It is generally accepted that the horizontal bar is only suitable for working the muscles of the back, arms and upper body. In fact, this sports equipment is unique and universal not only for its accessibility, but also for the number of muscle groups that can be effectively pumped up with it. A set of abdominal exercises is far from limited to the ground floor. The horizontal bar is excellent proof of this.
- Is the method of pumping up the abs using pull-ups on a bar effective?
- Exercises for the press on the horizontal bar
- Hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar
- Video: technique for correctly performing hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar
- Leg raise "Corner"
- Exercise “Frog” on the horizontal bar
- Crunches
- Video: a complex version of crunches on the horizontal bar to pump up your abs
- Exercise "Pendulum"
- Vertical push-ups on the horizontal bar
- Video: how to perform vertical push-ups on a horizontal bar
- Training program on the horizontal bar for abdominal muscles
- First version of the program
- Second version of the program
- General recommendations for performing the exercise
Is the method of pumping up the abs using pull-ups on a bar effective?
Sculpted abs are the dream of both men and women, both bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. Whether you're an athlete or just want to get your body ready for beach season, working on your abdominal muscles is definitely something you should do. And in order not to do planks, push-ups and crunches inside four walls, go outside and find a horizontal bar, because training in the fresh air is good not only for your health, but also for your mood. However, we warn you right away - it won’t be easy, but the result is worth the effort .
By the way, an important advantage of swinging the press on a horizontal bar over the same plank or push-ups is that the result on this apparatus is achieved faster and can be visible after just a few exercises. The specificity of the horizontal bar requires the athlete to make a lot of effort to lift and hold the entire body above the ground, but thanks to this, the body acts as an excellent weight, which increases the effectiveness of the exercise and affects almost all muscles.
During exercises on the horizontal bar, the following muscles are included in the work:
- rectus abdominis muscle;
- trapezius muscles;
- deltoid muscles;
- triceps brachii;
- pectoralis major muscles;
- oblique and transverse abdominal muscles;
- back muscles;
- anterior thigh muscle group;
- muscles of the back of the thigh;
- small and medium gluteal muscles.
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Aerobatics - exercise "Dragon Flag"
For this exercise, it is better to use a floor bar or parallel bars. The press swings in a static position, as in the case of the “Plank”. This exercise requires enormous concentration and technique, as well as fairly developed muscles and decent strength indicators. It is necessary to keep your body horizontal, while leaning only with your hands. By tensing your abs and core muscles, you should remain in this state for as long as possible.
Now you know what exercises you can do to pump up your abs on the horizontal bar or parallel bars. Constantly develop and try new sports styles and movements, because training is not limited to one gym and a barbell.
Exercises for the press on the horizontal bar
There are several exercises on the horizontal bar for pumping up the abs, let’s start with the most popular and simplest of them.
Hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar
When lifting bent legs, the lateral and rectus abdominis muscles are most involved . If you are not very familiar with sports before, it may be difficult to immediately achieve the correct technique.
- Let's grab the bar so that our palms are shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees and pull them towards your chest.
- Straighten your legs so that they are parallel to the floor or slightly higher.
- Bend your legs again and press them to your chest.
- We lower our legs.
- We perform 3 sets of 10–12 lifts.
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Raising straight legs while hanging on the horizontal bar
This is a classic version of this exercise. But it doesn’t matter if you can’t do it the first time, try simplifying the exercise a little.
- We take the crossbar with our hands.
- We bend our knees.
- With an exhalation we pull them to our chest.
- Inhaling, we lower our legs.
- Perform 10–15 pull-ups.
Raising your legs bent at the knees while hanging on the horizontal bar
The back should remain straight and not too stressed throughout the entire exercise. And breaks between approaches should not exceed 30–40 seconds. Perform all movements smoothly, without sudden jerks.
Video: technique for correctly performing hanging leg raises on the horizontal bar
Leg raise "Corner"
This exercise is similar to the previous one, but has its own characteristics. The corner has an excellent effect on the muscles that stabilize the spine, pelvis and hips, on the muscles of the abdomen, hips and upper body.
- We grab the bar with a wide grip (palms slightly wider than shoulders).
- Raise your legs parallel to the floor and fix them in this position.
- We try to hold out as long as possible.
- We perform 10–12 repetitions.
