Seated leg raises

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If you have read the article about crunches, you surely know, that despite its popularity, this exercise is far from the best for strong and develop your abdominals. Besides, it is quite isolating (affecting only a small muscle section). It is better for home training to choose exercises that involve bigger muscle groups – in this case, in a smaller period of time you can get better result (we train at home, because we do not have much free time). In today’s article we will look at some exercise, aiming to work on all the front body muscles.
What muscles work: rectus and oblique abdominals, psoas muscle, rectus hip muscle.
Performing the exercise: sit on the edge of a stable stool (if you use a chair with a back, place it beside you). Grab the edge of the stool, straighten your legs, so that they almost touch the floor, and lean back, so that your body was making a straight line with legs (photo 1). On exhale, keeping legs together, slowly bend them in knees and hips, pulling them to chest. At the top point make one second pause (photo 2) and slowly go back to the starting position on exhale. Repeat the exercise for required number of reps.

Notice: try to keep your abdominals tensed during the whole exercise. Don’t try to touch your chest with knees by bending your back – 20 cm of space should remain. Your knees can be the indicator of proper bend: if at the top point they start to spread – you should stop. Perform the exercise in 2-1-3-1 rhythm (2 seconds to pull legs, one second pause at the top, three seconds to control the leg lower, one second pause to prepare to the next rep).
If it’s difficult for you to perform with proposed technique – try to sit a little more straight or lower your legs not so low. With time you should master the correct exercise technique.
If you have mastered this kind of exercise, you can move on to more difficult (also more effective) exercises for abdominals, that are performed laying. We recommend you to start from alternate leg raises.

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Good books to read:

Bret Contreras. Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy - Human Kinetics, 2013 – 224 p.
Kavadlo Al. Pushing the Limits: Total Body Strenght with No Equipment - Dragon Door Publications, 2013 – 224 p.
BJ Gaddour. Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days - Rodale, 2014 – 288 p.

Reverse Crunches

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As I wrote in the article about classic crunches, the main task of the rectus abdominal (which forms those desired six-pack) – to pull ribs to pelvis (like in front crunches) or pelvis to ribs (like in reverse crunches). Though for the muscle itself there’s no such a difference, it is considered, that front crunches work better on the upper section, and reverse ones – the lower.
Performing the exercise: lay on the floor, completely bent your legs in knees and hips. Straighten your hands by your body, palms down (photo 1). Using abdominals get your pelvis off the floor and hold this position for few seconds (photo 2). Slowly go back to the starting position and repeat required number of reps.

Notice: do not try to move your legs maximum back/behind, your task – is to close the pelvis to the ribs (to continue the movement, other muscles will switch on, which gets the load off the abdominals). Lean on the floor with your palms – this will help at the starting point. To regulate the load on abdominals try to gradually straighten your legs, so that in lower position they were perpendicular to the floor (feet up): this is the hardest variation.
If your hand force is not enough – try another variation of regular crunches: straighten your hands above the head and grab the stable pillar (bed or closet). Bend your knees completely, and your hips to the right angle with core. Perform crunches by lifting your pelvis, the angle between hips and stomach should stay constant. Upper back should stay on the floor. When you have felt the maximum abdominals tension, hold on for few seconds and slowly go back to the starting position. Other crunch rules stay the same: keep full movement control (especially in going down phase), exhale – rise up, inhale – go down, put something soft under your lower back, hands are not necessarily straight, you may bend them a little.
As I said at the beginning, crunches – is the most famous, but not the best exercise for abs. If you are aiming on strengthening your abdominals, I advise you to also include different leg rises and static holds (“L-seat”). But don’t forget – the way to desired six-pack lays not only through abs training, but through getting rid of excessive fat, which (especially men) is accumulated in waist section. For this you should reconsider you ration and include energy consuming, multi-joint exercises to your training program (for example squats, push-ups or at least plank)

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Good books to read:

Bret Contreras. Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy - Human Kinetics, 2013 – 224 p.
Kavadlo Al. Pushing the Limits: Total Body Strenght with No Equipment - Dragon Door Publications, 2013 – 224 p.
BJ Gaddour. Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days - Rodale, 2014 – 288 p.

