Leg Raise

Leg raise is a great exercise for targeting your abs and stabilizing trunk muscles. This beneficial exercise strengthens muscles that support both athletic movements and daily activities. Plus, you don’t need any equipment to do it, so you can do it anywhere with enough floor space!

Proper technique is key to getting the most from your workouts and preventing injuries that could hinder your progress. Continue reading to learn tips from the expert and how to effectively add leg raises into your fitness routine.

How To Do

  1. Lie flat on your back with your arms resting on either side of you with your legs out straight.
  2. Engage your core by pulling your stomach muscles in towards your spine.
  3. Keeping your legs together and knees straight, exhale and slowly lift your legs off the floor.
  4. When your feet are pointing straight up towards the ceiling, you’ve reached the top position. 
  5. Hold at this point for a couple of seconds while focusing on keeping your core tight.
  6. Inhale and lower your legs slowly to the starting position, maintaining the straight position throughout. Keep your lower back and shoulders in contact with the floor throughout the movement.
  7. You will start your next rep before your feet touch the floor. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Tips From Expert

  • Keep your head and back against the floor at all times. This is to limit neck and lower back stress and keep the focus on your abdominals.
  • If you find yourself arching your back, decrease your range of motion or use a slight knee bend.
  • Bring your legs up using a slow and controlled movement. Your core should be acting as the primary movers.
  • Inhale and engage your core before lifting your legs. Exhale as you return them to the starting position.
  • Keep your arms by your sides to maintain a stable body position.
  • Add ab stretches post-routine to help with maintaining muscle range of motion and assist with recovery.

Optimal Sets and Reps

Consistency and an understanding of training principles will help you meet your training needs. See the table below for recommendations on sets and reps for common training styles.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 3–5 4–6
Hypertrophy 3–4 8–12
Endurance Training 3–4 15–20
Power Training 3–5 1–3 (Explosive)
Optimal Sets & Reps of Leg Raise

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Leg raises target your core muscles, which are central to supporting your spine, posture, and movement. Let’s look at examples that can help you program this valuable exercise into your workout split.

  • Full Body Split — Complete leg raises on alternate days along with deadlifts, leg presses, and planks. If focusing on the core specifically, make your routine well-rounded by adding oblique exercises like Russian twists and bicycle crunches.
  • Upper And Lower Split — Target your core by adding leg raises on lower body days along with squats, deadlifts, and lunges.

As a bodyweight exercise, we don’t need to worry about intensity loading recommendations. However, intensity can be changed with variations in leg raise exercises. 

For instance, you can challenge yourself by using a partner to push your legs down at the top of the movement, which will make it harder. You can also make the movement easier by bending the knees, shortening the lever, and effectively reducing the weight.

Rest for two to three minutes for strength and power training sets. Shorter periods of 45–90 seconds will suffice for hypertrophy and endurance training. 

This information is less crucial for the leg raise. However, it should be used as your other training, which will consist of movements working towards these training styles.

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Equipment

Bodyweight

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Who Should Do?

Athletes

Strong core muscles support us in all the activities we do, from walking and running to standing upright. Fundamentally, athletes depend on their core muscles to support endeavors that require exceptional speed, strength, and agility.

Leg raises work not only the aesthetically pleasing six-pack muscles but also the deeper muscles that stabilize our core. With core stability comes the ability to support building the strength, speed and performance that athletes require to be successful. Therefore, this exercise would be beneficial to anyone looking to improve their athletic ability.

Anyone Looking To Improve Core Strength

Core stability helps support our spine and is key for balance, strength, and healthy pain-free movement. For instance, there have been links with poor core stability and lower back pain, as well as increasing injury risk.

It’s worth noting core stability is one of the first things addressed in people presenting with non-specific back pain. Leg raises can be used as part of a workout routine to help build core stability, avoiding aches and injuries.

*Expert tip: You don’t have to lift heavy weights to improve your core stability. You can do ab workouts at home with little to no equipment.

Anyone Looking To Develop Their Abs

Leg raises are easy to perform and require no equipment making them a great exercise to do anywhere. Now we’re not saying that six-pack abs are easy to build, but we all must start somewhere. Many people want their abdominal muscles to have more definition, and multiple things can contribute to this.

