Q: You never mention hanging leg raises to work abs. Why not? I really feel a good burn from those.
A: Keeping your legs straight and raising them, whether lying on a bench or hanging, is all hip flexor action, not abs.
The rectus abdominis is NOT connected to your legs…
So why do you feel an ab burn with leg raises? Your rectus is contracting isometrically as your hip flexors raise your legs. That’s a very inefficient way to train your abs…
Remember, the rectus abdominis pulls your hips toward your torso or your torso toward your hips. So if you can curl your hips up at the top of a leg raise, you would be getting some dynamic ab work; however…
The resistance curve is backward and, again, you’re mostly working hip flexors.
The best resistance curve for optimal muscle stimulation is hardest at stretch and easiest at contraction—which is why the incline crunch is the ideal ab-etching exercise. You can lower the incline so you have some resistance at the top; however, be sure you get a mild stretch in your abs at the start…
Research continues to show that the stretch area of the stroke is of primary importance—the key area for maximum target-muscle activation and growth.
The lying knee-up that I add-on sometimes is one on which I can curl my hips toward my torso, which is why I include it, despite some hip flexor involvement. I’ve always tried to include some type of hip curl, and that’s the best I’ve found.
Training the hip-curl function after torso-curl work has helped etch my abs nicely over the years, as this older shot shows…
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Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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In fact, group of medical experts out of Ohio University found that you can increase strength by up to 212% without moving a muscle.
And studies out of The Cleveland Clinic, The University of Washington, and New York University all confirm the same thing. As stated by one of our often-quoted colleagues…
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