Supersets - what are they? How to use? Supersets for weight loss and mass! Raising the legs bent at the knees Raising the legs bent at the knees.

SPORTS HALL TRAINING COMPLEX

LIFTING THE TORSO AND LEGS BENT IN THE KNEES

ATTENTION, PREPARED:

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

Using your lower abdomen, lift your bent knees to your left shoulder. At the same time, use your upper abdominals to lift your left shoulder blade off the floor and lift your left shoulder towards your right knee. Hold on for a second. Then slowly and gently return your shoulders and yogis to initial position... As soon as the legs and left shoulder blade touch the floor, repeat the exercise with the right shoulder, to which raise the legs bent at the knees. Two lifts with an incline in opposite directions counts as one rep. Do the required number of repetitions.

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS

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

Regardless of whether you can raise the pelvis, be sure to lift both shoulder blades off the floor, keeping an eye on the fixed position of the neck and head.

SECOND COMPLEX

We present you with three exercises that require equipment available in sports hall or a health club. To perform the lift of bent legs, you need a crossbar, for side bends you need dumbbells, which you can have at home. But you hardly want to install a block device in your apartment, which is necessary for performing forward bends.

The weights that you use when bending to the side with dumbbells and forward on the block device will greatly increase the intensity of the workout, reducing the time spent on it. However, the use of weights is very advanced and should not be used until you have successfully completed all levels of the main program.

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

In general, you should practice this complex within 5-6 weeks, which will significantly contribute to further development your abdominals.

ATTENTION, PREPARED:

With both hands, grab the bar or rest your elbows on the abdominal bars (there is one in almost all gyms). You can also use a Roman chair.

Using the lower abdomen, lift the legs bent at the knees to the shoulders, bending the pelvis towards the chest. Hold on for a second.

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

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATIONS

When pulling your knees up to your shoulders, your pelvis should rise 5-10 cm. If you just raise and lower your knees, only the hip flexors are working, which is devoid of visual appeal.

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

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

If your lower abdomen allows you to freely do three sets of 12 reps, do this exercise with a light dumbbell between your legs.

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

Raising bent legs while lying on your back

Performance

Initial position. Lie on your back with your knees bent at an angle of approximately 90 degrees. Place your feet on the mat, hip-width apart. Stretch your arms along your torso, palms down.
Exhalation. Without changing the angle between the lower leg and thigh, lift one leg so that the thigh is in an upright position and the lower leg is parallel to the floor, as shown in the illustration for Phase 2.
Breathe in. Lower your foot until your toes touch the mat. The angle at the knee joint remains the same. Repeat the exercise five times with one leg, and then place your foot on the mat. Do the same with the other leg.

The main working muscles when lifting bent legs while lying on your back

Muscles flexing the leg in hip joint : iliopsoas muscle (flexes the leg at the hip joint!), rectus femoris muscle, sartorius, comb muscle, tensor of the wide fascia of the thigh, gracilis muscle.

Muscles that stabilize the position of the spine: rectus abdominis muscle, external oblique abdominal muscles, internal oblique abdominal muscles, transverse abdominal muscles.

Accessory muscles

Muscles that extend the leg at the knee joint: quadriceps hips.

When performing a bent leg lift while lying on your back, pay special attention to the fact that the pelvis constantly remains in a neutral position, and the body weight is evenly distributed between both halves in the phases of raising and lowering the leg. Do not place your weight on the opposite half of your pelvis.
In the leg lift phase, tense the leg extension muscles at the knee joint to maintain a right angle between the thigh and lower leg and prevent the lower leg from dropping due to gravity.
Try to ensure that the movements in the hip joint are performed in isolation, without having any effect on the angle between the thigh and the lower leg and on the position chest and the pelvis.
Mental image. To achieve an isolated movement of the leg in the hip joint, imagine how the cover of a heavy book opens and closes easily without affecting the book on the table. In this case, your foot acts as a cover. You will immediately feel the ease of movement.

Notes (edit)

Abdominal muscles

The bent leg raise while lying on your back is simple but very useful exercise teaches you to purposefully control the actions of the muscles, especially the abdominal muscles, in order to maintain a stationary position of the body when making movements with the lower extremities.

