Other Exercises

The lying leg raise crunch with a weight plate is an advanced core exercise that combines two fundamental movements to target the lower abdominals, upper abdominals, and obliques simultaneously. It’s a challenging progression from a standard crunch or leg raise and is excellent for building strength and definition in the entire abdominal region.

Pro Tip for Lying Leg Raise Crunch Execution

• Choose the Right Weight: Start with a light weight plate. The goal isn’t to lift a heavy plate, but to increase the resistance on your core.
• Maintain a Neutral Spine: Do not allow your lower back to arch up, as this can lead to lower back pain.
• Focus on Core, Not Momentum: The movement should be controlled, and deliberate. Avoid using momentum to swing your legs up.
• Coordinate the Movements: The leg raise and the crunch should happen at the same time. Think of your knees and shoulders moving towards each other as you crunch.
• Control the Negative: Slowly lower both your legs and upper body. The slower you go, the more you will work your core and the better your results will be. Do not let your legs drop quickly. 
• Head and Neck Position: When you perform the crunch, remember to keep your chin tucked slightly to your chest and focus on lifting with your chest and shoulders, not your neck.
• Breathing: Exhale as you lift your legs and crunch.

The Body Curl, often referred to as a “Bicep Curl on Rings,” is a highly effective bodyweight exercise for targeting the biceps and forearms.

Using the rings on an Escape Fitness Octagon Frame adds a unique challenge due to the instability of the rings, forcing your body to work harder to maintain control and engage multiple stabilizing muscles.

Pro Tip for Body Curls Execution

• Maintain a Straight Body Line
• Keep Your Elbows Fixed: Your elbows are the hinge for this movement.
• Use the Right Angle: The difficulty of this exercise is directly related to your body angle. To make it easier, stand more upright.
• Focus on the Squeeze: At the top of the curl, when your hands are near your shoulders, consciously squeeze your biceps.
• Control the Negative (Lowering Phase): The eccentric portion of the curl is just as important as the concentric (lifting) portion.
• Engage Your Grip: The rings are inherently unstable, which forces you to use your grip strength to maintain control.
• Avoid Swinging: Use your core and stabilizer muscles to keep your body as still as possible throughout the curl.

The Body Row, often performed with gymnastic rings or a similar suspension system, is a fundamental bodyweight exercise that is excellent for building upper back and bicep strength.

When using the rings on an Escape Fitness Octagon Frame, you benefit from the frame’s stability and the rings’ natural freedom of movement, which challenges your stabilizing muscles in a way that fixed-bar rows do not.

Pro Tips for Body Rows Execution

• Maintain a Straight Body Line
• Shoulder Blade Retraction is Key: The movement should initiate with a squeeze of your shoulder blades together.
• Pull with Your Elbows: Similar to a dumbbell row, you should lead the movement by pulling your elbows back.
• Control the Negative (Lowering Phase): Slowly and with control, extend your arms to return to the starting position.
• Adjust Difficulty with Foot Placement: To make it easier, walk your feet back towards the anchor point. To make it more challenging, walk your feet forward.
• Keep Tension on the Rings: Maintain a consistent grip and tension on the rings throughout the entire exercise to keep them from swinging and to maintain control.
• Full Range of Motion: Aim to get your chest to touch the rings at the top of the movement and fully extend your arms at the bottom.

The Body Triceps Extension, also known as the “bodyweight triceps extension” or “skull crusher on rings,” is an advanced bodyweight exercise that effectively isolates the triceps.

When performed on the rings of an Escape Fitness Octagon Frame, the instability of the rings increases the challenge, forcing your triceps to work harder to stabilize the movement.

Pro Tips for Body Triceps Extension

• Maintain a Rigid Body Line: Your body must remain in a straight, rigid line from your head to your heels.
• Keep Your Elbows Tucked: Do not let your elbows flare out to the sides, as this will put unnecessary strain on your shoulders and reduce the emphasis on your triceps.
• Control the Negative (Lowering Phase): The eccentric (lowering) part of the movement is critical for muscle growth and safety.
• Adjust the Difficulty: To make it more challenging, lean further forward, bringing your body closer to a horizontal position.
• Fully Extend Your Arms: At the top of the movement, fully lock out your elbows to ensure a complete contraction of the triceps.
• Avoid Using Momentum: The movement should be powered entirely by your triceps. Do not use a rocking motion.

The hanging knee raise is a fundamental core exercise that is highly effective for targeting the lower abdominal muscles.

Performing this exercise on a Hammer Strength Leg Raise/Chin/Dip gives you padded support for your back and arms and allows you to fully focus on engaging your core without worrying about grip fatigue or full-body swinging.

Pro Tips for Hanging Knee Raises Execution

• Keep Your Back Firmly Against the Pad: Keep your back pressed firmly against the pad throughout the entire exercise.
• Initiate with a Pelvic Tilt: Before you even lift your knees, initiate the movement by performing a slight pelvic tilt. Think about tilting your pelvis upward and “tucking” it under your torso.
• Focus on a Controlled and Deliberate Movement: Avoid swinging your legs or using momentum.
• Bring Your Knees Up High: You should aim to bring your knees up to at least a 90-degree angle.
• Squeeze at the Top: At the peak of the movement, pause for a moment and squeeze your abdominal muscles.
• Control the Negative (Lowering Phase): Do not simply let your legs drop back down. Slowly and with control, lower your knees.
• Avoid Arching Your Back: A common mistake is to arch the back as you lower your legs. This places stress on the lower back and disengages the abdominal muscles.

The Hanging Leg Raise is a challenging core exercise that is a step up from the knee raise. It is highly effective for building strength in the lower abs and hip flexors. Performing this on the Hammer Strength Leg Raise/Chin/Dip machine provides a stable platform, allowing you to focus on the movement without the instability of a free-hanging bar.

Pro Tips for Hanging Leg Raises Execution

• Avoid Arching Your Back: A common mistake is to arch the back as you lower your legs. This places stress on the lower back and disengages the abdominal muscles.
• Focus on the Core, Not the Hip Flexors: The goal is to drive the movement with your lower abdominals.
• Keep Your Legs Straight and Together: Keep your legs as straight as possible.
• Control the Negative (Lowering Phase): Do not simply let your legs drop back down. Slowly and with control, lower your legs.
• Find Your Range of Motion: It’s okay if you can’t get your legs all the way up to parallel with the floor at first. Go as high as you can while maintaining a straight back and controlling the movement.

The hanging bicycles is a dynamic and advanced core exercise that targets the obliques and rectus abdominis. Performing it on a Hammer Strength Leg Raise/Chin/Dip machine provides the necessary stability to focus on the controlled, alternating leg motion without the added difficulty of stabilizing your entire body on a free-hanging bar.

Pro Tips for Hanging Bicycles Execution

• Maintain a Stable Torso: Isolate the movement to your hips and legs while keeping your torso and upper body completely still.
• Keep the Movement Slow and Controlled: The benefit of this exercise comes from control, not speed.
• Full Range of Motion: Extend each leg fully before you start to bring the other knee up.
• Don’t Rush the Negative: Even though the movement is continuous, you should be in full control.
• Keep Your Back Pressed Against the Pad: As with all exercises on this machine, it’s crucial to keep your back pressed firmly against the support pad throughout the entire exercise.
• Coordinate Breathing with the Movement: Find a rhythm that works for you. The key is to breathe and not hold your breath.