Unusual exercise for beautiful abs – “prayer” in a block trainer

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How do you perform the “prayer” exercise? What muscles are working?

Straight twisting in a vertical block or “prayer” looks quite strange: a person in the gym kneels and bows to the ground. But this exercise is very effective, that’s why some athletes love it.

Recommendations for performance

The exercise should be done only in an isolation format, that is, only the abs should work and nothing else. Pulling the weight with your hands with each repetition is not necessary. This will transfer the load to the biceps and broadest muscles of the back, which is unacceptable.

The movement should not be made at the expense of bending in the hip joint, it is a different exercise – more for the bark muscles, and less for the abs. This movement engages the glutes, the long muscle of the spine, and the abs work more as a stabilizer.

You should not flex your lower back, even if a slight lordosis is the natural position of the spine for you.

The only correct solution is to twist, that is, to pull the ribs to the pelvis, and to move along a kind of arc trajectory.

Who should not do “prayer” in the block?

If you just came to the gym and do not know anything, this exercise should not be done. First you need to learn how to properly do ordinary twists on the floor.

People with shoulder and hand injuries are not recommended to do the “prayer” because of the specific grip, which is used to hold the pigtails.

The exercise can also cause overloading of the cervical spine if a person does not know how to hold the neck correctly. With neck injuries, it is also better to be careful with “prayer”.