Leg Raises Question

[Legion Kreinak2]

When doing weighted leg raises (lying on floor, weights on ankles) I feel as if my hips get worked more than my lower ab area. More than my abs in general, actually.

Is this normal? Any pointers on the exercise?

 

[gymtime]

That's because you're working your hip flexors, moreso than your abs. I've never found these to be an effective ab excercise.

 

[Zyglamail]

The problem most people have when the do these is that, as gymtime stated, you work hip flexors due to poor form. You can tell when flexors come into play when they pull lower back off bench and arch it. The key is to concentrate on pressing you low back hard int the bench by contracting your abs. If you cant get your legs all the way parallel without having low back pulled up by hip flexors then you are using too much weight.

 

[Legion Kreinak2]

What's parallel with that exercise? Wait, are you supposed to bend knees at a 90 degree angle?

I would just do weighted crunches, but my upper stomach seems to have built much bigger than my lower. Has anyone ever had this happen?

Any other ab exercises (besides hanging hip raises, it's too cold to use my awning poles outside right now) that target the lower portion I can do?

 

[Zyglamail]

What's parallel with that exercise? Wait, are you supposed to bend knees at a 90 degree angle?

I would just do weighted crunches, but my upper stomach seems to have built much bigger than my lower. Has anyone ever had this happen?

Any other ab exercises (besides hanging hip raises, it's too cold to use my awning poles outside right now) that target the lower portion I can do?

do leg raises laying on a bench with legs hanging over the end, so parallel would be parallel to floor.

Same problem happens with crunches,, people use hip flexors to pull themselves up, if you do a crunch and concentrate on pressing your low back into the bench/floor it will hit the abs.

If you have a partner try this, lay on floor, bend knees like a normal crunch. Now have partner kneel in front of your feet and reach behind your heals and hold your feet. Now you pull your heels toward your butt while he resists the pull. Make sure to keep your feet flat on floor and constant tension pulling heels toward but and while doing so contract abs and try and sit up. As long as you keep tension and try and pull heels towards your butt you will find this much much more dificult than a crunch. The reason being is that recipricol inhibition keeps the hip flexors out of the picture and you can concentrate on just the abs.

Another exercise which pist the strength of the abs against the hip flexors so they grow at the same rate is to lay flat on floor, face down. Toes pointed toward floor as if your standing, may actually want toes bent so the ball of your foot is on floor. Now put arms striaght out over head, breath in, contract abs and lift your body off the floor with your weight on your toes and elbows, try and keep body straight and just raise a few inches off the floor and hold for a slow count of 5. Do 5 reps, rest and repeat 3-5 times. If you can hold yourself flat for 5 sets of 5 then its time for the next step. If you cant do 5 sets of 5 bring elbows down closer to your body and as you get stronger move them away until your fully extended.