Exercises for abdominals

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When it is spoken about stomach muscles – it is mostly meant abs. And when it comes to abs exercises – first of all the crunches are mentioned. Who among us, at least for once, (especially before beach season) did not started to do this exercise. Laying on the floor, legs bent in knees, hands by the head. You start to crunch (actually pull yourself by the head to your knees). You do one, you do two. Your neck hurts the next morning (in excessive zeal you spraint the neck muscles), your back hurts (mauled your spine with the floor), even stomach muscles hurt. But you still can’t see your desired six-pack. When you “raped” yourself in that way a couple of days, you lose all the motivation. Also different papers, magazines and shows meet your eye: saying that those crunches are ineffective to get you six-pack, and they bring more harm, than benefit, so you’d better buy our new slimming belt, or order our new diet, or sign in to our gym. There is a part of truth in this, but only in the first part. Yes, crunches (especially with technique, which is mostly used) will not help you to get clear conspicuous abs. All the more they will not help you to slim, if you carry some excessive kilos of fat.
But to say that crunches are ineffective – is a lie. As any other kind of physical load, crunches deserve attention. At least for keeping your muscle tone. This will keep your internal organs safe from injuries and hernias, increase your posture, help doing routine and training programs. With time, when excessive kilos disappear (crunches are really not the best for this purpose – try squats or other basic exercises), your desired abs will rise shining. That’s why I propose to attack crunches once more, but for this time – with correct technique.

Front Crunches

What muscles work: rectus and oblique abdominals.
Performing the exercise: lay on your back, bend your legs in knees and put them on the floor or on a stable 40-50 cm pillar. Cross your hands on chest, put your palms on shoulders or under arms (photo 1). Start the exercise by getting your upper back off the floor with a crunch move (photo 2). Hold in upper position for a few seconds and go back slowly to the starting position.

Notice: though the exercise is for stomach muscles, the main movement phase is on chest section of spine (because the main function of abdominals is to pull ribs to pelvis). Do not tear the lateral spine section from the floor, your body goes up for approximately 30 degrees. Do not band your neck too much (in upper point your look should be pointing at the knees), all the more don’t pull yourself by the head, with your arms behind it (if you are used to this hands position – better put them palm-side on your forehead). The best effect you will get by performing the exercise slowly and smooth, making accent on the upper point, breathe synchronously with movement: exhale when curl, on exhale hold at the top point, when going down – inhale. Do not try to increase number of reps (20 would be enough), better grab some weights (like a bottle with water or a small dumbbell), putting it parallel to your shoulders. When performing this exercise on hard floor, make sure to put something soft by your lower back (like bent towel) or do this on a gymnastic carpet.
To switch on the oblique abdominals in upper point of the exercise you should turn a little, pointing with your elbow to the opposite leg’s knee (left elbow to right knee and all the way round) (photo 3, photo 4). Do not try to touch your knee – this will lead to tearing the lateral spine section from the floor, and the exercise for stomach will turn into the exercise for legs. You can switch different variations of the exercise in one set: one front crunch, one left, one right and front again.

Having mastered previous exercise, you can try harder variation – “bicycle”. In the starting position lay straight, get the leg pillar off. Put your palms on ears (do not put them on the back of your head, all the more, do not pull your head during the exercise) (photo 5). When doing side crunches, at the same time rise your leg above the floor (do not put it back on the floor), with the knee of the other one, touch the elbow of the opposite hand (photo 6). Make one second pause, switch the position by straightening the bent leg, and bending the straightened one.

Also you can differ you training program by switching front and reverse crunches.

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Good books to read:

Bret Contreras. Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy - Human Kinetics, 2013 – 224 p.
Kavadlo Al. Pushing the Limits: Total Body Strenght with No Equipment - Dragon Door Publications, 2013 – 224 p.
BJ Gaddour. Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days - Rodale, 2014 – 288 p.

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Other articles about exercises for abdominals:

Sitting leg raises: the exercise for beginners, giving the ability to work on all the front body.
Sequential leg raises: increasing the load on rectus and oblique abdominals, and also on hip and lower back muscles.
Laying leg rises: three variations of raises from laying position to effectively work on all the stomach muscles.

