, raising the straight legs to the bar itself.

Features of the exercise

Raising your legs while hanging on the bar perfectly works the entire abs, maximizing the load on the lower part of the rectus abdominis muscle. As a rule, it is the lower part of the abs that is most difficult to work out, and if the cubes on top are drawn quite quickly, then a beautiful relief from below is not such a trivial task.

In addition to the rectus abdominis muscles, the external and internal obliques are also used. If you do hanging leg raises, adding side torso twists, that is, turning your knees left and right, you will increase the load on these muscle groups. The hip flexor muscles are also involved in the movement. They raise their legs from the bottom position to 30–45 degrees. And after 45 degrees the press is already actively turned on.

In addition to the abdominal muscles, the arms, shoulders and back experience static load. To perform the exercise, you must have a fairly strong lower back. If your hands are weak (the grip quickly weakens), you can use special straps to secure your hands to the bar.

There are no special contraindications to performing this exercise, unless you have had injuries that cause pain during the movement. In this case, it is better not to experiment and replace hanging leg raises with, say, reverse crunches on the floor or with.

As for the place of hanging leg raises or knee lifts in a comprehensive abdominal workout, this exercise is performed first, as it is the most difficult and tiring. Then you can do crunches, lifts of the body and legs while lying down in different variations.

Execution technique

As already mentioned, the exercise has three degrees of difficulty: simpler (lifting legs with bent knees), classic (legs straight or slightly bent) and more difficult (straight legs raised all the way to the bar).

Let's consider the universal technique of performing the movement, and each athlete determines which variation to choose, depending on his level of physical fitness.

1. Starting position – hanging on a bar or horizontal bar with straight arms and legs. The height of the crossbar should be such that your feet either lightly touch the floor or (better) not touch it at all. When performing the exercise, the hands play the role of coupling with the crossbar, that is, they do not participate in the movement. Twist your tailbone slightly forward, feeling that your abs are tense.
2. As you exhale, lift your legs and twist your pelvis forward. The angle between your torso and your hips should be less than 90 degrees, regardless of whether you raise your knees or straighten your legs. That is, the hips rise above parallel with the floor, and the pelvis twists forward. By the way, it will be extremely difficult to lift your legs completely straight if you have insufficient stretching of the back of your thighs. Therefore, as a rule, most athletes lift their legs not completely straight, but slightly bent. At the top point, hold for a couple of seconds.
3. If possible, slowly lower yourself to the starting position. Perform the required number of repetitions.

The higher you raise your legs, and the straighter your legs are, the greater the load on your abs. Maximum tension of the abdominal muscles will require lifting the legs to the bar itself. In this case, all areas of the rectus abdominis muscles, and not just their lower region, receive significant load.

If you want to additionally load the oblique muscles, add side-to-side trunk crunches, that is, turn your knees to the right and left with each lift.

Aim for at least 15-20 reps in 3-4 sets. This will be difficult at first, so do as many repetitions as you can.

You may want to move your legs back a little at the bottom to help you get through the initial phase of the leg lift, when it's your hip flexors that work more than your abs. But strong swinging and throwing your legs up by inertia will make the exercise a waste of time.

The following points can also be noted:

• Raise your hips above 90 degrees, that is, above a position parallel to the floor.
• Don't forget to tuck your pelvis forward when performing the exercise. It is these additional crunches that will help you maximize the use of your abdominal muscles.
• Work on stretching the back of your legs. This will allow you to perform the exercise with greater amplitude.

In conclusion, it should be noted that any abdominal exercise, be it hanging leg raises, crunches on the floor, in a machine or on a Roman chair, will give an effect if you perform them regularly and until you feel a strong burning sensation in the muscles. Arm yourself with patience, work on yourself and then success will certainly be achieved!

Good day to all. In this issue, we’ll talk about one of the most powerful/effective exercises for pumping up the rectus abdominis muscle (abs) – leg raises while hanging on the bar.