Balancing a fitness routine that involves exercises that focus on the different ab muscles specifically is key. For instance, focusing on a well-rounded fat-burning and muscle-building routine that includes leg raises may help improve your ab definition. However, remember, a healthy diet is an important part of this journey.

Who Should Not Do?

Those With Weak Core Muscles

People with weak core muscles may struggle to complete leg raises with the correct technique or form. Maintaining correct form, such as keeping the back in contact with the floor throughout the movement, can be challenging. The inability to do this increases the risk of back strains.

Our legs are used as the weight for this resistance exercise. The legs are comprised of some of the largest, heaviest muscles in the body. It is important to build foundational core strength first with easier core exercises or variations of the exercise. 

For example, bending the knees, or lifting one leg at a time will make this exercise easier. If in doubt, speak to a personal trainer who may be able to assist with progressively building your core strength.

After The First Trimester In Pregnancy

Although exercising during pregnancy is generally safe, there are recommendations about specific positions. For instance, lying supine or on your back while performing certain movements can increase pressure in your abdomen. Leg raises heavily engage the core muscles, which raises abdominal pressure.

This increase in pressure is thought to impact blood flow in some vessels. It is therefore recommended that leg raises be avoided after the first trimester. If you are concerned about what exercises are safe for you to do, please seek medical advice.

Those With Acute Or Unstable Heart Conditions

There are very few situations where exercise is not recommended. It can have adverse effects for someone with acute heart conditions or uncontrolled high blood pressure. In some cases, medication needs to be optimized first or a closely monitored rehab program. 

This does not mean anyone with a heart condition cannot exercise, as exercise is often an important part of recovery. Specific advice should come from your medical team. If you are unsure, clarify with your doctor before commencing an exercise program.

Benefits Of Leg Raises

Reduces Risk Of Injuries 

Leg raises target the core muscles and strengthens them, leading to multiple benefits. Core stability is important in improving overall control of our bodies and reducing the risk of injury.

This improves our ability to do everyday activities such as walking, running, and lifting items, and improves our posture. It is also key for athletes and all sporting endeavors and allows them to efficiently build strength, speed, and agility.

Improves Posture 

An upright posture is important in our daily lives for our general health and well-being. Poor postures can lead to increased aches and pains, as well as muscle imbalance, which can increase injury risk. Our core makes up some of the key postural muscles that help us maintain an upright position.

When examined in children and adolescents, 65.3% were shown to have incorrect posture. This shows the importance of posture and exercise in today’s society.

Leg raises train the core muscles that are important for supporting the spine and pelvis. This aids our stability, improves spinal alignment, and improves our posture. Maintaining good posture supports spinal health, allows our bodies to move optimally, and reduces the risk of injuries.

Builds Strength

Building strength is an important part of healthy living and aging. It allows us to move around safely, maintain the correct posture, and generate force for daily activities and playing sports. Our core muscles are key, allowing us a stable foundation to do activities like walking, running, and jumping.

Leg raises help to build strength, focusing on our core muscles, which support our spine and pelvis. This improves posture, reduces the risk of injury, and supports daily and sporting activities. 

Without core strength, we would struggle to perform compound movements and maintain balance or posture. Therefore, our core supports building strength and is vital to efficient and effective movement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are leg raises good for?

They’re a great exercise for targeting your core muscles that help stabilize and support your posture. Having strong core muscles will also help you build strength and reduce the risk of injury.

How to do leg raises correctly?

Keep your core engaged throughout the movement and keep your back in contact with the floor. Pause for a couple of seconds at the top of the movement for maximal muscle engagement.

What happens if you do leg raises every day?

Your muscles need time to rest and recuperate after a workout. Allow at least 48-hour break before working the same muscle group again. This will help you avoid injury and get the most from your workouts.

Is the leg raise bad for the back?

If done correctly, they put significantly less stress on your back than other exercises that target the abs and core. Leg raises build the core that supports your back, but if you have back pain, poor form may exacerbate this.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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