Floor crunches (upper abdominal muscles) Technique of the exercise The next exercise is called the floor crunch. As you remember, we said that the upper abdominal muscles are responsible for bringing the chest to the hip joint. That

Lateral crunches (oblique muscles of the abdomen) Technique of the exercise The third main exercise for the abdominal muscles is the lateral crunches to work out the oblique muscles. In the same way as in any other exercise, we must learn how to properly work with the ones we need.

Kicking Immediately I say: there will be no spectacular jumps and graceful poses. If you want to swing your legs beautifully - go in for taekwondo, there it is better organized. In a real fight, only the simplest and most reliable elements are used. And kicks in this regard are not

Forearm: "Twisting" in the wrists Working muscles: The main working muscles are flexors and extensors of the forearm. Secondary - some other muscles of the forearm. Equipment: Dumbbells. Execution: Take a dumbbell in each hand. Starting position - shells in

Forearm: "Twisting" in the wrists behind the back Working muscles: Main working muscles - flexors of the forearm. Secondary - extensors of the forearm and various muscles of the wrist. Equipment: Barbell with a straight bar, stands. Execution: Turn your back to the bar, lying

Exercise 10 "Arc" with knees bent and apart Exercise involves the large and medium gluteal muscles. Starting position: Lying on your back. Hands behind the head. The feet are pressed together, the knees are bent up to 100 ° and apart.

Twisting the body Take your hands in the lock. Perform vigorous rotations to the right and left, but not to the limit, otherwise you can stretch the muscles (do not confuse stretching with a warm-up). Keep your back straight, your head stretches

Twists Starting position: hands are on the neck, elbows are straightened, shoulders touch the floor. Twisting in the upper spine, bend forward. Only the upper back works. Do not bend your neck - if you do the exercise correctly 30 times, you will feel a burning sensation

Crunching on the press is an exercise performed by athletes to gain strong and prominent abs. In terms of its biomechanics, it represents an elevation of the trunk with a slight rounding of the back (kyphosis) in the thoracic region from a prone position. As a rule, the twists are performed by the athlete not in the maximum possible amplitude so that the load is constant and the abdominal muscles do not relax at the upper and lower points. Working in a similar execution technique, the load is focused on the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle.

This exercise has gained a well-deserved popularity among athletes involved in crossfit, bodybuilding, fitness and martial arts, since a well-developed abdominal press plays an important role in all these disciplines. And today we will tell you how to do twisting correctly - all possible variations of this exercise.

What is the use of crunches on the press?

I want to note right away that twisting is not the same exercise as lifting the body or sit-up. In twisting, the amplitude is not so important to us, here there is absolutely no point in lifting the body to a right angle, as much as the continuous work of the abdominal muscles and control over the movement - for this we somewhat round the back in the thoracic region. This slight kyphosis is perfectly acceptable and does not increase the risk of injury.

Twists are good because by choosing one or another type of twisting that we will do in training, we can regularly add variety to the training process and work out in isolation certain fates of the muscles of our press.

Because of this, I consider crunches to be the # 1 abdominal exercise. It is quite simple, it is easy to feel the contraction and stretching of the working muscle group in it, most of its types do not require additional equipment, and with the help of twisting you can properly work out the muscles of your abs in literally 10-15 minutes - an excellent option for those people who can't set aside a lot of time for training.




Types and technique of performing the exercise

Let's take a look at how to correctly do the most famous types of curls, starting from the more basic, effective and common ones.

Classic crunches

The simplest variation of crunches of the press from the point of view of observing the correct technique is the classic one. The athlete performing the exercise raises the torso slightly bent in the upper part (the area of ​​the shoulder blades and the broadest muscles of the back) from the supine position. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: the athlete lies down on the floor or a fitness mat, legs are bent at the knees, rest your feet firmly on the floor, and take your hands behind your head.
2. While exhaling, gently lift the upper body without changing the position of the lower back and buttocks - they remain firmly pressed to the floor. The upper back should be rounded a little, so it will be easier for you to concentrate on contracting the abdominal muscles.
3. Continue smoothly lifting the torso until you feel the load reach its peak. Hold this position for a second to further statically contract the muscles.
4. Start going down. Lowering the body must be controlled. It is not necessary to lower yourself completely to the floor, it is better to stop about ten centimeters from it, when the abdominal muscles are most stretched. Working in such a reduced amplitude, you will increase the effectiveness of this exercise, since the load will be many times more intense.