Stabilization of the trunk when bending the leg at the hip joint. In lifting the bent legs lying on their back, they do not make movements, but act as stabilizers. Because many of the muscles that flex the leg at the hip joint attach at the top to the lower spine and the front of the pelvis, their strong contraction when lifting the leg can cause the lower back to bend and the pelvis tilt forward. These movements must be counteracted by the abdominal muscles.

Studies show that the transverse abdominal muscles play extremely important role in the stabilization of the trunk during limb movements. Fiber transverse muscle the abdomen have an almost horizontal direction, therefore, by pulling the anterior wall of the abdominal cavity towards the spine, you activate this muscle, which allows you to maintain a neutral pelvic position.

The ability to use the abdominal muscles and other muscles of the strength center to stabilize the trunk is considered one of the main goals of Pilates, as it provides correct execution many other more difficult exercises, for example "

Legs bent at the knees give additional load on the quadriceps. Straight legs reduce the load, more actively engaging the muscles of the back and buttocks.

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! Well, here comes the calendar summer, with which I congratulate you! However, this is not a reason to close our shop and write fewer articles or otherwise deviate from the intended course. Therefore, today we will continue our cycle of technical notes and talk about hanging leg raises. After reading, everyone will know what the benefits of this exercise are, how to perform it correctly and, in general, whether it is worth it.

So, take your seats, we begin.

Hanging leg raises. What, why and why?

I guess I'm guessing if I say that hanging leg raises are one of the most popular abs exercises. Usually, when it comes to working out the lower part of the rectus abdominis muscle (lower cubes), it is this that comes to mind first. In modern (and not so) gyms there are special designs - bars with a back, which are designed to perform such leg lifts. Look around in your room, you will surely find this inventory standing alone in some corner. If you haven't found it, it doesn't matter, there are a lot of execution options without it. We will talk about all this further in the article.

Note:
For better assimilation of the material, all further narration will be divided into subchapters.

Muscle Atlas

Hanging leg raises are one of the most difficult ab exercises. It requires the athlete to fully develop his body - a strong upper part, leg muscles and core. If we consider the hanging version of the exercise, then in addition to the above muscle groups, you also use your forearms, shoulders and back to stabilize your position.

The main muscles in hanging leg raises are:

targeted - iliopsoas;
synergists - tensioner of the wide fascia of the thigh, tailor, comb, long / short adductor;
stabilizers - rectus, oblique abdominal muscles;
dynamic stabilizers - rectus femoris.

The complete muscle atlas looks like this (clickable):

Hanging leg raises begin with the strength of the hip flexor muscles. All of these muscles are deep-seated muscles and are hardly palpable. The flexor group is complemented by the rectus femoris muscle. Then the “control” for raising the legs is transferred to the rectus abdominis muscle. At the same time, the oblique abdominal muscles located on the sides of the body are involved in the movement. Together, the "straight + oblique" forms a strong muscular "corset" (muscles of the core) of the body.

When bending the legs in the hang, most of the load (in specific ratio) falls on the abdominal muscles. The hip flexor muscles raise the legs at an angle 30-45 degrees from the vertical, then all the work is transferred to the rectus / oblique abdominal muscles. To lengthen the working amplitude and a stronger contraction of the lower area of the permanent residence, you can throw the pelvis up (not kitchen utensils :)) at the top of the trajectory.

Advantages

Hanging leg raises provide the following benefits:

a large "muscular ensemble" works at once, both the main abdominal muscles and the auxiliary ones that help to reduce them;
the muscles necessary for correct posture develop;
there is a general development of the strength of the abdominal muscles and the creation of a denser muscular frame of the body;
useful stretching occurs spinal column(option in the hang);
the lower back is not at risk of injury;
an excellent alternative to abdominal crunches for those athletes who have back / spine pain;
great variability of performance.

Execution technique

In terms of the technique, the exercise itself is not difficult, it just requires a certain level of training of the athlete, and step by step following the instructions below.

Step # 0.

Go to the horizontal bar and hang on it - the grip is straight, arms are straight shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Keep your legs straight below and slightly tilted back. This is your starting position.

Step # 1.

Inhale, hold your breath and start lifting your legs up to the corner. 90 degrees. Exhale as you complete this part of the movement. At the end of the trajectory, pause for 1-2 accounts, then slowly and under control return to the IP. Perform the specified number of times.

