Weighted Leg Pull Ins
Primary Muscle Group: Abdominals
Secondary Muscle Group: Hip Flexors & Glutes
Equipment Needed: Dumbbell
The Benefits of Weighted Leg Pull Ins
The Weighted Leg Pull In is a good exercise for building better abs, particularly the lower abs. Its easy to perform and has two variations, one with a dumbbell and the other, with just your own bodyweight. The weighted Leg Pull in is the better of the two for building bigger, more defined looking six packs and you tend to find more advanced people opting for this exercise.
The Weighted Leg Pull in is best used as part of an ab workout routine with other exercises that target your upper abdominal muscles such as an abdominal crunch or sit up. This will ensure that you get the full development of both top and lower abs.
If you are looking for other exercises that are the best for building better abs or wanting to build a better body, then you should check our Free Workout Plans or our affordable full workout plans with coaching for professionally designed workout plans that have been proven to get results.
The Risks of doing Weighted Leg Pull Ins
When doing Weighted Leg Pull Ins it’s important that you select a weight that isn’t too heavy, otherwise you will end up just working your hip flexors instead of your abdominal muscles. It’s also possible that by trying to use a heavier weight, you could pull a muscle or even worse, cause a muscle tear.
So before giving a Weighted Leg Pull In a go, here's exactly how to do them without risking pain or injury.
How To Do Weighted Leg Pull Ins
1. First of all, stand a dumbbell on its side so that its 2 feet away from the edge of a bench and sit comfortably on the edge of that bench and use your hands to grip the bench for support.
2. Extend your legs towards the dumbbell and pin each foot underneath the top plate of the standing dumbbell, on either side of its bar.
3. Bring your knees in towards your chest, taking care not to drop the dumbbell in the process, and hold them as close as you can to your chest for a second.
4. Finally, extend your legs back down towards the floor to the starting position.
Variations: You do this exercise without any weight so you can leave the dumbbell out and just use your own body weight. You can even use the body weight version as part of a drop set. To do a drop set, perform the weighted version with the dumbbell and then immediately after your set, perform a second set without the dumbbell, using just your body weight.
For Perfect Technique
1. Keep your abdominal muscles tight at all times and lean your torso back slightly to help balance your weight better.
2. Select a weight that is going to challenge you isn’t too heavy. This is very important because the aim is to make your time working out as efficient as possible and it will also help avoid injury.
3. Do the exercise without any weight first if you are unfamiliar with the exercise? This will help with your mind and muscle connection.
Variations
Once you have mastered the Weighted Leg Pull In exercise you can try alternative exercises that target similar muscle groups such as;
How To Do Bodyweight Leg Pull Ins
1. Sit comfortably on the edge of that bench and use your hands to grip the bench for support.
2. Put your legs together & extend your legs out in front of you and off the ground.
3. Bring your knees in towards your chest and hold them as close as you can to your chest for a second.
4. Finally, extend your legs back down towards the floor to the starting position.
How To Do Hanging Knee Raises
1. Firstly, grip a pull-up bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, using an overhand grip.
2. Engage your abdominal muscles and while keeping your torso stable, slowly raise your legs, keeping them bent and driving through your glutes, until they’re at 90° with your upper body.
3. Slowly lower and return to the start position.
The Weighted Leg Pull In specifically develops your lower abdominal muscles and is great when combined with other exercises that target the upper abdominal muscles to give you a six pack.