Lying Leg Raise: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The lying leg raise works your abdominals, especially the lower portion of the rectus abdominis. Keeping your lower back pressed into the floor forces your abs to control your legs as you raise and lower them, building core strength and control instead of just moving weight.
- Primary muscle:
- Abdominals
Muscles worked
Your abdominals are the target of every rep. As you lift your legs, your rectus abdominis and the deeper abdominal muscles contract to tilt your pelvis and keep your lower back flat against the floor. The slower and more controlled the descent, the longer your abs stay under tension, which is where most of the training effect comes from.
Log Lying Leg Raise in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- Lie with your back flat on a bench and your legs extended in front of you off the end.
- Place your hands either under your glutes with your palms down or by the sides holding on to the bench. This will be your starting position.
- As you keep your legs extended, straight as possible with your knees slightly bent but locked raise your legs until they make a 90-degree angle with the floor. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction at the top for a second.
- Now, as you inhale, slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
Form tips
- Press your lower back into the floor before you start; if it arches, stop.
- Lower your legs only as far as you can control without your back lifting.
- Exhale as you lift, and keep the movement slow on the way down.
- Bend your knees slightly if straight legs make your back arch.
- Keep your hands under your hips or flat on the floor for support.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Bodyweight |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the lying leg raise work my hip flexors instead of my abs?
Your hip flexors do help lift your legs, but the exercise is built to challenge your abdominals: their job is to stop your pelvis from tilting forward and your lower back from arching as the legs move. Keeping your back flat on the floor is what keeps the load on your core.
How many reps of lying leg raises should I do?
Twelve reps or more per set, done under control, fits the muscular endurance range and is a good target for ab work like this. Once you can do 20 clean reps, slow the descent or pause at the top instead of just adding more reps.
What's a good next step from lying leg raises?
Once lying leg raises feel controlled, add rotation with the Russian twist or a longer lever with the hanging leg raise to keep progressing your abdominal strength without just adding random reps.
More abdominals exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
