Training Your Abdominals Part 5: Leg Raises

When it comes to getting that elusive 6-pack, it’s not difficult to find someone in the gym doing crunches on the Swiss ball, or on an abdominal board, but I seldom see anyone doing leg raises. The abdominal muscles are actually quite long and extend from the base of your pectoral or chest muscles right down to your pelvis. While crunches or sit ups are a good all round exercise for your abs, they tend to favor and concentrate on the upper abdominals. To give your lower abs a good workout, look to leg raises and in their basic form, they can easily be performed even in your Home Gym.

Leg Raise Basics

As with sit ups, leg raises seem like a simple exercise, but there is plenty that can go wrong which could result in lower back injury. So, to get it right, go back to basics to start with and start with the movement on the floor.

Leg Raise Basics - Hands At Your Side, Point Your Toes, Legs Straight And Raise Slowly To Hit Those Abs!,

Leg Raise Basics - Hands At Your Side, Point Your Toes, Legs Straight And Raise Slowly To Hit Those Abs!,

Lay down on your back with your hands by your side. I like to put the side of my hands, i.e. my thumbs and index fingers just under my backside as it keeps your upper body still, and also raises your backside a little, putting your lower back in a slightly more neutral, supported position.

Point your toes to encourage your legs to remain straight and together. From that position, use your abdominal muscles to raise your feet, keeping your legs straight, toes pointed all the through the movement. As you feet come up through a circular arc, once your legs are making a 45 degree angle with the floor, you will feel the level of resistance start to reduce, until you reach 90 degrees when you will feel almost no strain on your abdominals, similar to the top of a sit up. The optimal range of movement is from the floor up to around 45 degrees to 60 degrees so that you have constant resistance on your abdominal muscles. Feel for the point where the movement moves from resistance to rest, and use it as a reference point to return your feet back down to the bottom of the movement.

There’s not too much that can go wrong with a leg raise on the floor, compared to sit ups. Be careful to keep your legs straight throughout the exercise. There are leg raise exercises you can do with bent legs, but for the moment we will concentrate on straight legs, as that offers the greatest resistance.

Add More Resistance

There are a number of varieties of this exercise. Once you have mastered the basic movement, try it on an exercise bench. Lie lengthways along the bench with your backside near the edge. Grasp the bench near your head, and then perform the movement. The elevation of the bench allows you a greater range of movement, which lets your abdominals extend further. Bear in mind that your legs represent quite a long lever, and moving them in this way can put a strain on your lower back, and working from a bench can increase that risk. Concentrate on contracting your abs and if you have any doubts about your lower back, don’t risk it, and instead, work with bent leg exercises, which will cause less strain.

For added resistance, put a light dumbbell, or medicine ball between your feet. Also try hanging leg raises for the ultimate in resistance for your lower abdominals. If your grip is giving out before your abs, either work on grip and forearm strength, or buy some wrist straps to help you hold on.

Bent Leg Raises

Bent legged leg raises are similar in execution. Same starting position as straight leg raises. Instead of lifting your feet up in an arc, start with your feet slightly off the ground and bend your legs until your thighs are perpendicular to the ground. Most of the resistance in this movement comes when you straighten your legs back to the starting position. This exercise is probably best performed in the hanging position, where you should lift your knees as far as you can get them the fullest range of motion and contraction possible.

Leg raises are an excellent exercise to train your lower abs, and your hip flexors. If you are new to the exercise, consider starting on bent leg variations before moving onto straight leg. As I said at the beginning of the series, ab exercises on their own will not give you a 6 pack, but done properly, they can add a great deal to your core strength and stability. Concentrate on correct form before complicating any exercise and you will know you are working toward your goals without unnecessarily risking injury.

In the last article in this series, I’ll wrap things up with a look at some alternative and fun ways to work out your abdominal muscles.