In the picture version, all this disgrace looks like this:

In motion so (option with bent knees):

Variations

In addition to the classic hanging straight leg raises, there is a varied number of variations of the exercise, in particular the following:

on a horizontal bar, legs bent at the knees;
on uneven bars with a back, legs straight / bent at the knees;
with sleeves for the elbows.

Subtleties and secrets of execution

There are many nuances, the observance of which guarantees you 100% the effect of the exercise, so remember:

do not use the forces of inertia in motion;
do not swing the body and perform the movement cleanly;
at the end point of the trajectory, linger on 1-2 bills and additionally strain your abdominal muscles;
if your weight is too large, then use special bars with a back instead of a horizontal bar;
if the arms are unhooked on the bar and cannot support the weight of the body, then use the shoulder straps / wrist straps;
for beginners, the first option for hanging leg raises can be wall bars or bars with a vertical back, as well as lifting not straight legs, but bent at the knees;
a more advanced option involves the use of a dumbbell / pancake weight between the feet;
the classic version involves raising straight legs to an angle 90 degrees, however you can raise them as high as you can;
stick to the number of sets 2-3 , repetitions from 10 before 15 .

Actually, we have finished with the theoretical part, now let's get down to practice.

How to load the press to the fullest in an exercise?

In the initial stage of the movement, when the legs are raised at an angle 30-45 degrees, the press is strained isometrically, i.e. practically does not work, helping the hip flexors. And only when the angle is exceeded 45 degrees, the press begins to actively turn on and load qualitatively, - it takes on the main load on raising the legs. Thus, in order to continue to influence the press, it is necessary to lengthen the range of motion by raising the legs as much as possible. The latter is achieved due to the inertial supply of the pelvis from the top.

Bending your legs at the start slightly back and giving the pelvis up (more twisting the body), we create a ballistic moment. All this allows you to throw your legs high, lengthening the amplitude, transferring more work to the abdominal muscles. It is important to understand that by straightening your legs completely, it will be extremely difficult for you to raise them above the horizontal, and therefore, when bringing the pelvis to the body, keep your knees slightly bent.

Hanging leg raises allow you to see the bottom cubes?

I would like to say a few words about the drying effect of this exercise. Many people believe that the “swotting” of the press, in particular, the execution 50-100 hanging leg raises, will remove belly fat and show the lower cubes. In fact, no abdominal exercises affect abdominal fat, they only develop / strengthen muscle tissue and that's it. Therefore, you should not be under the illusion that an increase in the number of repetitions and a wild burning sensation will show your abs. Perhaps you already have a faintly pronounced abs, but it is hidden under a layer of fatty tissue, it is simply not visible. Diet is the main developer of cubes. (and, as a result, a certain percentage of body fat), if it is not there, then instead of cubes we see one ball :).

What is the best exercise for working on the bottom bricks?

In 2006, the US Institute for Exercise Physiology measured the EMG activity of the abdominal muscles while performing different exercises... The research task was to identify best exercise from a given list to the upper / lower sections of the press.

Here are the results.

Studies have shown that the roller (press roller) and hanging knee raises are the most effective exercises for both the upper and lower abdominal muscles. The roller also showed the least tension in the lower back muscles. Lying on the floor with bent legs showed the lowest efficacy. Well, now you know which press exercises are worth keeping in your arsenal and which are not.

That's all for this, let's summarize.

Afterword

Today we got acquainted with the exercise "hanging leg raises". And so that the theory remains not only such, we blow into the hall and check the effectiveness of the ascents in practice. You're still here? Hopefully, already in the hall, see you!

PS. Do you use leg raises in your abs workout?

PPS. Did the project help? Then leave a link to it in the status of your social network- a plus 100 points to karma, guaranteed :).

With respect and gratitude, Dmitry Protasov.

Hanging leg raises on the bar (Toes to Bar) is one of the most effective exercise on the press, due to the fact that during its execution the body is in a stretched position, so our muscles receive a colossal load even in the negative phase of the movement (when lowering the legs).

There are several varieties of this exercise: lifting straight legs in the hang, lifting legs bent at the knees, alternating leg lifts, lifting toes to the bar and "corner" (static hold right angle between the legs and the body). We will describe all of them in more detail below.

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

What is the use of this exercise;
Types of hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar and also the technique of performing the exercise;
Crossfit complexes containing this exercise.