Reverse crunches

An equally effective type of exercise is reverse crunches on the press, accentuating the bulk of the load in the lower part of the press. The fundamental difference with the classic version lies in the fact that in reverse crunches, we reduce the press by raising the legs, and not the body. Reverse crunches can be performed both lying on the floor and lying on a special bench with your head up - there are no cardinal differences. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: the athlete lies down on the floor or on an incline bench, holding on to its upper edge with his hands. If you are doing the exercise on the floor, it is recommended to keep your arms straight down, they will help you better control the movement. The legs should be slightly bent at the knees.
2. Begin to lift your legs up, while exhaling and smoothly lifting the lower back from the surface - this will provide the best contraction of the abdominal muscles.
3. Smoothly lower your legs and lower back down while inhaling. It is better to work here in the same way as in regular twists - in a shortened amplitude with constant muscle tension.

© Makatserchyk - stock.adobe.com

Incline Bench Crunches

Almost every modern gym is equipped with a special bench with an incline of about 30 degrees to work out the abs, why not take advantage of this? Moreover, the exercise is as effective as the classic lying twisting. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: sit on an incline bench, secure your legs between the rollers at the top of the bench, cross your arms over your chest.
2. As you exhale, begin to twist, slightly rounding the upper back. The biomechanics of twisting on an incline bench is almost identical to the classic version, so here we work in the same amplitude.
3. Smoothly go down, taking a breath. Here you can work in the maximum possible amplitude with a slight delay on the bench, so it will be easier to "squeeze" the rectus abdominis muscle, each time starting the movement from the starting position. More experienced athletes can work this exercise using additional weights, holding a disc from a barbell or a small dumbbell in their hands at the level of the solar plexus.

Standing block machine crunches

An interesting option for those who want to diversify the load. The advantage of the block trainer is that the load is continuous and the muscles are statically tense even in the top position. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: stand with your back to a block trainer or crossover, grab the handle with both hands (it is most convenient to do it with a rope handle), place the handle behind your head at neck level.
2. Begin a downward movement, rounding the shoulder blades and contracting your abs. It should be lowered until the elbows touch the hips. Pause briefly in this position. Of course, the weight in the simulator should be set low, otherwise you risk getting a spinal injury.
3. While inhaling, smoothly begin to unbend back, while straightening your back. Here we are working at full amplitude, a small delay at the starting point is acceptable.

Crunches in a block trainer on your knees

Kneeling crunches are another exercise variation that requires an overhead block. The difference lies in the amplitude - here it is shorter, so it will be easier for many to feel the contraction of the abdominal muscles in this particular version. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: face the block trainer, grab the rope handle, kneel down with it. Keep your back upright and straight and look forward.
2. Begin to lower the body down, while rounding your back and exhaling. As in standing crunches, try to touch your legs with your elbows. Lock in this position for a moment, tightening your abs further.
3. Gradually begin to unbend. You can work both in full and in a shortened amplitude, try both options and stop at the one in which you will feel the maximum load on the press.

© Makatserchyk - stock.adobe.com

Hanging crunches

A technically challenging but effective option for old-school heavy training enthusiasts. Hanging upside down on the horizontal bar, it is quite difficult to concentrate on making exactly the twisting movement, and not lifting the body, but this moment comes with experience. You should not do twisting in the hanging if you suffer from intracranial hypertension or increased intraocular pressure - it is fraught with the aggravation of the problem. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: the athlete hangs on the bar on bent legs, the whole body is lowered down, the back is straight, the arms are brought together at the back of the head. It is important that in the initial position the body does not wobble and there is no inertia.
2. Begin to lift the body up, exhaling, rounding your back and lifting your buttocks up a little. Do not try to work at full amplitude and try to reach your knees with your head - there is little sense in this. It is better to work approximately to the level of parallel with the ground, at this moment the tension of the abdominal muscles will be maximum.
3. Slowly lower yourself down while inhaling. If necessary, hold in the lower position for a couple of seconds to completely extinguish the inertia, start the movement from a stationary state.

Oblique twists

In this version of twisting, the bulk of the load falls on the oblique abdominal muscles, so oblique crunches will be a great addition to any basic exercise that involves the rectus abdominis muscle. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: the athlete lies on the floor, legs are bent at the knees, feet are pressed to the floor, arms are crossed at the back of the head. Place the ankle of one leg on the knee of the other.
2. We begin the movement with the body up, exhaling and slightly turning the body in order to better feel the contraction of the oblique abdominal muscles. Try to reach the knee of your left leg with the elbow of your right hand. After that, switch your legs in places and try to reach the knee of your right leg with your left elbow.
3. We do not go down completely, we work in a shortened amplitude, the oblique muscles should "squeeze" the entire approach.

