Leg Raise Exercise Technique – Correct Form

The leg raise is a terrific exercise for building a strong core with the additional benefit of improving the flexibility of your hips and lower back.

The exercise is great for anyone who spends a lot of time sitting at a desk and offers a different approach to the popular “sit up” which often focusses less on hip mobility and lower abdominal development than the leg raise does.

1. Lying on your back, with your legs straight, overlap your hands so that they lie flat on top of each other, under the hollow of your lower back.
2. Engaging your abs, push your lower back into your hands and then smoothly raise your legs to a 90-degree angle.
3. Once at the top, smoothly lower your legs (whilst keeping them straight) back to the floor.
4. Three seconds up, one-second pause and three seconds down is a good rep cadence to start with.
5. Breathe smoothly throughout.

• Raise one leg at a time.

• Raise bent legs.

• Reduce rest at top and bottom of exercise – don’t raise your legs to a right angle, raise them to around 45 degrees and lower them to around 6 inches from the floor.

• Super slow, 10 seconds up, 10 seconds down or longer.

• Hanging leg raises.

• Dragon flags.