What are the benefits of doing hanging leg raises?

When lifting the legs in the hang, the athlete works out the abdominal muscles with an emphasis on their lower part - that segment, the development of which is often not enough even for experienced athletes. Add one upper ab and one oblique leg raises to your hanging leg raises, and you're ready to go. full workout.

By focusing on the lower abdominal muscles in each workout, you can kill several birds with one stone, making your core muscles stronger and improving the drawing of the "cubes". With the "cubes" everything is clear - here the only visual component is important to us, but a strong press is a completely different story. Good developed muscles belly help us do exercises such as deadlift and squats with a barbell, due to improved coordination and more complete control over the position of the pelvis and lower back; improve our performance in exercises where we use our explosive power(sprint race, box jumping, 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 volume of training load.

Types and technique of performing exercises

Raising straight legs in the hang on the crossbar

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

The lifter hangs from the bar at a level slightly wider than the shoulders, keeping the arms and legs straight. In the spine, we preserve the natural lordosis, the gaze is directed forward. We take a deep breath.
We exhale sharply and begin to pull our legs up, making a slight movement with the pelvis forward. We try to keep our legs straight and keep them in the same position throughout the entire approach. Feet can be pressed together or just keep them at a short distance - as you like.

© undrey - stock.adobe.com
Raise your 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 required muscle group... Smoothly we begin to lower our legs down, taking a breath.

© undrey - stock.adobe.com
Hanging leg bent at the knee
This option is more suitable for beginner athletes who are not yet given the opportunity to raise straight legs in the hang.
Its fundamental difference is that working at 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 reach with 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 add something new to their training process... It differs significantly from the previous types of leg lifts in that we combine static and dynamic loads in it: lifting one leg up to a right angle, part of our press performs dynamic work, while the other part of the press does static work, being responsible for the stable position of the body , otherwise the athlete will turn slightly to the side.
In this position, it is important to monitor the position of the lower back; you do not need to pull the sacrum area forward too much, since the spine will "twist" a little when lifting one leg.

Raising socks to the bar
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 in the work. Our task is to work out as isolated as possible abdominal Press keeping the body stationary.

© 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. At the same time, it is important not to forget about breathing, it should be smooth, without delays.

Many athletes who have well-developed quadriceps often complain that, along with the press, the front of the thigh does some of the work. To "turn off" the quadriceps from work, you need to bend your knees a little (about 10-15 degrees). This can change the biomechanics of movement a little, so try raising your legs a little higher to feel the peak contraction of the abdominal muscles.
Crossfit complexes
The table below lists several functional complexes containing this exercise. Be careful: the load is clearly not designed for beginners, be prepared for the next day that the soreness in the abdominal muscles will be such that it will hurt you even to laugh.

If you have had a knee injury or have arthrosis knee joint, you may be afraid to put stress on the diseased joint. And this is the biggest mistake a person with joint problems can make.

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

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

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

Hamstring tension

Stand up straight. You can stick to a wall or a chair. However, it is best 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, bringing your foot back.
Repeat 20 times for each leg.

If you don't have any major knee problems, give them extra stress. To do this, do not raise your free leg, but pull an elastic band or expander with it.

Calf stretch

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

Lateral thigh lift

Lie on the floor on your left side.
Raise your body with your elbows on your left forearm. Lift your left thigh off the floor by accepting.
You don't need to hold the pose for a long time. You can immediately go back.
Do 30 reps for each side of the body.

Lateral leg lift

Lie on the floor on your left side.
Raise your body with your elbows on your left forearm. Lift up right leg, trying not to bend her at the knee. Lift as high as you can.
Do 30 reps for each leg.

Straight leg lift

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

Prone Leg Raise

Lie on your stomach.
Lift 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 spread 1.2-1.4 meters.
Place your arms in front of your chest.
Bend your knees slowly. Ideally, your thighs should be parallel to the floor. But if this is not possible, just bend your legs as much as 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 this urge).
Hold the pose for 15 breaths and then slowly return to the starting position.
Repeat 3 times.

Stand up straight.
Sit down slowly so that you form a 45-degree angle (knees should not extend beyond your toes).
Lock the pose for a few seconds. To avoid falling, secure yourself from behind with a chair.
Repeat 10-15 times.

Climbing stairs

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

Take dumbbells to increase the load.