© Andrey Popov - stock.adobe.com

Twisting with raised legs

A very interesting exercise due to the combination of static and dynamic loads, the press is tense throughout the entire approach. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: the athlete lies on the floor, the back is pressed to the floor. Raise your legs up so that they are approximately perpendicular to the body, while static stress on the lower part of the press begins. Hands should be crossed at the back of the head.
2. We begin a smooth movement with the body up, while exhaling. We slightly round the thoracic spine and try to reach the knees with our head. We hold the lower back motionless, do not tear it off the floor. Lock in this position for a second.
3. Smoothly go down, taking a breath. Here it is better to work at full amplitude, with a small pause in the starting position - this way the contraction of the abdominal muscles will be maximum.

© chika_milan - stock.adobe.com

Fitball crunches

If your gym has a fitball, you can vary the load and try to do twisting on it. This exercise develops well the neuromuscular connection with the rectus abdominis, and also the buttocks and hamstrings statically work in it, which will come in handy for many athletes. It is done as follows:

1. Starting position: the athlete lies down on the fitball, we rest our feet on the floor, place our feet slightly to the sides, arms crossed at the back of the head.
2. We begin to lift the body up, exhaling and slightly rounding the back. Do not let the ball change its position, this is the meaning of the exercise, at this moment a large number of muscles are involved in the work, which are responsible for balance and stabilization.

Common beginner mistakes

Many abdominal exercises have their own technical nuances that must be mastered in order to get the most out of them. Let's take a look at the most common mistakes, myths and misconceptions:

1. You should not train your abs more often than 1-2 times a week. Twisting is a fairly easy exercise, but even after it, the body takes time to recover.
2. Performing a large number of repetitions, you will not burn excess fat deposits on the stomach and get the cherished "cubes". The optimal rep range for crunches is 12-20, in combination with a diet tailored to your goals, such an approach will give maximum results.
3. Do not use too heavy weights. If you are doing rotations with a disc or dumbbell, do not chase weights, it is better to focus on mental concentration and contract your abdominal muscles in a more isolated manner, but involving any assistants in the work.

Training program for a month

The Internet is replete with a huge number of training programs for the press. "Press in a week", "Press in 7 minutes a day" and other nonsense, which is not worth spending attention on. Below I propose a work program for the development of abdominal muscles, calculated for a month (4 training weeks), the basis of which is various types of twisting. You can use it if you want to improve the relief of the muscles, make the abdominal muscles stronger and increase the number of repetitions that you can perform without technical errors. The program is based on the principle of periodization, it alternates between hard and light workouts. Within one week, we do one heavy volume workout (for example, on Monday), and three days later (on Thursday) we do a lighter workout to keep the muscles in good shape. In just a month, it turns out eight workouts.

Workout number	Training type	Exercises
1	Heavy	1. Hanging leg raises: 4 sets of 10-15 reps. 2. Twisting lying on the floor: 3 sets of 15-20 reps. 3. Plank: 3 sets of 45-90 seconds.
2	Easy	1. Twisting lying on an incline bench: 3 sets of 12-15 reps. 2. Crunches in a block trainer on your knees: 2 sets of 10-12 reps.
3	Heavy	1. Twisting lying on an incline bench with additional weights: 3 sets of 10-12 times. 2. Oblique crunches: 4 sets of 12-15 reps. 3. Plank: 3 sets of 60-90 seconds.
4	Easy	1. Twisting lying on the floor: 5 sets of 10-15 reps.
5	Heavy	1. Twisting lying on an incline bench with additional weights: 3 sets of 12-15 times. 2. Sit-ups: 3 sets of 10-12 reps. 3. Plank: 3 sets of 75-90 seconds.
6	Easy	1. Twisting lying on the floor: 3 sets of 10-12 reps. 2. Reverse crunches: 2 sets of 12-15 reps.
7	Heavy	1. Twisting lying on an incline bench with additional weights: 3 sets of 15-20 times. 2. Sit-ups with additional weights: 3 sets of 10 times. 3. Plank: 3 sets of 90-120 seconds.
8	Easy	1. Twisting lying on the floor: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Hello dear friends of my blog. Your faithful assistant and consultant Vitaly Okhrimenko is with you, and today we continue to analyze the exercises from. And today we got to the curls with raised legs.

P. S. I wrote about how to effectively pump the press in general.

Honestly, I really like this exercise. It happens how you can do these twists after lifting the legs in the hang, and then you will also fix the process with reverse twists, the press just burns, and such cubes are drawn in the mirror. It's a pity that they disappear right after lunch

We were joking and that's enough, let's talk about it.