This exercise is essentially another variation. However, have no doubt - it is much more complex (in implementation), and therefore more effective (better).

The only disadvantage (not affecting people working out on the street or in a fitness club) of this variation is that it requires a crossbar (horizontal bar), i.e. At home, the exercise, alas, cannot be done.

On the street or in a fitness club, finding a crossbar (horizontal bar) is like two fingers on the asphalt)).

In general, in this exercise, in addition to the accentuated work of the rectus abdominis muscle (i.e., the abs, those same “cubes”), the oblique muscles are also worked out (the same “scratches” on the side, from the cubes, which can be seen with a low percentage of body fat on the body, in other ways like the “cubes” themselves), as well as auxiliary muscles: hand, forearms, back, shoulders and leg muscles. Impressive, isn't it?

Raising legs while hanging on the bar: technique of execution

The exercise can be performed with both legs fully straightened (advanced, the most difficult (and therefore most effective) option, not for beginners or even intermediate level), or with legs bent at the knees (this option is just for beginners and intermediate level) .

P.s. Now, we will look at the technique of performing with straightened legs, but the essence of the technique (between bent/straightened poles) does not change at all... the main thing is to understand the essence.

1 / Go to the crossbar (horizontal bar) and grab it with an overhand grip (or a parallel grip, depending on what kind of horizontal bar you have) shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower/wider (see whichever is more comfortable for you, then grab it) and hang on it . It should look like you are weighing on the horizontal bar, your arms are fully extended and your legs are straight parallel to the floor. This is the starting position. See visual illustration below:

2 / From the starting position, inhaling, begin to raise your legs all the way up until your feet touch the crossbar. Please note that it is very important that when lifting your legs up, you also twist (raise) your pelvis (in addition to your legs). It is a MUST to twist the pelvis! Because anatomically, the function of the press is to lift (twist) the pelvis, not the legs. Therefore, if you only lift your LEGS, your abs will not work as efficiently as they could. Do you understand? The effectiveness of the exercise is significantly reduced (down to complete zero). See below picture:

3 / After your feet touch the bar, lower your feet down (to the starting position). Lowering your legs down is CONTROLLED! Those. there is no need to quickly (jerkily) throw your legs down... lower them slowly, under control, carefully stretching and thereby effectively straining and contracting your abs.

4 / After which, repeat everything again, the number of repetitions you need...

By the way, regarding the questions of how many approaches/repetitions to do in this exercise, my recommendation for the vast majority of people: 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions (with the head)…

• If you cannot hold on to the bar (your arms come loose), then use straps/wrist straps.
• Do not under any circumstances use inertial forces in this exercise... no need to swing, etc., thereby helping yourself (cheating). Do everything cleanly and under control.
• If straight leg lifts become easy for you, then start using additional weights (I recommend wearing weights on your legs).

Variations of this exercise

There are many variations to this exercise, below I will provide the closest ones:

No. 1. Leg raises while hanging on a horizontal bar with bent legs

No. 2. In the horizontal bar-bars-press design (legs can be either straight or bent at the knees):

No. 3. Hanging Leg Raises with Elbow Sleeves

No. 4. Lateral Leg Raises for Obliques

We will not consider each of the variations in detail, because... That's not what the article is about. But in principle, the technique for performing all these exercises is very, very similar to what I told you above.

With this, I end this issue. For dessert, a video: a visual demonstration of this exercise:

— In the male version:

— In the female version:

Best regards, administrator.

Lord of the entire site and fitness trainer | more details >>

Genus. 1984 Trained since 1999 Trained since 2007. Candidate of Masters in powerlifting. Champion of Russia and South Russia according to AWPC. Champion of the Krasnodar region according to IPF. 1st category in weightlifting. 2-time winner of the Krasnodar Territory championship in t/a. Author of more than 700 articles on fitness and amateur athletics. Author and co-author of 5 books.

