It is time to change your style of dealing with the abdominal area. We are used to doing push-ups and crunches on the ground and so on. Yes, these movements are very effective, but they may not target the abdominal area more.
That’s why hanging leg raises may excel in targeting the abdominal area, chasing the lumpy fat in it and helping to build strong abdominal muscles, and this is what we all desire.
That is why I will reveal to you the effectiveness of hanging leg raises exercises in exhausting the abdominal muscles and targeting all its aspects, and why everyone should include hanging leg raises exercises in their training program in order to get strong abdominal muscles.
Hanging leg raises body effect
During a study conducted by specialists on the effect of hanging leg raises movements on the body, especially the abdominal area, the research focused on the specific muscles that were challenged and the size of the load resulting from the spine.
The gradients of the activity of the involved muscles and the characteristics of the load of the spine were observed, so that the straight leg raise created approximately 3000 Newtons of spinal pressure, this means that the exercise succeeded in activating the abdominal wall and generated a great challenge in the abdomen.
What are Hanging leg raises good for?
The hanging leg raise is one of the body weight exercises that does not require equipment, this exercise may help you achieve fitness goals in general, like any body weight exercise, and it has been proven effective in building abdominal muscles, improving the strength of the arms and helping to build strength and improve the speed.
Burning Calories : Also, hanging legs is a great exercise to burn calories, and this is what makes it effective in reducing belly fat as well, so that a person weighing about 150 pounds can burn 40 calories in 10 minutes, the more the person weighs, the more calories burned.
The hanging leg exercise is not limited to building the abdominal muscles only, so that the bar grip leads to targeting many other areas of the body, especially the upper part of the body, so that it strengthen each of:
- shoulders
- grips and forearms
- back
- abdominal muscles
- hip flexor
Why are hanging leg raises good in targeting abs?
Hanging leg raises exercises of almost all kinds are effective in targeting the abdominal area, especially those that we do on the bar, because they allow the greatest range of movement and maximum impact.
With the use of body weight, the most benefit can be achieved from the hanging leg exercise because it is isotonic in the vertical body position and you can create the longest possible pressure that holds the abdominal muscles by raising your straight legs.
What are the main muscles worked by Hanging leg raises?
Two major muscles are the most targeted by the hanging leg raise, and other muscles are targeted secondarily.
- Abdominal muscles:
Abdominal muscles are stressed when raising the legs, and the degree of abdominal tension varies according to the level of raising the feet, and the tension may increase if some weight is added to the feet.
- hips:
The movement of the hip rotation while raising the legs makes more effort and helps raise the feet up to strengthen the hips and make them more flexible.
Secondary Targeted Muscles:
- Anterior and posterior shoulder muscles.
- hand grip.
- back muscles
Hanging leg raises variations
There are some variables that can be of the same quality and effectiveness and that can be replaced with each other, also even for beginners there are easy variables that they can rely on and get the same result.
beginner variations
Many beginners can not lift their feet straight, do not worry you can raise the bent knees will be easy and will do almost the same role, because the important thing is the movement of the hips.
- Static holds
Also a static hold does not require raising the feet, all you have to do is hang on to the bar and take a stable position and push both your feet forward and keep them straight and stay as steady as possible.
For better expression (make a banana shape on the bar).
Advanced variations
Some weights can be added between the knees in order to add more challenge, all you have to do is choose a weight that you are comfortable with and you will be ready.
Putting something heavy between the knees while lifting is a bigger challenge for the abdominal muscles.
- Weighted hanging leg raises
You can also hold a weight or a heavy ball between your legs in order to add more challenge to the abdominal muscles, because the greater the weight of the lower section of the body, the more difficult it is for the abdominal muscles.
Note:
Excessive use of weights while doing leg raises may not be a good option, because the rate of exposure to injury is large and the task is difficult for the back and hips, and this may lead to injury and recovery may take a long time.
So you can do it without weights and that will be more than enough.
Are hanging leg raises enough for abs?
Some things must be clarified first, there is no exercise that may help you target the muscles of the body and magically build them, the leg raise may be effective in targeting the abdominal muscles and sculpting them well, but all this may disappear if your diet is weak or you do not get enough of Protein or not a good diet in general.
The answer to the question is yes, because leg raises are one of the exercises that put strong pressure on the abdominal muscles and allow you to target them in different ways.
There are many alternatives to the bar so that you can do leg raises by lying on the ground and they have almost the same effectiveness.
In order to build abdominal muscles, you must adhere to exercises and instead put in more effort and do more with each session, and The most important thing is to follow a diet that does not encourage gaining fat.
How often should I do hanging leg raises?
Hanging leg raises can be included in your warm-ups before exercise or during cardio sessions, do them whenever you get the chance, 3 to 4 sessions a week will be good to fatigue the abdominal muscles and remind them of exercises.
Do 2 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions during each session.
What are some mistakes to avoid during performing hanging leg raises?
One of the reasons that you may not get good results or not get results is to make some mistakes while doing the movement, because what makes the muscles grow or benefit from exercises is when we target them correctly, so there are some mistakes that you must avoid.
- Do not disengage or lean back to complete the movement
- Not engaging the upper body
- Lacking control
Useful links
These links may be useful to you if you are a fan of building fitness and strength or gaining muscle at home, these links contain the most powerful CrossFit exercises that you can rely on mainly.
If you are a fan of bodyweight workouts, you can rely on these workouts at home, believe me, you may not need anyone to build strong fitness only at home.
Best CrossFit wods for abs at home
More than 50 Bodyweight wods for beginners (no equipment needed)
Best Jump rope wods to burn a lot of calories
If you have some equipment such as dumbbells, or a bar and some weights and you are a fan of building muscle, you may want to try the best CrossFit workouts for strength and build muscle endurance.
Best CrossFit wods for building strength
Best CrossFit dumbbell wods for beginners
3 Wods to build strong muscles at home
If you are used to going to the gym, you can train the back area with the best cable workouts for the back.
