2 Underrated Exercises You Should Be Doing

When it comes to working out you probably rotate through an arsenal of well-known exercises and there's nothing wrong about it. But what you should know is that there are also uncommon exercises for which you can benefit a lot. Both of the movements we show in this video will work on specific weak points that might hold you back from unlocking your full strength development. The first exercise on our list that we do on a regular basis is the seated leg lift. On the first view it looks like an L-sit but instead of lifting yourself up from the ground your body stays there. Now you might think that it's not that hard to lift your legs while sitting on the ground. Well, give it a try and you will notice that it's very hard to do. The purpose of this movement is to bring your upper body as close as possible to your legs while your hands are placed on the ground. This exercise will work on your straight leg mobility which is important to do a proper L-sit, leg raise or even a V-sit. Most people think that leg raises or L-sits are about the abs in the first place but the truth is that they lack in mobility and quad strength. Don't be confused. You can be as strong as a bull and squat hundreds of kilos but this won't work on your straight leg strength. The main muscle which is responsible for this movement is the rectus femoris which is one of the foreheads of the quadriceps. If this muscle is too weak or your hamstrings are too tight you won't be able to raise your legs to a significant height. Most people compensate this lack in mobility by bending their knees or by raising their bodies instead of their legs. You can make this exercise harder or easier with different hand placements. The more mobile you get the more you can place your hands closer to your feet and raise your legs higher. Don't lean your upper body backwards and don't release your palms from the ground. The second exercise is the reverse hyperextension. As with the seated leg lift you will train your legs but this time you strengthen not the front but the back side. The reverse hyperextension will work on your glutes and hamstrings which are often neglected in calisthenics. This movement is also great to get more strength and a better feeling for all advanced exercises in which you extend your legs like the back lever and the planche. Always keep in mind that this movement is about leg extension and not arching your lower back. It's okay if you have a slight natural arch in your lower back but avoid an excessive arch to get more range of motion. This is just a compensation and won't help you. Of course you should also avoid any kind of uncontrolled movements in which you use momentum to raise your legs. You can do this movement in a static position or dynamically. We recommend to do both and mix your workouts up with it. If this exercise is too hard for you, you can adjust the difficulty by changing the lever. You can do this by simply bending or straddling your legs. Give yourself some variation every now and then and also do some exercises that seem too easy on the first view. You will have a lot of benefits from that. If you want to know how to schedule a complete full body workout just visit our website and train with our workout programs for different levels. If you have further questions on these exercises just leave a comment. Thanks Alex!