Three-point Push-ups

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As you can see in the title, in this variation of push-ups we get one of pivot points off. Obviously, before you come to this push-ups you should perfectly master the classic push-ups, and also more difficult kinds (especially narrow push-ups and push-ups with legs raised). It is recommended to start from “switching off” one leg.
What muscles work: chest, triceps, deltoids, rectus and oblique abdominals.
Performing the exercise: stand in the emphasis lying, like in classic push-ups. Move your weight to one leg, putting it on one axis with body center and put the another leg over it (photo 1). On inhale do the full push-up, hold on for a second in lower point (photo 2), and on exhale go back to the starting position. Having done the specified amount of reps, change the active leg and repeat.

Notice: watch your back, do not let it bend or stick out. Elbows should be by your body or not more than 45 degrees widen. To regulate the depth you can put a bent towel, a tennis ball, an apple or a standing matchbox under your solar plexus. While doing the exercise control the body position and speed of going down (2 seconds minimum) all the time.
If you can do at least 20 reps – try to hold the inactive leg in the air (straightened or bent in the knee).

The next stage is “dynamization”: you are not just holding your inactive leg in the air, but doing the swings, synchronous to the push-ups.
Performing the exercise: in the starting position, leaning on one leg, bend the inactive leg in knee and hip, so that it was almost by your stomach (photo 5). As you start to bend your elbows, unbend the inactive leg in hip at the same time (the knee joint is inactive). At the lower point fingers of your inactive should point upwards (photo 6). After one second pause go back to the starting position by straightening your hands and pulling your leg back to the stomach. As in previous exercise, after some amount of reps, switch the base leg and repeat the cycle (aim to equal amount of reps on each leg).

Notice: until you reach synchronous and honed moves, perform the exercise slowly. Though it is a complex-coordination move, it will be difficult to watch all the things. Increased attention to your back: do not bend when you pull the leg (at the top point) and do not loose, when straightening it (at the lower point). Try to “catch the rhythm” – this will make it much easier.
And of course, how can one talk about three-point push-ups and say nothing about one-arm push-ups. Unfortunately, most of those who say that they can do one-arm push-ups – do it with extremely bad technique: widely spread legs, sticking up pelvis, twisted spine. In fact, the real professional of one-arm push-ups is the one, who does it with perfect technique. Only correctly done exercise will be the indicator of true force. I will not give the description of one-arm push-ups here specifically for you, to hone your mastery in all the exercises described above. Believe me, if you can do 20 narrow push-ups – the way to one-arm push-ups is opened. You also should master side-moved push-ups, that require not only strong muscles, but well-developed balance sense. I’ll tell you more: one-arm push-ups is not the edge. There is also “the lizard push-ups”, when the push-ups are done only on two points – one arm and one leg. But do not run far forward, because the one of the main training principles – to gradually increase the loads. If you can easily do 20 reps of every kind of the push-ups, described above – write us with “Contacts”, and in shortest time we will post the article, devoted to the one-arm push-ups. But if you are reading this article just for interest – stop postponing your trainings for tomorrow, choose your level and start to do push-ups right today. Yes-yes, right now, stand up of the table (or put your tablet aside) and do 10 push-ups. Have a good training!

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Good books to read:

Bret Contreras. Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy - Human Kinetics, 2013 – 224 p.
Kavadlo Al. Pushing the Limits: Total Body Strenght with No Equipment - Dragon Door Publications, 2013 – 224 p.
BJ Gaddour. Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days - Rodale, 2014 – 288 p.
Paul Wade. Convict Conditioning 2: Advanced Prison Training Tactics for Muscle Gain, Fat Loss and Bulletproof Joints - Dragon Door Publications, 2012 – 340 p.
Pavel Tsatsouline. The Naked Warrior: Master the Secrets of the Super-strong, Using Bodyweight Exercises Only - Dragon Door Publications, 2004 - 218 p.

Accented push-ups

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One of the ways to safely increase the load on muscles while doing push-ups is going down alternately to each hand. In this case the load is spread unevenly (about 3:1), besides, the stabilizing  core muscles are more involved.

Side-moved push-ups

Performing the exercise: stand in the emphasis lying, as for wide stance push-ups (about one third wider than in classic push-ups). Keep your legs together (photo 1). As you begin to go down, bend one arm more, so that in lower point your chest was at your thumbs level. Other arm in this case will bend only to 90 degrees (photo 2). Go back to the starting position, then repeat on the other arm.