The more time you can stay in this position, the greater the load on your abdominal muscles. Gradually increase the number of repetitions to 20. Having mastered the “Corner”, do not stand still and complicate it by adding pull-ups, this will at the same time pump up the muscles of the arms and shoulders. If pull-ups are already a past stage for you, then now try to raise your legs as high as possible. Our goal is for your feet to touch the bar.
By the way, you can raise your legs both in front of you and to the sides. It will be even more effective if you begin to alternate raising your legs in front of you, to the left and to the right.
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There are several more corner options:
- You can stretch your knees to your elbows.
- Raising your legs parallel to the floor, spread them apart and lower them.
- You can raise your legs while doing scissors.
- You can also do pull-ups during the corner.
Exercise “Frog” on the horizontal bar
During this exercise, the body should be static and the back should remain straight.
- Grab the bar with a wide grip.
- We bend our knees.
- Very slowly pull your legs as close to your chin as possible.
- When we begin to feel a burning sensation in the muscles, we lower our legs as slowly as we pulled them up.
- We perform 3 sets of 20–25 repetitions.
Lay down
Crunches
Crunches are an ideal exercise if you want to quickly tone your abdominal muscles.
- Let's grab the bar with a medium or wide grip.
- We bend our knees.
- We lift them, while exhaling, directing them to the left, then to the right elbow.
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To make the exercise more challenging, use weights. Having mastered crunches with bent legs, start doing them with your legs straight.
There is another version of twisting, which is completely different from the first and is performed as follows:
- We grab the bar with a medium grip.
- We raise our straight legs so that our shins touch the crossbar, that is, we make a half-turn.
- We perform 3 sets of 10–15 repetitions.
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When performing such crunches, the effectiveness of abdominal training increases significantly, because in this exercise, like nowhere else before, the hip part is most involved.
Video: a complex version of crunches on the horizontal bar to pump up your abs
Exercise "Pendulum"
Another important exercise on the horizontal bar is called “Pendulum”. It best pumps the lateral abdominal muscles.
- We grab the bar with a medium grip.
- Raise your straight legs to the level of the crossbar.
- We energetically direct both legs, first in one direction, then in the other.
- We repeat the exercise 10 times in 3 approaches.
The principle of the Pendulum
Vertical push-ups on the horizontal bar
Push-ups have always been an important exercise for the abs, and performing them on the horizontal bar was no exception.
- We grab the bar with a medium, narrow or wide grip.
- Exhale and pull yourself up so that your hips are at the level of the bar.
- As you inhale, lower yourself so that your chest or, if possible, your chin is at the level of the crossbar.
- Do 10 push-ups.
Vertical push-ups on the horizontal bar
If you have mastered the previous exercises on the horizontal bar well, then it will not be difficult for you to pull yourself up with a completely straight body and legs. If this position is difficult for you, then when lowering, stretch your legs parallel to the floor.
Video: how to perform vertical push-ups on a horizontal bar
Video on how to properly pump up your abs with vertical push-ups
Preparatory stage
When you decide to start abdominal exercises on the horizontal bar, you need to seriously prepare. A body not accustomed to high loads can suffer serious damage. First of all, especially for beginners, you should start practicing on the floor. In parallel with these activities, it is very useful to develop endurance and lungs. Jogging, cycling, swimming, and outdoor games will help with this.
Exercises on parallel bars are very useful. They help develop the muscles of the lower abs and abdomen. It also develops the arm muscles very well. The horizontal bar and bars located in the courtyards are very useful in terms of outdoor activities.
Many beginner athletes who perform pull-ups on the horizontal bar do not always have a good wrist grip. To perform a sufficient number of exercises, you should use belts or elastic bands for your hands. They will help reduce hand strain by gradually developing your grip.
Swinging the press on the horizontal bar sometimes requires hanging upside down. This is very dangerous for beginners. That's why it's worth using inversion boots. With the help of a hook that attaches to your ankle, you can hang upside down completely safely.
Another exercise to prepare for ab training classes is the negative pull-up. The idea is to slowly lower your body after pulling up. Using a wide grip, you need to pull yourself up so that your chin is above the bar of the horizontal bar. Then slowly lower down. This exercise will help develop the muscles of the arms and back.
Exercises on the parallel bars help develop the muscles of the lower abs, abdomen and arms
Special straps or elastic bands for the hands help reduce the load on the hand, gradually developing the grip
Negative pull-ups are considered a good exercise to prepare for pumping up your abs.
