THEthe hanging leg raise is a high-level isolation exercise which helps build hip flexor muscles and abdominal muscles; to perform it, all you need is a high bar and you can thus include it in your training routine.
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How do you do hanging leg raises?
Hanging leg raises require the use of an overhead grab bar; this bar must be stable and able to support the full weight of the body, as well as withstanding the added strain when raising and lowering the legs.
A bar for pull-up could be a good choice; let's see the correct execution of this exercise:
- Grasp the bar with one pinch (made with three fingers) reverse with thumbs around the bar to improve stability; It is not necessary to hang at this stage, but ideally your hands should grip the bar well above your head.
- Exhale as you lift your feet off the ground, raising your straight legs forward
- Tilt your pelvis back and engage your core and hip flexors for ease of movement
- Raise your legs until you start to feel tired and try to bring them at least parallel to the ground
- Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position, inhaling as you do this
- Maintain the inclination of the pelvis even at the end of the movement.
Benefits
I hip flexors, the sartorius and theiliopsoas they work hard during hanging leg raises. The longest muscle in the body, the sartorius, contributes to knee and hip flexion.
The iliopsoas flexes the hip to bring the thighs closer to the trunk, assists in lateral flexion, and flexes the spine. The rectus femoris and adductor longus work synergistically to lift the legs and keep them suspended.
I stabilizer abdominal muscles during this exercise are the abdominal rectum and the obliques. The effects of this exercise depend on how far you lift your legs, but your abs work hard at any level; un core forte makes it easier to lift heavy objects and promotes healthy posture.
Variants of hanging leg raises
This exercise can be performed in several ways, depending on your fitness level:
- Bent leg hanging raises: if you have difficulty bringing your legs straight up, try doing it with your legs bent; use your abs and flexors to bring your knees up to your waist so they are bent at 90 degrees
- Captain's chair leg raises: in this version a chair with a backrest and armrests is used, which help to maintain the position; rest your forearms on the armrests, grab the handles and raise your legs stretched out in front of you
- Shoulder-level leg hanging raises: to increase the difficulty of this exercise, lift your legs up to shoulder height; this causes the rectus abdominis to work even harder.
Common mistakes
Let's see the most common mistakes when performing the hanging leg raise:
- Oscillation: you don't have to swing to give yourself the momentum to lift your legs; the effort should be focused on the core and hip flexors
- Humped shoulders: you have to keep your shoulders down to protect them during the execution; to get the right position the shoulders, while hanging, must be as far away from the ears as possible
- Lowering legs too quickly: the core muscles work during the descent of the legs; turning them down too soon loses this benefit.
And you, do you do the hanging leg raise during your workouts? Let us know in the comments and remember to follow us on our telegram channel
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