Exercises with weights for legs and abs

Playing sports is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Everyone who plays sports mainly uses a variety of sports equipment, exercise machines and a variety of devices in their training. One effective device is leg weights. They are very effective in activities such as running, walking, fitness, and various workouts in the gym.

They are cuffs, bracelets made of dense types of fabrics with many different compartments, which are filled with various weighting materials: salt, sand, metal plates. Sports equipment is placed on the legs where the ankle area is and secured with special belts or Velcro. With the help of such fasteners the size can be adjusted. The bracelet covers and fixes the ankle well, thereby keeping it comfortable on the leg and not causing discomfort during training.

Weights create excess weight, the load falls on the gluteal and thigh muscles. During training, a person spends a lot of strength and energy, thereby putting a lot of effort into performing the exercises. Because of this, the effectiveness of training increases, as a result of which a huge amount of calories is burned.

Why use leg weights?

Weights will increase your calorie burn and strength in your core leg muscles: your calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

Some exercises also work the abdominal and buttock muscles. By using this fitness equipment, your home workouts will become more challenging and effective.

Leg weights ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 kg increase oxygen consumption during exercise by 5-10% and heart rate by 3-5 times compared to rest.

What can you achieve by regularly doing exercises with leg weights?

Increase overall endurance. Adding weight forces you to put in extra effort and has a positive effect on your cardiovascular system.
Tone your legs. Exercises without weights are beneficial in themselves, but if you want to increase the effect, you need to add more load to force the leg muscles to work more productively.
Burn more calories. Working out with weights will require more effort and will force the body to expend more energy.
Adjust the load. By gradually increasing the weight of the weights, you will avoid adaptation to the exercises, this will allow you to form strong and beautiful leg muscles.

Some fitness experts do not recommend using weights for casual walking or running, or intense aerobic exercise, because they place additional stress on the joints and muscles of the legs and increase the risk of injury.

You'll get the most benefit from using leg weights in your workout by making slow, controlled movements as you exercise.

Perform the complex every other day: 3 sets of 10–12 times for each exercise. Maintain tension in the abdominal muscles and avoid sudden swinging of the legs in the joints.

Purchase

Today, many manufacturers of sporting goods produce leg weights, so there will be no problems purchasing them.

Where can I buy

Weights are considered sports equipment, so you need to buy them in sporting goods stores.

You can buy weights:

in a regular sports store or supermarket;
in the online store.

In a regular store you have the opportunity to touch the shells, but on the Internet you can save a lot. Leg weights are presented in a wide range, ranging from well-known manufacturers such as Adidas to little-known companies.

Leg raises lying on the floor

Exercise to work out the lower abs. For beginners, it can be done by lifting your legs one at a time. In this case, the working leg is suspended throughout the entire set.

Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Raise your legs 15 cm from the floor. For back problems, place your palms under your buttocks to relieve tension in your lower back.
Raise both legs in a smooth motion so that they form a 90-degree angle with your body.
Lower your legs slowly, but do not touch the floor with them.

From the same starting position, do the scissors exercise, alternately spreading and crossing your legs. At the same time, they must be suspended at all times.

Types of models

Lamellar. The basis of these bracelets are thick canvas fabrics, on which special pockets are sewn, and metal plates are inserted into them. With the help of such a convenient design, it is very easy and quick to adjust the weight and thereby the load by pulling out and inserting the iron plates. The service life of plate weights is much longer than printed ones, since the rubberized high-quality material does not wear out for a very long time.
Printed. These models are simpler and more primitive. They look like fabric bags containing sand or salt filling. There are also bags with very high density, filled with metal shot or shavings. Their disadvantage is that they are not weight adjustable. To increase it, you will have to buy additional weights. Another drawback is that printed weights wear out over time and the filler spills out of them.

There are also weights for the body, weights for the wrist and arms in the form of gloves or cuffs, for the waist - in the form of a belt, for the torso - in the form of a vest.

Bicycle twisting

The exercise works the entire abdominal area.