Training program on the horizontal bar for abdominal muscles
To effectively work out your abs, you need to perform a whole range of exercises, and you can fully train without even visiting the gym. Apart from the horizontal bar, you will not need any other sports equipment.
First version of the program
Include the following exercises in your training program:
- lateral crunches on the horizontal bar - 20 repetitions;
- Corner pull-ups - 10 reps;
- vertical push-ups - 10 reps;
- raising legs to the bar - 8 repetitions;
- “Pendulum” - 6 repetitions;
- "Corner" for a while.
Perform the exercises one after another, giving yourself a break of 30-60 seconds. A set of exercises is one cycle; during a workout you should perform four cycles, with a two-minute rest between them. You can also dilute the workout with one of the classic abdominal exercises for 15 repetitions. Train two to three times a week, giving your muscles a day off every other day.
Second version of the program
To prevent muscles from getting used to a monotonous load, it is advisable to alternate programs.
- hanging straight leg raise - 15 reps;
- hanging bent leg raise - 15 reps;
- “Pendulum” - 10–12 repetitions;
- crunches with bent legs - 20 repetitions;
- straight leg crunches - 10-15 reps.
After resting for 2-3 minutes, repeat the set of exercises. For maximum benefits, perform this program 2-3 times a week.
General recommendations for performing the exercise
Don’t forget that the key to success is not only the amount of time spent on exercises, but also the quality of their implementation.
- Start every workout with a warm-up.
- Warm up your lower back thoroughly by bending over.
- In any of the listed exercises, while inhaling, we lower ourselves, and while exhaling, we pull ourselves up.
- It is important to ensure that your back is straight.
- Try to load your back as little as possible; all pull-ups should be done using the strength of your arms and abs.
- Do not swing your body during exercises, this will significantly reduce the load and, therefore, efficiency.
- To prevent your arms from getting tired quickly, use special straps.
- Gradually increase the number of repetitions and complicate the exercises themselves.
- The break between sets should be at least 30 seconds, maximum 2 minutes.
- Don't forget that your workouts should be regular: start with 2-3 workouts a week, with a rest day in between.
If you want to pump up beautiful abs, then you should work hard. But don’t limit yourself to doing planks or push-ups within four walls: feel free to go outside, fresh air and bright sun will additionally motivate you to achieve results faster! A horizontal bar can be found in almost any yard or gym, so don’t put off your dream of a toned body and get to work.
Additional recommendations
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to quickly pump up your abs in a week. For a positive result, you need a competent training program. You can compose it based on your own physical capabilities. Here are the basic recommendations for working on pumping up your abs:
- There is no need to increase the number of repetitions and approaches every day. The only result will be joint pain and sprained ligaments. The minimum number of repetitions at the initial stage is 5–10 times. In this case, there should be no more than 5 approaches.
- The amount of training also plays a big role. Muscles and joints also need to rest. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct 3 classes per week. Moreover, each workout can be changed according to the degree of load.
- Rest during classes. After 3 approaches, you need to pause for 5–7 minutes.
It is important to carefully monitor the condition of the body. Pain, discomfort or poor health will not help achieve beneficial results.
Recommendation for abdominal exercises:
- A quiet warm-up for 5–10 minutes is required. The same goes for the cool down.
- Maintaining proper breathing. Raising your legs or torso while inhaling. Lowering while exhaling.
- Raising the body or legs without jerking (they change balance and use unnecessary muscles).
- Do not use your hands. Their work negates all stress on the abdominal area.
- The horizontal bar should be comfortable, the crossbar should fit exactly under the palm.
- If you can’t do many repetitions at once, you don’t need to torture yourself. Everything will come gradually.
The listed exercises are considered the most effective for training the abs on the horizontal bar. Regular exercise will help you quickly achieve a beautiful and ideal body. But the main advantage is that such pull-ups significantly improve the condition of the whole body, giving cheerfulness and optimism.
At the initial stage of training, the number of repetitions should not exceed 5–10 times, and the number of approaches should not exceed 5
It is advisable to vary each workout according to the degree of load so that the muscles and joints have time to rest
After 3 approaches you need to pause for 5-7 minutes
Regular exercise will help you not only quickly achieve a beautiful and ideal body, but will also significantly improve the condition of your entire body.