The raised leg crunches are primarily aimed at the rectus abdominis, although the obliques also receive a decent load. This exercise does not so much work on the relief as it helps to burn subcutaneous fat. Of course, this is only subject to an integrated approach.

Twisting with raised legs can be safely called a basic exercise, and due to its ease of performance, it is very popular - after all, you do not need any special devices, benches and other things to complete the exercise, do yourself calmly at home and enjoy the results.

Starting position

In the starting position, we lie on the floor, raise our legs perpendicular to the floor, you can bend a little at the knee joint. You can cross your legs at the ankles, or keep them parallel to each other.

The position of the hands is even more varied. You can cross your arms over your chest, you can stretch it forward in front of your chest, you can put it behind your head and hold it at your temple. Each option is good in its own way, we try everything and choose the most convenient one. The only moment, if you keep your hands on the back of your head, you need to carefully monitor so as not to pull your head with your hands. This method can lead to neck injury. Do we need it?

Stretching your arms forward, you need to reach with your fingertips to the feet of your feet, this approach will be quite effective.

The technique of performing twists with raised legs

We do the twisting itself sharply, accompanying it with a strong exhalation, at the top point we strain the press as much as possible, after which we return to the starting position slowly, the press is tense throughout the return.

How many sets?

This exercise is primarily aimed at burning subcutaneous fat in the abdominal area, so the number of approaches is 4 - 5.

How many reps?

Read the previous paragraph to understand why the number of repetitions fluctuates between 15 and 25.

How much rest?

Less than 30 seconds between sets.

* note: sets, reps and rests are described in the case of doing the exercise as an independent exercise at home in your free time. I doubt that you have the strength to do 5 sets of 20 times after reverse crunches or lessons with a roller.

If your goal is to burn subcutaneous fat, then this exercise should be done at a high-speed pace. High reps: 25-30 per set.

Performing the exercise, you need to be careful about the rocking of the body. The fact is that if your legs swing from side to side, then you will not be able to fully load your abs. Part of the load will go to inertia, part to the strength of the legs and lower back. And what will the press remain? Therefore, I conjure you: keep your legs in one position throughout the exercise. Hopefully agreed 😎.

Forget about the lightweight method with your legs against the wall. This option will absolutely not be more effective than simple twists. The fact is that the load on the press is much higher when the legs are on weight. After all, the retention of the legs is due to the rectus abdominis muscle, which, in addition, we also contract over and over again. So don't lighten the load on your press if you want to be proud of it!

For more trained people, additional weights can be used. Weight placement options are similar to hand placement options. That is, you can hold the weight with your arms crossed on your chest, you can hold it on outstretched arms in front of your chest or behind your head. The option with arms crossed on the chest is the simplest.

Leg up crunches video

Well, that's actually all you and I need to know about curls with raised legs. The exercise is great, the exercise is effective, the exercise is effective. If after reading the article you still have questions, especially if questions appear after mastering the exercise, I am waiting for them in the comments.

Thanks for your time. I hope it was well spent.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at upside-down crunches. As you understand, this is one of the varieties of the press exercise, popular all over the world. With this combination, you can easily tighten your abdominal muscles and work on the relief.

To begin with, let's quickly go over the theory of how to properly swing the press, what you need to do for this, and so on. In fact, this is a very important point, since many people, in my observation, overestimate exercises, forgetting about more global things.

As usual, I will explain the topic of excess fat, how and what you need to do to pump up your abs. If you are subscribed to the site and constantly follow our news, I think you already know everything perfectly well, so you can safely skip the introduction and go to the point where the correct twisting technique with upside down is described in detail .. Also, SUBSCRIBE to our email newsletter to always receive the latest blog articles in your mail.

What do you need to know to build abs?

To achieve a raised and toned press, you should first, if you have one. People who have problems with being overweight put a lot of emphasis on training. They do a lot of exercise, spend 2-3 hours at the gym, do many sets and train to exhaustion hoping to burn fat and tighten their abdominal muscles. The truth is that exercise strengthens and thickens muscle tissue; it has little or no effect on fat burning. Yes, that's right, it's not a typo. Of course, exercise, in addition to strengthening muscles, affects the acceleration of metabolism, that is, metabolism. And this helps to accelerate the breakdown of fat cells into their constituent fatty acids. This is where the effect of physical activity on the burning of fat cells ends. This is only a small percentage of what is needed to reduce weight. BASIC role in incineration Adipocytes plays just the same correct and balanced nutrition.