Lie on your back. Bend your knees at a right angle so that your shins are parallel to the floor. Place your palms on the sides of your head.
With your right elbow, reach towards your left knee, while straightening your right leg parallel to the floor.
After a short pause, return to the original position and make a similar movement with your left elbow, straightening your left leg at the knee.

For more abdominal exercises, see our articles: abs in the gym, lower abs at home and on the horizontal bar.

Contraindications

This type of sports equipment is designed to create additional stress, so there are a number of reasons for contraindicating the use of weights. These include:

High blood pressure;
The rehabilitation period after surgery or injuries;
Physical exhaustion as a result of illness;
Varicose veins;
Kidney stones;
Fragility of blood vessels.

Sometimes the attending physician may prohibit the use of such sports equipment based on the patient's overall health condition.

Lying hip abduction

This exercise is done in two versions. External leg abduction strengthens the outer thigh and buttocks, while inward leg abduction works the inner thigh.

Lie on your left side, bend your right leg at the knee, foot on the floor. Extend your left leg along your body so that your right leg does not interfere with its movement. The inner side of the thigh is turned towards the ceiling.
Fix your right knee, lift your left leg straight to the maximum possible height.
Hold your leg in the top position and slowly lower it.
Perform 2-3 sets with each leg.

To exercise the outer thigh in the starting position on your left side, use your right leg. It should be straightened and fixed in the knee, fingers turned forward. Raise and lower your leg slowly without sudden movements.

Leg extensions

Exercise to work the quadriceps femoris muscle.

Sit on a chair with your feet on the floor. You can hold onto the seat with your hands.
Raise your right foot and extend your leg forward, straightening it at the knee.
Stop the movement with a slightly bent knee position and hold your leg for 2-3 seconds in this position. The hip should be tense.
Slowly lower your foot to the original position, but do not touch the floor.
Repeat the exercise on one leg, then switch to the other.

This exercise will be effective only if the leg muscles are first tired. Squat down as much as you can in one approach, and then proceed to perform.

Positive and negative features

Weights improve athletic performance because they help increase endurance; due to the flow of blood to muscle tissue, blood circulation improves and muscle tone increases.

However, like everything, there are two sides to a coin and weights are no exception.

With the correct selection of weights and the correct exercise technique, a huge number of beneficial effects are achieved.

Gymnastic weights can be called means for:

stimulation of the work of the heart muscle of children - improved blood circulation not only increases muscle tone in the trained parts of the body, but also strengthens blood vessels and improves heart function;
weight loss by burning energy.

Standing hip abduction

This exercise involves the thigh muscles and the “breeches” area.

Stand with your right side to the chair, you can hold the back with your hand for balance.
While controlling the movement, lift your left leg to the side as high as you can.
Hold your leg and slowly lower it back.
Do sets with your left leg, then switch sides and do the exercise on your right leg.

Modify the exercise by performing a standing leg kick in the same manner. Do not bend in the lower back; the exercise should be performed by contracting the thigh muscles.

How to do the exercise correctly?

Back

From all the many options, we recommend that you choose: for the gym - correct swings of the legs back in a crossover in an incline or with emphasis on a bench; for home - moving the legs back on the floor on all fours for the buttocks with an elastic band/weighting agent/dumbbells.

Common to all techniques: do not forget to control your back - a natural arch in the lower back is allowed , but nothing more. There is no need to arch your back.

These options are the most effective, because... in these positions the stretching amplitude is greater. The longer the stretching phase, the more effective the muscle contraction phase at the climax. By positioning the body forward, you can adjust the amplitude.

Accordingly, the lower you bend, the greater the amplitude of leg movement will be. Accordingly, the gluteal muscle will stretch more and work more efficiently. In addition, there is no threat to your lower back and there is absolutely no (if performed correctly) load on the quadra.

standing

In our opinion, performing the noagmi back swing exercise while standing, especially for the buttocks, is directly inappropriate, inconvenient and has no advantages at all. It is better to choose swings bent over or on all fours.

