Leg Pull-In
Trains the Abs.
- Equipment
- A flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Lie on your back on a flat bench with your hips near one end.
- Grip the bench beside your hips or hold the edge above your head.
- Start with your legs extended off the end of the bench, hovering.
- Bend the knees and draw them toward your chest, letting the hips curl up at the end.
- Stop when the knees are over your chest and the hips have lifted slightly.
- Extend the legs back out under control, stopping before the lower back leaves the bench.
Common mistakes
- Letting the lower back arch as the legs extend. That is the abdominal wall giving out; the legs go only as far as the back stays down, which is a shorter range than most people expect.
- Pulling with the hands to swing the hips. Gripping the bench is for stability, and pulling on it turns the trunk into a passenger.
- Stopping when the knees reach the chest with the hips still down. The hips curling up is the abdominal half — up to that point the hip flexors are doing the work.
- Letting the feet rest on the floor between repetitions. The legs hovering at the start is what keeps the tension; putting them down turns a set into a series of separate efforts.