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May 26, 2020 6 min read
You may have seen ankle straps laying around in your gym, but have you ever considered the benefits they can bring to your lower body? Incorporating ankle straps in your workout routine is simple, bringing many benefits like more defined legs, hips, thighs, and glutes.
If you’ve been looking for a new way to get tighter, toned legs and abs then the six exercises are a fantastic start. Using ankle straps helps you increase strength, size, and definition to essential parts of your lower body and core. All you need is a cable pulley and straps.
It’s important to point out that form is essential, just like any other workout. You shouldn’t simply strap on ankle straps and start wielding their legs around. Not to worry though, you’ll find all the essential information below for getting the most out of your workout.
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As implied by the name, an ankle strap is a strap that wraps around your ankle on one side, and on the other side attaches to a cable machine. Typically, ankle straps come in pairs and allow you to do unilateral exercises, but you can also use single ankle straps for single-leg movements.
Using an ankle strap on a cable machine requires a fair amount of core strength for performing leg exercises. That’s very different from a seated machine exercise. The biggest difference is the need to maintain your head, neck, back, and hips in alignment.
If you have trouble or experience hypertension through your lower back, it might be a good idea to do a few core-strengthening exercises, such as crunches or bicycle kicks, then begin working through the exercises below.
Traditional lateral lunges are a great way to train your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. When you mix it up and switch to cables and add in ankle straps, you get an exercise that literally kicks ass.
Doing cable lateral lunges helps you maintain control and actively contract your glutes, ensuring you don’t exert incorrect muscles. To perform the movement follow these steps:
This may be a little complex at first, but it’s an awesome alternative for when all the leg extension machines are taken and you HAVE to get your quad pump in. This also works the VMO muscle (vastus medialis oblique) which is a part of your quad that supports knee function. To perform the movement follow these steps:
Giving some attention to your glutes and lateral quad muscles, the cable hip abductors are designed to shape and tone your backside. This exercise is another great way to really connect with the muscle you’re working — and you’ll feel it almost instantly. To perform the movement follow these steps:
Next up, the exact opposite muscle group as the previous exercise, the cable hamstring curls will utilize ankle straps to condition your hamstrings.
This exercise is a great transition from the Standing Cable Leg Extensions because your stance and movement will be the exact reverse of what you just did. To perform the movement follow these steps:
Switching things up to give your legs and glutes a short break, try cable crunches with ankle straps. The weighted crunches are a great exercise to get a good burn for tight and toned abs! To perform the movement follow these steps:
Lastly and staying in the same area and similar position as the previous exercise (convenient, right?) cable hamstring curls provide an amazing mind-muscle connection.
The biggest benefit in performing lying cable hamstring curls, versus the standing option, is that you use both legs at once for maximum hamstring definition. To perform the movement follow these steps:
The best ankle straps for cable machine are found right here at Gymreapers. These ankle straps are made from durable Neoprene padding that breathes with you instead of constricting your ankles.
The reinforced stitching around the edges help hold the stainless steel D-ring in place for a sturdy connection to the cable pulley machine. With the Gymreapers ankle straps, you can attach them to any cable machine and be sure to get use out of them for years to come.
The six exercises above provide a good mix to get tighter, toned legs and tighter abs. By using ankle straps you increase strength, size, and definition to essential parts of your lower body and core. Remember, ankles straps are pretty durable and can help you achieve a stronger and leaner lower body.
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