Hip extension in crossover from the lower block

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2012-05-29
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Main muscles - gluteus maximus Additional - back of the thigh Difficulty - medium

Pros and cons of leg abduction in a crossover

Advantages and benefits:

• The exercise allows you to get a load isolated from the quadriceps on the muscles of the back of the body, especially the gluteal muscles.
• It does not put stress on the spine and other joints; only the hip joint is involved in the work.
• Forms the volume and peak of the buttocks with minimal involvement of synergistic muscles.

Disadvantages and disadvantages:

1. The technique requires independent stabilization of the torso , in contrast to simulators for isolated muscle work. Here, the abdominal muscles, lower back, quadriceps and biceps of the supporting leg must be subjected to static load. This is the only way to ensure correct body position when performing abductions.
2. Although the exercise technique is quite thoughtful, not all simulator designs are designed for leg abduction . Often there are no handles to hold the body, so you have to hold on to the frame of the simulator. The exercise is also performed standing on the floor; a special stand for the supporting leg is not provided. Therefore, it is better to perform swings while standing on a slight elevation, which will prevent the working leg from catching on the floor surface.

Description of the exercise

The exercise is best performed while bending over. This will allow you to stretch your buttocks more and increase the range of motion. This means it will increase the efficiency of the exercise.

Main features

1. I recommend leaning forward when performing this exercise. Moreover, the lower, the better. It can even be almost parallel to the floor. After all, the more you bend, the more the buttock and the lower point of the movement will stretch and the greater the amplitude. That is, the efficiency of the exercise will increase.

2. The leg should be slightly bent at the knee. At the bottom you can bend it a little more, and at the top point you can either straighten it completely or leave it slightly bent. A slightly bent leg at the bottom will allow you to stretch your butt even further.

3. For convenience, you can stand with your supporting foot on a small stand. Let's say you can put a disk from a barbell.

4. When bending, your back should be arched at the lower back.

5. Set the weight so that you can do 10–12 repetitions.

6. At the top point, try to pause for a second.

7. Make sure that the swing is strictly back and the leg does not move to the side.

Technique for performing leg abduction in a crossover back

1. Place a special loop on the cable of the lower block to secure the lower leg. Place your working leg through the loop and secure the ends to the cable with a carabiner.
2. Stand facing the block and grab the handles or frame of the machine with your palms to fix your torso.
3. The supporting leg can be placed on any footrest.
4. Lean forward slightly, eliminating the load on the lumbar region. But you should not tilt your torso to a horizontal position.
5. Bend both legs slightly at the knees and do not straighten them during the approach.
6. Exhale as you move your leg back without swinging your body. Do not raise your leg too high, bending your lower back. At the top point, fix the tension in the buttock.
7. As you inhale, slowly return your leg down to the level of the supporting leg, but no further.
8. Perform the required number of times and change legs.

What other exercises is the crossover trainer designed for?

Bringing hands together

Good for chest muscles. In particular, for the lower, middle part of the chest. With a crossover, the muscles are isolated and allow you to perform the exercise with high amplitude, while the concentration on the process itself is quite high. The tilt of the body during the exercise may differ - it depends on the position.

The greatest load is placed on the muscles if you perform the exercise in a lying position. This way the muscles will be more isolated. Indeed, in the same position, standing and sitting, the athlete involuntarily helps himself with other muscles and weight. And if you do the exercise while lying down, it will be more “clean”.

Reduction of hands for the lower block

This exercise is suitable for the upper part of the pectoral muscles and the inner edge. Helps make muscles more prominent and emphasize them. It is better to perform standing or bending over.

Performing a tilted crossover

In addition, crossover exercises performed in a tilted position are effective. To perform it, you need to bend over so that your back is parallel to the floor and bend your knees. The main thing is to fix this stance so that other muscles are not involved when performing the exercise.

Doing exercises for biceps

The exercise is performed in a standing position. Using an underhand grip, take the upper handles and lower your arms so that they are parallel to the floor. The position of the legs and back remains fixed, the arms should be slightly bent at the elbows.

Development of deltoid muscles

This exercise should be done standing and will especially help train the middle deltoid muscles. It should be done alternately on each hand. With your free hand, hold on to the counter, fixing your body in this way. The working arm, bent at the elbow, should be raised up and to the side.

Recommendations for introducing crossover leg swings into training

• Back swings are an additional exercise in the leg training complex, so they should be performed after basic exercises such as squats, leg presses, lunges and similar multi-joint exercises. Read more about leg training for girls in the gym →
• The average number of repetitions varies from 15 to 20 repetitions. A large number of repetitions allows you to work with light weight, but with high quality. The large weight of the load will not allow you to move your leg with precise technique and without jerking. Therefore, you should consider swings as a finishing exercise for the buttocks.
• Number of approaches: 3-4 per workout.