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Raising legs while hanging on the bar - video

Weight and reps for beginners

Load by muscle group

Description of the exercise

Main features

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

In addition, below I will give some recommendations and give examples of the most common mistakes when performing hanging leg raises. By familiarizing yourself with these recommendations and examples of mistakes, you will significantly increase the effectiveness of your abdominal training.

Execution Features

There are several ways to perform hanging leg raises. They all differ in complexity and technique. Only trained athletes can perform the classic variation of hanging leg raises to the bar. For beginners, hanging knee raises or standing leg raises are more suitable.

To perform the “Hanging Leg Raise” exercise for the press, you only need to have at hand only a horizontal bar or crossbar of a suitable height. By the way, there is probably a horizontal bar in any gym or yard sports ground. Thanks to this, this exercise is accessible to almost everyone and is very popular among athletes. For convenience, you can buy a horizontal bar for the doorway and perform hanging leg raises even at home at any suitable time.

Using abdominal exercises "Hanging Leg Raise" You can perfectly pump not only the rectus abdominis, but also the external oblique abdominal muscle. In addition, if you want to pump up your side abs, I advise you to do leg raises or hanging knee raises with knees turning to the sides at the top of the range of motion.

Muscles involved

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

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

Hanging leg raises: execution technique

Now it's time to learn the proper technique for performing traditional hanging leg raises on a horizontal bar. The classic version of the exercise is performed primarily through the efforts of the abdominal muscles and raising 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 basic variations of this abdominal exercise. For example, knee raises while hanging on a bar or leg raises while standing.

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

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

1. When performing the Hanging Leg Raise abdominal exercise, do not swing your legs back and forth to avoid inertia and dissipate the load throughout your body. Remember, if you want to pump up your abdominal muscles, you need to concentrate on working the target muscles, that is, the abdominal muscles.
2. The height of the crossbar or horizontal bar should be such that your feet lightly touch or do not touch the floor at all.
3. To increase the load on your abdominal muscles, try to keep your legs together during the exercise.
4. At the top phase of the movement, try to lift your pelvis up, as when doing a crunch. Only in this position does contraction and development of the abdominal muscles occur most effectively.
5. When performing hanging leg raises to the bar, do not try to do pull-ups or bend your elbows. Your arms should remain straight throughout the entire approach. You can move your pelvis forward slightly so that your abdominal muscles maintain constant tension.
6. To do this, perform hanging leg raises twice a week at the end of your workout. Do 3-4 sets until failure occurs due to a hellish burning sensation in the abdominal muscles.
7. Leg raises while hanging on the bar are complex abdominal exercises that can be performed by trained athletes with strong core muscles. Therefore, as a rule, leg lifts are performed without additional weights. However, if you were able to easily complete 3-4 sets of 20 repetitions, then you can use special leg weights as additional weight. This will allow you to further increase the workload on your abdominal muscles.
8. If you have a weak grip, use special wrist straps or perform leg raises on a machine.

The exercise is performed in the starting position – “hanging on the crossbar”. After self-extension, the spine is fixed, the deep back muscles tense and work as “stabilizers” throughout the entire approach. It is important to prevent the spine from being involved in the work and the vertebrae being used as “supports for leverage.” The thoracic spine is maximally straightened, the lumbar spine has a slight bend.

The height of the knee lift is always such that the thigh is slightly parallel to the floor (95 degrees). The trajectory of the knees is towards the chest. Raising straight legs significantly above parallel (more than 100 degrees in the hip joint) already leads to pumping of the middle abs (twisting begins) and the work of the lumbar muscles, the entire quadriceps (and not just the rectus femoris muscle), and less often the biceps and calves, are actively involved.

Before reaching an elevation angle of 40-45 degrees, the load on the abs is still minimal; the quadriceps work mainly.