Notice: always control the position of your body, do not let your backbone twist or bend. Watch the right breathe (going down – inhale, going up – exhale) and do not try to raise the tempo by screwing the technique.

Triangle Push-ups (Bent Push-up)

As in push-ups with legs raised, this kind of push-ups transfers the main load on shoulders. It may appear that bending your body in the starting position will make it easier, but it is not right – try to do it right and make sure.
What muscles work: deltoids, chest, triceps, trapezius muscle.
Performing the exercise: lean on your hands, as in usual push-ups, but put your legs a little bit wider in position, so that your body makes a triangle with the floor with top angle about 90 degrees (photo 3). Keeping this position, bend your elbows until you touch the floor with forehead (photo 4), after this wait for a second and go back to the starting position.

Notice: try to keep the constant body angle during the whole exercise. Do not throw your head back – keep its natural position. You can bend your legs in knees a little. If you start to swing during the exercise, bound with your legs to a wall or some other static object. After you master this kind of push-ups, as described, you can move on to its harder variations, by putting your legs or arms to some pillars. Or start to master other power push-ups variations, for example - three-point push-ups.

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Good books to read:

Bret Contreras. Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy - Human Kinetics, 2013 – 224 p.
Kavadlo Al. Pushing the Limits: Total Body Strenght with No Equipment - Dragon Door Publications, 2013 – 224 p.
BJ Gaddour. Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days - Rodale, 2014 – 288 p.
Paul Wade. Convict Conditioning 2: Advanced Prison Training Tactics for Muscle Gain, Fat Loss and Bulletproof Joints - Dragon Door Publications, 2012 – 340 p.
Pavel Tsatsouline. The Naked Warrior: Master the Secrets of the Super-strong, Using Bodyweight Exercises Only - Dragon Door Publications, 2004 - 218 p.

Push-ups with pillars

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If you decided to include variations of push-ups, described below, to your training program, you must have enough strength level of main working muscles and master the required technique, doing classic floor push-ups with different hands stand at least 20 times. There is nowhere to hurry, but if you have reached the required training level – I propose to move on to push-ups with arms and legs pillar.

Push-ups with arms pillar

To perform this variation of push-ups you will need some pillars for hands. It is not necessary to buy widely advertised push-up stands, you can use any similar 7 to 10 cm high objects (bent towel, book or brick). You can do push-ups between two chairs, but make sure that they will not slipper to different sides while you doing the exercise. In the last resort – try to do push-ups on your knuckles, instead of palms: this will give you necessary centimeters of depth to go down.
Performing the exercise: stand in the emphasis lying with your hands on pillars a little wider than shoulder-width (in the lower point your pre-shoulders should be perpendicular to the floor). Keep your legs together (photo 1). On inhale start to bend your arms in elbows, going down till your chest provisionally touches the top of pillars. Hold on for a second, feel the stretching load on chest and go back to the starting position (photo 2).

Notice: do not try to go down maximum deep (especially when doing push-ups on chairs) – instead of better work out you get microfractures of muscles. Yes, on the next day your chest will “burn”, but it will not be caused by started process of growth, but by the microinjuries that you got. The depth should be a couple centimeters bigger than classic push-ups. Do not forget to hold the whole body straight by tensing the back muscles and abdominals.

Push-ups with legs raised

To regulate the load on different muscles you can change not only position of hands but the tilt angle of your body. Remember the beginners push-up complex, we made it easier by doing push-ups in position when arms were way above the legs. To increase the load we should do other way round – gradually raise legs, using pillars of different heights. The higher the pillar – the more accent is moved to the shoulders. However, the risk of getting an injury also rises, so for the first times try to choose the height of pillar so that in top position your body was almost horizontal.
Performing the exercise: stand in the emphasis lying with your legs on a 50-60 cm pillar (photo 1). Bending your arms in elbows, on inhale go down until your nose touches the floor (photo 2).

Notice: when the body is horizontal your back gets additional load, so don’t let it bend. You may even stick up your pelvis a little (!) to move some part of the load to abdominals. After you can do 20 reps – complicate the exercise by putting your hands on pillars (like in push-ups on stands) or putting legs on an unstable pillar (like fitball). Do not try to eventually rise the height of leg pillar – the danger of getting an injury will be way higher than the possible training effect.
Having mastered those kinds of push-ups, you can differ your training process by including accented push-ups or three-point push-ups to your program.

