Hanging abdominal exercises require upper body and core strength to hold you up and reduce swinging. Use arm slings suspended on a pull-up bar for hanging ab exercises. According to a 2009 article by Mary Sanders published by the American College of Sports Medicine, exercises requiring spinal stability by contraction of your abdominals, spinal muscles and gluteal muscles help to protect your lower back from injury and irritation.
Knee Raises
Use arm slings and a stool to perform ab exercises on a pull-up bar. Hanging knee raises focus on your rectus abdominis, commonly known as your “six pack” muscle. Place the slings up against both shoulder joints and slowly step off the stool. Keep a 90-degree angle at your shoulders and wrap your fingers around the upper end of the slings. Suck your navel toward your spine using your transverse abdominis muscle. This muscle wraps around your abdominal area from the left side of your trunk to the right. Contract your lower back muscles to further stabilize your spine. Bend your hip joints and knee joints, raising your thighs until they are parallel to the floor. Make the mind to muscle connection, focusing on using your rectus abdominis to raise your thighs. If you experience a significant amount of swinging, straighten your body and contract your core muscles a little tighter. Work toward touching both thighs with both elbows. Do three sets of 10 reps.
Leg Raises
Hanging leg raises are slightly more difficult than knee raises. By straightening your legs, you increase the intensity of the exercise. Position your body as you would for hanging knee raises. Keep your knees straight as you bend your hip joints until your legs are parallel to the floor. Increase the intensity of a hanging leg raise by strapping ankle weights around your ankles. Start with three pounds, gradually increasing the weight. The National Strength and Conditioning Association defines power as high-speed muscular strength. Increase the power of your abdominal and lower back muscles by increasing the poundage of the ankle weights and the speed at which you perform hanging leg raises. Ensure that you contract your core muscles really tightly to stabilize your body as you quickly move through the range of motion. Perform three sets of 10 reps.
Oblique Raises
This exercise is similar to hanging knee raises but it works your oblique muscles. The internal and external obliques run diagonally across the sides and front of your abdominal area. Position your body as you would for hanging knee raises. While you bend your hips and knees, twist to the right, drawing your left elbow and right hip toward each other. Lower your legs to the start position and steady your body. Then, bend your hips and knees, twisting your body to the left, bringing your right elbow and left hip toward each other. Make this exercise more difficult by holding a five pound ball between your knees. Complete three sets of 10 total twists.
References
- “ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal; Off-the-floor Exercises for Back Health; Mary Sanders, Ph.D.; Nov/Oct 2009
- Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2000
- Anatomy & Physiology; Gary Thibodeau, Ph.D. and Kevin Patton, Ph.D.; 2007
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