The weaker the muscles, the sharper the angle of flexion at the knee when lifting the legs. Strong muscles allow you to lift your legs almost straight, bending them only slightly at the knee at the end of the movement. With weaker muscles, the legs bend slightly at the beginning of the upward movement (the angle at the knee will be about 120-150 degrees) and the angle does not change during the entire exercise.

Beginners are advised to bend their knees at right angles. This forces the legs to work more than the abs, but protects the lower back. For women, a modification is recommended with bending the knees at the top of the movement at an acute angle, when the heels almost approach the buttocks. It spares the pelvic organs to the greatest extent.

Correct technique

1. Perform a hang on the horizontal bar, hands with a straight grip, shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Arms and legs are completely straight.
2. Do self-extension of the spine by stretching your toes and heels alternately towards the floor, then relax the muscles.
3. Using muscle effort, move the spine into the position of correct posture and fix it with the pull of the back muscles. The lower back is slightly arched. Legs point straight down, closed, straight at the knees. This is the Starting Position.
4. Inhale, hold your breath and, while holding it, tensing your lower abdominal muscles, smoothly pull your legs up. At the beginning of the movement, you can help yourself with the leg muscles so that the rotation in the hip joint is physiological. However, the pelvis also rises and twists. You cannot swing your torso or make jerks.
5. At the top point, additionally straining your abs, twist your pelvis upward and hold in this position.
6. Exhaling, slowly lower your legs down.
7. At the bottom point, fully straighten your legs at the knees, but leave a slight angle at the hip. Hold the breath.
8. Start a new cycle of movement.

Hanging leg raises on video:

Usually 3 sets of 10-15-20 repetitions are performed, since the work is carried out mainly with your own weight.

Synergists: hip flexors (rectus muscle, tensor fascia lata)
Antagonists: spinal extensors.
Stabilizers: deep abdominal muscles (transverse), oblique abdominal muscles, partially back muscles, shoulder girdle.

Safety

The exercise is potentially traumatic for the lumbar spine, so it is not recommended for beginners or after a long break from training. When performing it, it is fundamentally important to keep the spine fixed, not to swing on the bar, not to bend to the side, not to bend in the lower back. The exercise is also dangerous for the elbow (as it places a large tensile load).

It is better to always keep your elbow “sprung”, slightly bent. If your arms are too weak, you should not use wrist straps. This will “replace” the missing grip strength, but will not protect the elbow, shoulder and AC joint from sprains.

Common mistakes

The most common errors include:

• swinging on the bar, bending to the side in an attempt to “help” yourself raise your legs;
• strong arch in the lower back;
• lifting the legs as you exhale;
• pull-up;
• twisting, raising the knees along the trajectory to the head;
• change in the angle of flexion of the leg under the knee during movement (transfers the load mainly to the legs);
• Use of wrist straps.

This exercise allows you to learn to feel and control your muscles better. During movement, you should try to load the abs as much as possible and limit the enthusiasm of the quadriceps. In the future, this will avoid problems with uneven traction and interception of the load, and in fact will improve the posture and relief of the torso.

The upper torso should not be included in the work under any pretext., at this moment she is just stretching out and working against resistance, preparing for hard work. Therefore, you can work your lower abs while hanging before starting heavy work on the chest and shoulders.

You can start getting acquainted with this exercise with hanging self-extension, then move on to hanging in a machine (which allows you to work with emphasis on your elbows and is equipped with a horizontal bar and a pillow against which you can press your back).

You can start training on the wall bars, with your lower back tightly pressed, but you must first learn:

• raise straight legs at a slight angle (move your heels away from the wall by 20-30 cm);
• pull your legs up, bending at the knee, but without lifting your heels from the surface of the wall (“count the crossbar as your heels”);
• lift your legs bent at the knee at a right angle.

It is dangerous to start learning an exercise in a free hang on a horizontal bar that does not provide support for the back, and trying to immediately raise straight legs in parallel. In most cases, this leads to injuries to the lumbar spine.