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Good books to read:

Bret Contreras. Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy - Human Kinetics, 2013 – 224 p.
Kavadlo Al. Pushing the Limits: Total Body Strenght with No Equipment - Dragon Door Publications, 2013 – 224 p.
BJ Gaddour. Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days - Rodale, 2014 – 288 p.
Paul Wade. Convict Conditioning 2: Advanced Prison Training Tactics for Muscle Gain, Fat Loss and Bulletproof Joints - Dragon Door Publications, 2012 – 340 p.
Pavel Tsatsouline. The Naked Warrior: Master the Secrets of the Super-strong, Using Bodyweight Exercises Only - Dragon Door Publications, 2004 - 218 p.

Wide and narrow push-ups

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Those who has mastered classic push-ups (can do more than 20 push-ups with perfect technique and rhythm), should gradually move to more difficult variations. One of the most simple and famous ways to regulate the load on different muscle groups is to change arms position.

Push-ups with Wide Hand Stance (Wide Push-ups)

What muscles work: chest, rear deltoids, triceps, trapezius muscle, rectus abdominis muscle. Wide hand stance gives an ability to work better on chest muscles, putting some part of the load off the arms and back.
Performing the exercise: stand in the emphasis lying on palms and feet fingertips. Put your hands so wide that in lower point your pre-shoulders would be perpendicular to the floor (approximately one third wider than with classic push-ups). For comfort you can also move hands a little forward. Keep legs together (photo 1). On inhale, by bending your hands in elbows go down until the angle of elbows is 90 degrees (photo 2), on exhale go back to starting position.

Notice: lower your body evenly, do not try to lighten the exercise by bending your back to touch the floor with your head. Do not put your hands too wide (not more than 45 degrees relative to body). Do not try to lower maximum low, it should still be 5 cm minimum to the floor (to control the depth you can use the standing matchbox). Perform the exercise with the tempo: 2-1-1-2 (two seconds to go down, one second bottom pause, one second to straighten arms and two seconds upper pause).

Push-ups with Narrow Hand Stance (Narrow Push-ups)

For those who has mastered classic full push-ups, push-ups with wide hand stance were certainly not difficult. This is not a surprise – the chest muscles (which get the main load in this exercise) of most of people are stronger than arms. Push-ups with narrow hand stance require more triceps strength.
Performing the exercise: stand in the emphasis lying, as in classic push-ups, but put your hands way more narrow and turn inside a little, so that your index fingers and thumbs of both hands may touch (photo 3). Try to keep legs together, but if it is hard to keep balance you can put them a little wider. Gradually bending your arms in elbows and wrists go down until you touch your hands (photo 4). Hold one second pause and then go back to the starting position.

Notice: as your palms are in their natural position you can go as deep as you can. Doing this do not try to press elbows to your body – just keep the starting angle, defined by palms position. Do not forget to breathe right: as you go down – inhale, as you go up – exhale. If the exercise is difficult – you can put your hands wider, but remember – you should aim to connect your fingers (photo 5). This is exactly the kind of push-ups that is called “diamond” ones (by the form of the figure between connected fingers), they not only train your triceps, but strengthen tendons of elbows and wrists, that are extremely necessary for your hands strength and health.
Having mastered push-ups from this article (doing any of them al least 20 times with correct technique), you can include more complicated push-ups to your training program, like arms and legs pillar push-ups.

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Good books to read:

Bret Contreras. Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy - Human Kinetics, 2013 – 224 p.
Kavadlo Al. Pushing the Limits: Total Body Strenght with No Equipment - Dragon Door Publications, 2013 – 224 p.
BJ Gaddour. Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days - Rodale, 2014 – 288 p.
Paul Wade. Convict Conditioning 2: Advanced Prison Training Tactics for Muscle Gain, Fat Loss and Bulletproof Joints - Dragon Door Publications, 2012 – 340 p.
Pavel Tsatsouline. The Naked Warrior: Master the Secrets of the Super-strong, Using Bodyweight Exercises Only - Dragon Door Publications, 2004 - 218 p.