More than once I heard in the gym how people complain that they do a bunch of different exercises on the press, hammer it until they turn blue, and the result is 0. The whole problem lies in nutrition, and even more often, in the impatience of the person himself. After all, many people think that it is possible to lose 10-20 kilograms of fat in a week or a month, this is fundamentally a misconception. It is because of the expectation that after a week or two, the fat will disappear before our eyes, a person expects a quick result, and when after two weeks he does not receive the desired effect, everything is completely abandoned. Here is an article that went into detail about. Be sure to read it.

To get rid of extra pounds, and then work out the abdominal muscles, you need A COMPLEX APPROACH ... That is, you must draw up the correct training program, select and adjust the correct diet for yourself and adhere to the based regimen, recover correctly, and so on. An extremely comprehensive approach will give you results. If a person does something separate, for example, swing, but, at the same time, do not follow the correct diet, forget about recovery, and so on, the result will not be.

So, I think you get the main point. To build abs, you first need to get rid of your belly. How to do this, we will analyze in detail in the next article, because in this publication, the main topic is the exercise - twisting with the legs up. Once again, let's consolidate a small, so to speak - instruction. If a person is overweight, put a goal first - BURN THE FAT... After the goal is achieved, you can start gaining muscle mass, swinging the press, and so on. Only with the achievement of the desired percentage of subcutaneous fat to muscles, you can start building the body, but not vice versa. This is a very important point.

If you have no problem with an oversupply of so-called adipocytes (the cells that make up the bulk of fat), congratulations. If there are no such problems, you can safely start the process of building muscles or training, in order to just tighten the muscles a little. Each goal is different. In general, let's move on to our exercise - twisting with raised legs.

Correct exercise technique

Technically speaking, the exercise is only slightly more complicated. In all other respects, it literally repeats the classic twists while lying on the floor. The difficulty is that the muscles of the anterior cortex are in constant tension.

The first thing we do is lie with your back on the floor. It is best to use a fitness mat under your back so you can concentrate on the exercise as much as possible and do it without distractions.

Second step. When lying on the floor, place your hands behind your head and raise your legs so that they are almost perpendicular to the floor. After that, bend your knees slightly. This is done to avoid discomfort and tension in the leg muscles. Since not many can boast of a good stretch, sit on a twine, and so on, this must be done. Of course, if your stretch allows you to keep your legs fully extended, you can do the exercise this way.

After the starting position is ready, you can start performing twists. The most important thing is not to lift the pelvis off the floor. You must lift, or rather twist the torso, contracting the abdominal muscles as much as possible. This exercise can be done in different ways. For example, instead of hiding your hands behind your head, you can pull them forward (along with your torso) while twisting to make the exercise a little easier. Also, one option is to pull your hands up towards your toes.

And the last step. After twisting, return to the starting position, while the abdominal muscles should be in constant tension during the exercise. Perform the intended number of reps and sets.

Helpful Tips (White and Red Muscle Fibers)

As we already know from previous articles, our muscles are divided into White Muscle Fibers and Red Muscle Fibers. So, for people who are just starting to exercise, first you should worry about KMV... After the muscles get stronger, you can train Bmw.

I remind you that training KMV suitable for most people, both professionals and beginners. They are trained without the use of additional weights, for 30-50 seconds. That is, during this time, you must complete the maximum number of repetitions. If it's 20 it's good, if it's 30 it's great. The main thing is to remember that after this time, strong acidification of the muscles can occur, which will negatively affect their recovery.

Workout Bmw involves performing complex exercises, for 6-12 repetitions. Such abdominal training promotes hypertrophy of the core muscles, thereby increasing the visual visibility of the abs (cubes). The very point is to achieve muscle failure in 6-12 repetitions, that is, so that after, for example, 8 repetitions, you can no longer do the next repetition. Often, to achieve this, it is not enough to perform a difficult exercise, adhering to a clear technique. Not uncommon when exercising Bmw using extra weight.

Abdominal muscles- these are the same muscles as the pectorals, biceps, triceps, and so on. Therefore, it would be logical to train them in the same way as all other groups. If you want to gain mass, make the exercise harder, want to tighten your belly, do the maximum amount of exercise, within the specified period of time, which was mentioned above, and everything will be fine.

The most common mistakes when doing an exercise "twisting on the press with the legs raised up"

As mentioned earlier, the most difficult thing is to keep your legs in the same position, while doing the exercise correctly. Many, due to insufficient stretching and a sense of balance, begin to swing their legs or arms. It is necessary to clearly fix the legs and twist the torso. If you help yourself with swinging, the load on the target muscles will decrease. Accordingly, a person will not achieve the desired result from the exercise. If the stretch prevents you from fully straightening your legs, bend your knees slightly. You can place your feet on a platform, chair, bench, etc. to make the exercise easier. These will already be almost classic twists.