Benefits of doing exercises for the buttocks

1. By doing crossover swings after basic exercises (lunges, squats, deadlifts), the gluteal muscles are worked more effectively.
2. The load on the muscles can be adjusted not only by adding or decreasing weight, but also by the position of the body in space.
3. When working the gluteal muscles on a crossover, the trajectory of movement is not fixed and stabilizer muscles (oblique abdominal muscles, spinal extensors, quadratus lumborum muscles) are included in the work.

The hip abduction machine is an excellent exercise for correcting the shape of the buttocks. It is more often chosen by girls who are not interested in increasing the volume of their quadriceps, but want to give the roundness to the fifth point. Although men prefer to lift their lower torso with a barbell, an isolated leg raise exercise is performed to increase muscle density and stretching to promote hypertrophy when lifting heavy weights. The technique is often used instead of squats after knee injuries. Performed at the end of the program for a concentrated load on the gluteal muscles.

How to replace moving the leg back in a block

If it is not possible to perform this exercise, for example, at home, you can perform standing leg abductions with elastic bands or a mini-band.

There is also the option of abducting the legs with emphasis on the knee and arms, or on the forearms.

There is an identical version of the exercise in the gym - this is moving your legs back in the simulator. It is performed in a similar way, the designs have some differences, for example, the presence of special handles for the hands, as well as an elevation for the supporting leg, which makes the simulator more convenient.

If we are not talking about technically similar exercises, but those that develop the same muscles, we can note hyperextension in the simulator, which also includes the buttocks and thigh biceps in the work.

Execution technique

To perform hip adduction using a crossover from a lower block, you need to stand sideways to the machine and fix the lower mount on your leg, then move away from it to a safe distance. While performing the exercise, hold on to the base of the crossover with one hand - this will help maintain balance and concentrate only on the movements of the working leg. Take the starting position: one leg is set back, the other should be slightly raised so as to prevent contact with the floor.

Now we begin to swing the leg with a cable attached to it. Hip adduction using a crossover can be performed both standing and sitting, the leg must be straight. You only need to make movements backwards. When placing your working leg behind the supporting leg, try to tense the inner thigh muscles. When moving your leg back, you need to exhale, and when returning to the starting position, you need to inhale. Then we do the same actions with the second leg.

It is necessary to do 10 such movements in one approach. Before starting your workout, you should thoroughly stretch the muscles of your entire body to avoid the possibility of them being stretched or torn.

To make hip adduction more effective, you can use a weight by attaching it to the ankle of the working leg. For beginning bodybuilders, there are restrictions on the weight of the weighting material: for men, the recommended weight of the load is 10-15 kg, for women - 5-10 kg. The number of approaches should not exceed three times. Those bodybuilders who have been training for a long time have studied the necessary indicators and know the required number of approaches for their weight and level of training.

Video for men:

Video for women:

Muscles involved

Some of the benefits of performing backswings in a crossover include the following:

• The exercise is aimed at working the gluteus maximus muscles. Additionally, the muscles of the back of the thigh are involved.
• The crossover does not fix the trajectory of the leg movement and the position of the body, so in addition to the target muscles, stabilizer muscles work.
• You can adjust the level of load on the gluteal muscles not only by changing the weight in the simulator, but by changing the position of the body, bending/extending the working leg.

The main load when performing the exercise falls on the buttocks.

This exercise is isolated, ideally, movement is carried out only in the hip joint.

The hip abduction is a fairly simple exercise that even beginners can do.

The main load when performing the exercise falls on the buttocks.

The hip abduction is a fairly simple exercise that even beginners can do.

The main load is received by the gluteus maximus muscles. Additionally, during abduction, the biceps femoris muscles are activated. The core muscles provide additional stability to the torso.

Exercise in training

You can include the load in a comprehensive workout of the muscles of the legs and buttocks, but it is better to do this at the end, when all groups are well worked out and warmed up, then the effectiveness of the exercise will increase.

The weight should be chosen lightly so that you can do two or three approaches on each leg with a number of repetitions of up to 15. Hip abduction in a crossover can be included both in a standard program for beginners and in special complexes that consist of different types of loads.

During the process you need to take rest breaks. They should be no more than 2 minutes so that the muscles remain warm, but at the same time tone and slight tension are felt. You also need to monitor your breathing so that the rhythm does not break during execution. Regular exercise on your legs will help not only increase your endurance, but also make your figure beautiful.

Leg abduction on all fours with emphasis on hands

The exercise has gained popularity due to the large amplitude of hip stretching. The larger it is, the more actively the muscles contract at the moment of climax. Leg abduction with emphasis on the arms in a crossover is easy to master even for beginners.

1. Pull up a bench or stand on a mat.
2. Secure the loop around your foot or ankle.
3. Standing in front of the machine, kneel down and take the appropriate position.
4. Extend your cuffed leg and lift your heel up. Squeeze your gluteal muscles and pause for a couple of seconds.
5. Return to the starting position.

Work exclusively with the gluteus medius and maximus muscles. When shifting the load, first adjust your posture, then monitor the trajectory of movement.