In the simulator

Among the advantages of swinging back with your legs in the simulator, we will highlight only additional support for your body: in fact, this method of performing swings will not have any other advantages - you voluntarily deprive yourself of mobility without receiving anything in return.

Depending on the machine, you will either stand upright, holding the supports with your hands, or lie on your stomach on a special shelf. In such a static position, an artificial deflection or, conversely, a “bend” in the lower back very often appears, which only leads to unpleasant sensations.

In principle, there will be no differences in technique with a crossover: the main thing is your back and finding a position in which you will feel exactly the buttocks. You also need to perform the exercise slowly and thoughtfully, and not uncontrollably throwing your leg in the hope of quickly getting rid of the exercise.

On all fours on the floor up

You can take any equipment, the main thing is that it is:

Starting position – rest on your elbows and knees. Make sure your back looks straight, without arching or sagging.
Look at the floor: contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to raise your head up - it’s harmful!
The working leg is straightened or bent at the knee (there is not much difference, although some argue that when swinging back with a bent leg, the buttocks are better tensed - well, it’s a subjective matter, choose what you like best). You'll want to lift it so that it's in a straight line with the rest of your body, with your heel pulled up rather than to the side. Then lower it smoothly. Don't arch your back!

Leg swings from a plank with a bent leg to the press - How to do the plank exercise correctly: analysis of the technique with photos

For the buttocks from the lower block in the crossover

Crossover leg swings are especially good for girls! Hip abduction is a technically quite simple exercise, and even beginners can do it.

But remember, despite its apparent simplicity in theory, the exercise is truly difficult in practice. It is recommended to perform it on the day of the squat at the end of the workout, as an additional exercise.

Technique for performing swings in a crossover - how to do it correctly to pump up the buttocks:

Secure the end of the cable to the foot of the working leg using cuffs.
Facing the support of the machine, lower yourself into a squat and move to a standing position on all fours with a straight back and emphasis on your palms and knees. You can stand on the floor, placing a towel or mat folded several times under the knee of your supporting leg, or use a horizontal bench. This is the starting position.
Extend your working leg with your BUTTOCK and lift your heel up. Hold for a second, concentrating on tightening your glutes. Don't throw your leg, but lower your tense leg.

The scheme is as follows: stretch the muscle as much as possible (due to the swing) and shorten it !

To the side

The lateral leg swing exercise is undeservedly forgotten, although it allows you to work out the gluteus medius muscles, which give the buttocks a rounded shape and may well help you change your figure for the better ( Buttock: how to lift the buttocks and remove the depressions on the sides of the hips? ).

It is best to perform swings to the side (to the side) from the lower block of the crossover or with an expander while standing - this way the load is most easily adjusted to your personal characteristics, and it is simply more convenient.

standing

What swings to the standing side give us: greater amplitude, variable and easily changeable body position.

How are they made?

Stand up straight, grab a support with one hand. Move your straight leg to the side as far as your hip joint will allow.
In this case, the spine does not bend, and the body does not tilt in the opposite direction. Lower your leg down.
How to perform abduction correctly - precisely by contracting the gluteus medius.
This is very important to understand: first, the brain sends a signal to contract the muscle. When the muscle begins to contract, the leg begins to move to the side, since this is what the gluteus medius is responsible for. This is followed by lifting the knee up in amplitude and only then comes the foot, which does not need to be thrown above the head.
Those. we first tensed the muscle, the rest of the movement happens secondary .
Mistake : when a person simply moves his relaxed leg away from himself and hopes that something from the load will fall on the gluteus medius. This is a very common mistake in all exercises.

The technique is clearly shown in the video:

You can also perform the leg swing exercise on all fours, but we warn you: this is much less effective than standing. In this position, it will be very difficult to maintain balance and all your attention will be paid to this, and not to training the “capricious” gluteus medius.

Lying on your side

So, about swings to the side while lying on your side: Kostya Shirokaya sees no point in performing this version of the exercise in a lateral position - the amplitude will be cut off, plus the tension will be relieved from the supporting leg. Benefits of swings lying on your side: what you are lying on