Abs exercise
Lying Leg RaiseHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Abs, Hip flexors
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Lying Leg Raise?
- Lie on your back with your legs straight and your hands flat beside your hips.
- Press your lower back into the floor and squeeze your legs together.
- Lift both legs until they point straight up at the ceiling.
- Lower them slowly until your heels hover just above the floor, then lift again.
Cues
- Lower back stays glued down.
- Lower slower than you lift.
- Legs long and together.
Common mistakes
- Lower back arching as your legs drop: stop lowering before it lifts.
- Letting your legs fall: take three seconds on the way down.
- Resting your feet on the floor: keep them hovering between reps.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Both legs together and straight, hands flat on the floor beside the hips, head down, lowering only to a hover just above the floor. This is the "traditional leg lift" in Cleveland Clinic's guide; the bent-knee heel-tap version is the beginner regression and is not shown.
Starting position
Lying on the back on a mat, head resting on the floor. Arms straight beside the body, palms down, hands about 10 cm out from the hips. Legs straight and squeezed together from the inner thighs to the ankles, toes relaxed. The heels hover a few centimetres off the floor. The whole back, including the lower back, is pressed into the mat.
The movement
Keeping the legs straight and together, lift them in an arc around the hip until they point straight up and the body makes an "L". Pause, then lower them slowly along the same arc until the heels hover just above the floor again; they do not rest down between reps. Pelvis, lower back, head and arms stay still on the mat; the hips do not curl up at the top.
Breathing
Breathe in as the legs rise and out as they lower (Cleveland Clinic's cue); never hold the breath.
Tempo
2 s up, 0.5 s pause, 3 s down (5.5 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Knee flexion 0–5° throughout (straight, not locked).
- Feet travel a quarter-circle with a radius of the leg length.
- Lower back stays flat on the mat at every point; pelvis does not lift at the top.
- Head and shoulders stay down; arms do not press visibly.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Lying Leg Raise is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
