3 EASY EXERCISES TO TRAIN YOUR ABS AT HOME: THE LEG RAISE

Hello there,

During the course of my workout on Saturday, I was thinking of which exercise would effectively work my lower abs, thereby reducing the fat deposits that usually form around the stomach area.  Then it hit me; the leg raise was one of the hardest abdominal exercises I had encountered in all my years of training, rivalled only by its evil twin, the Floor Wiper.

The leg raise is of three types, the lying leg raise, the seated leg raise and the hanging leg raise. I did some research from bodybuilding.com and other fitness websites and I git some info specially for you guys. So enjoy!!!

Lying Leg Raise

1. Lie with your back flat on a bench and your legs extended in front of you off the end.
2. Place your hands either under your glutes with your palms down or by the sides holding on to the bench. This will be your starting position.
3. As you keep your legs extended, straight as possible with your knees slightly bent but locked raise your legs until they make a 90-degree angle with the floor. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction at the top for a second.
4. Now, as you inhale, slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.

Variations: The bench isn't necessary; you can do these just as well on the floor, as long as you don't let your legs rest on the floor at the bottom of the movement. Perform each rep slowly and keep those abs tight.  You can also add weight by holding a dumbbell in between your feet as you get more advanced.

Hanging Leg Raise

1. Hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended at arms length in top of you using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position.
2. Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so.
3. Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Perform this exercise slowly and deliberately as it takes some getting used to. Also, do not be hasty and try to use weights on the first time; you'll have enough in your hands by holding your weight and also learning how to balance yourself so that you avoid swinging your torso. As you get more advanced you can hold a dumbbell in between your feet. However, you have to be very careful when adding weight to this exercise as if you add too much too quickly you could get a hernia.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a vertical bench that makes the exercise easier by supporting your upper back in place and by allowing you to hold yourself by placing your elbows and arms on the side pads.

Seated Leg raise

1. Sit on a bench with the legs stretched out in front of you slightly below parallel and your arms holding on to the sides of the bench. Your torso should be leaning backwards around a 45-degree angle from the bench. This will be your starting position.
2. Bring the knees in toward you as you move your torso closer to them at the same time. Breathe out as you perform this movement.
3. After a second pause, go back to the starting position as you inhale.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also perform this exercise on a mat on the floor just by placing your arms to the sides. In this case, the legs will be stretched and elevated slightly over the floor. Also, as you become more advanced you can hold a dumbbell in between your feet or attach a pulley to them for added resistance. However, you have to be very careful when adding weight to this exercise as if you add too much too quickly you could get a hernia.