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how to do leg raises

Where crunches lift your upper body toward your hips, leg raises do the reverse and bring your legs up to meet you, so the lower part of your abs and your hip flexors carry the load. The real difficulty lives on the way down: the lower your legs travel, the harder your abs must work to stop your lower back from arching. That makes them a good next step once crunches feel easy. Be honest about range; if your back lifts off the floor, stop short or bend your knees rather than grinding through.

▶ watch leg raises on the dedicated video page

primary musclesabs
also workship flexors, lower back, obliques
levelbeginner
equipmentnone — bodyweight
typerep-based

how it’s done, step by step

  1. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms at your sides, palms facing down firm on the floor.
  2. Engage your core muscles and press your lower back into the floor.
  3. Keeping your legs straight, lift them up towards the ceiling until they are perpendicular to the floor.
  4. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position with control, stopping just before they touch the floor. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

how much: Start with 3 sets of 6–8 reps, and slow the lowering to four seconds before adding reps.

form tips from the wandelbar coaches

  • Press your palms and lower back into the floor before your legs leave it.
  • Lower your legs over three slow seconds, stopping where your lower back starts to lift.
  • Keep your legs together and toes softly pointed, squeezing your inner thighs lightly.

common mistakes

  • Lower back arching as your legs come down — stop higher, or bend your knees to shorten the lever.
  • Dropping your legs quickly and bouncing them off the floor — hover your heels an inch above it and pause.
  • Swinging your legs up with momentum — lift slowly and stop when your feet are stacked over your hips.

make it easier or harder

easier
Bent-knee leg raises, drawing your knees toward your chest and tapping your feet down, cut the lever length roughly in half.
harder
Add a small hip lift at the top, curling your tailbone off the floor, so each rep finishes like a reverse crunch.
leg raises top position: lying flat, straight legs pointing up at the ceiling
leg raises — correct starting position

similar bodyweight exercises

sit-ups halfway up: knees bent, feet flat, hands lightly behind the head sit-ups plank on forearms: elbows under shoulders, body straight from head to heels plank mountain climbers in high plank: one knee driven toward the chest, hips level mountain climbers crunches at the top: shoulder blades lifted, arms reaching toward the knees crunches bicycle crunches mid-twist: elbow reaching toward the opposite knee, other leg extended bicycle crunches hollow hold: shoulders and straight legs lifted, lower back pressed flat hollow hold

never wonder what to train next

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