Leg raises are an exercise that can help you get a defined midsection. I incorporate leg raises into my workout once a week. I definitely could push myself to do more of them, even though I am not a slave to them.
Leg raises are an abdominal workout that uses the core muscles as well as the hip flexors, and they are basically what they say they are.
I decided to do 50 leg raises a day for two weeks in order to focus on the move. Hanging leg raises are the most challenging variation and I focused on them in the name of good journalism. What happened?
Are you looking for more exercise inspiration? When I rowed a mile a day for two weeks, and then tried Chris Hemsworth’s 70 rep bodyweight workout, it was a different story.
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How to do a leg raise
Leg raises that are performed on the ground, lying on a mat with your arms by your side and your legs together are the first thing we will discuss. Lift your legs up to the ceiling and keep them straight until you reach a 90- degree angle to your body. Keep your back pressed into the ground as you tilt your body upwards. Slowly lower the legs.
Hanging leg raises are also present. These involve hanging and lifting the legs up and out in front of you, as the name suggests. As the core drives the legs up, it’s important to keep a tight core and back. I usually get my legs up to a point where they form a 90-degree angle to my torso, but I find it difficult to raise my knees when I do.
The majority of my leg raises were done on the Captain’s chair frame. Your forearms are resting on the arms of the chair, your back is pressed against the ball, and you engage your core to drive your legs up. If you don’t have a good grip strength, this machine will allow you to work your core without having to hang onto the bar.
The secret to the six-pack of my dreams is 50 leg raises a day. When I did the move, here is what happened.
My hip flexors were strong.
The hip flexors are the muscles at the front of the hips that help you flex your leg up. The hip flexors are firing up big time when you raise your legs.
Doing 50 leg raises most certainly perked mine up and I found my weighted barbell lunges a little easier at the end of the two week period.
Leg raises are hard to achieve.
Leg raising on the ground is fine. A different story is being told. My hands are screaming at me as I hold the bar after just a few reps. If you are new to hanging leg raises, you should not go straight in with 50 a day. Leg raises on the Captain’s Chair are not as difficult as you might think.
Many variations can be thrown.
Is it getting boring? There are a number of leg raise variations, such as around the world, where your legs pause at different points from high to low, and toes to bar, where your legs come all the way up.
I can hang about three hanging windshield wipers before my body collapses. If you want to try the other two variations, give them a try.
My grip got better.
Both hands have to hold a bar when hanging leg raises. Many people place chalk on their palms to increase grip power. I grabbed the bar with my bare hands because my gym didn’t have any chalk. It was easier for me to hold onto the bar after one week.
I would do about six leg raises before I had to take a break. The Captain’s Chair was very useful at this point because 50 leg raises took a long time. I was doing 12 hanging leg raises by the end of the two week period.
My lower abdominals bulged.
At the end of my workouts, I throw in some abdominal moves to strengthen my muscles. My core muscles exploded when I did leg raises every day.
My midsection was noticeably more toned after a few days. My body fat percentage is low enough that I can see some of my muscles already. The calculation of your body fat percentage is important.
I did 50 leg raises a day for two weeks — here’s my verdict
This is one of the hardest challenges I have ever done, mostly because I was only able to raise my legs around 10 times. I switched between hanging and Captain’s Chair leg raises because I didn’t want to do lying leg raises.
I feel like I have strengthened other areas of my body, such as my grip strength, as a result of the hard work I have done.
The benefits will definitely be seen in your core. If hanging leg raises are too difficult, I advise you to start with lying leg raises and then throw a few reps of hanging leg raises in. The Captain’s Chair is your best friend.
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