Leg Lift Exercise

Introduction

Leg Lift Exercise is a simple yet effective movement that targets the abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and lower body. It helps improve core strength, stability, and lower abdominal control, making it ideal for fitness and rehabilitation routines.

What Are Leg Lifts?

Leg lifts help build core strength and are an excellent method for enhancing overall strength in various exercises. Leg lifts, sometimes called leg rises, are commonly performed while lying on your back on a mat. From your strong core, you gently and gradually increase and drop your legs while using your trunk to defy gravity and maintain stability.

Muscles Worked In Leg Lifts

• Rectus Abdominis
• Internal Obliques
• External Obliques
• Rectus Femoris

How to do leg lifts?

Leg lifts come in a variety of styles that let you work out different muscles at varying intensities. To maximize the benefits of your leg lift training regimen, you should adjust it to meet your fitness level and goals.

• Lie down on a plush towel, foam mat, or yoga mat to ensure you are comfortable and secure.
• Make sure your back body is securely attached to the floor from head to ass, with no space between your lower back and the ground.
• Beginning at your inner thighs and ending at your ankles, squeeze your legs together. Your feet and toes can remain relaxed.
• Taking a deep breath, carefully raise both legs together while maintaining the straightest possible posture.
• Breathe out as you slowly lower your legs. Lower them once they are only a few inches above the ground.
• Take a moment to finish the subsequent repetition. One should begin with around ten repeats every session, or thirty seconds if you’d prefer to keep track of the time. The number of repetitions may be gradually increased as your strength increases.

Variation In Performing Leg Lifts

• Alternating leg lifts
• Side leg lifts
• Reverse leg lifts
• Plank leg lifts
• Hanging leg lifts

Alternating leg lifts:

Lower each leg individually after raising both to a position perpendicular to the floor (note the capital L) for the alternating leg lift variant.

• Begin with 10 reps for each leg, or around 30 seconds.
• You can maintain straight knees to enhance the difficulty or bend them at a 90-degree angle to lessen it, similar to traditional leg lifts.
• “One side will be stronger than the other.” One-leg exercises prevent your stronger leg from overcompensating for your weaker limb. You give your weaker side more chances to strengthen by exchanging legs.

Side leg lifts:

• This version involves lying on your side. You can use your forearm as a pillow by resting it behind your head and bending it at the elbow.
• The letter Y should be formed using your body. After completing around 10 repetitions, rotate both legs and switch to the other side (recommended for beginners).
• Side leg lifts are the most effective at-home workout for strengthening your gluteus medius, the “medium” muscle in your buttocks that stabilizes your trunk and stride while you walk.

Reverse leg lifts:

• Only more experienced exercisers should perform reverse leg lifts, also known as “reverse hyperextension,” as this version calls for a strong back.
• You lie on your stomach. To provide a resting area for your head, place your hands beneath your forehead.
• Maintaining as much straightness as possible, raise one leg at a time.
• As your strength increases, progress to longer workouts and increase the number of repetitions.

Plank leg lifts:

• Start your warm-up by assuming a plank position to perform reverse leg lifts.
• Maintain the same plank position, but instead of relying on your elbows, extend your arms straight and position your palms on the ground to elevate the challenge.
• The plank leg lift is a challenging exercise that focuses on your shoulders, as well as your glutes, hamstrings, and core.
• Perform this before including the leg lift. You should wait until you are truly comfortable maintaining a firm plank posture for some time.

Hanging leg lifts:

• This challenging leg lift workout necessitates equipment for proper execution. To perform a hanging leg lift, hang from a pull-up bar, sometimes referred to as a high bar, and raise your legs till they are parallel to the floor.
• Another way to achieve this is to bend your knees so that your feet are parallel to the floor. Drop your legs after uncurling your knees for each repetition.

How to do a Leg Lift

Benefits Of Performing Leg Lifts

“This is an excellent workout for developing core stability.” It is impossible to undervalue the advantages of having a solid core, which extends well beyond superficial advantages.

Stimulates hormones: A lot of hormones might be released when you work out your legs. Hormones, including cortisol, testosterone, and human growth hormone (HGH), are produced when you use your legs.

Cortisol promotes fat metabolism and aids in your body’s reaction to stress. To build skeletal muscle and repair damaged muscle proteins, your body utilizes testosterone. HGH enhances immune response, speeds up fat breakdown, and supports muscle development.

Balances strength: Exercises for the unilateral leg will be considerably more beneficial.

Training each leg independently requires equal engagement from all sides of your body, promoting better alignment and helping to correct muscle imbalances. This guarantees that your dominant leg isn’t overcompensating for the strength, flexibility, or mobility of your non-dominant side.

Engages core: Exercises using just one leg can help you strengthen your core, improve your balance, and avoid injuries. Since exercising one side of the body can activate the same muscles on the opposite side, it may aid in rehabilitation.

On the other side of the body from the one you’re targeting, this indirect stimulation can help strengthen a damaged region. Use your non-dominant side first when performing unilateral workouts.

Other benefits

• Improve balance
• Improve posture
• Make everyday activities like sitting and reaching easier.
• Amplify your fitness goals
• Alleviate lower back pain
• Reduce the risk of injury

Common Mistakes While Performing Leg Lifts

• The common mistake individuals make during leg lifts is sacrificing form at the back.  “People frequently don’t maintain a neutral spine.”
• “As a result, they tighten their lower back instead of their core by arching their back.” This will increase the chance of damage in addition to diminishing the integrity and advantages of leg lifts.
• Remember to maintain your lower back pushed against the mat the entire time to prevent this error. If it appears to be arching upward, reduce the amount of lowering of your legs.
• Avoid “swinging” your legs up and down with velocity as well. To get a gradual, pleasant burn over your entire core, instead, maintain a steady tempo.

Summary

• Regularly work out your complete body, including your leg muscles, to increase your strength and general fitness.
• Sometimes taking a day off is acceptable, particularly if you’re ill or wounded. If skipping a day causes you to feel anxious or guilty, prepare how you will make up the time you missed.
• Because balance is key, incorporate leg exercises into your program and don’t overlook these crucial upper body muscles.

FAQ’s

References:

• Clinic, C. (2025c, June 17). How to do leg lifts properly: A Step-by-Step guide. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-do-leg-lifts
• Ross, M. (1970b, January 1). Leg lifts help you build a strong and stable core. Here’s how to do them. https://www.onepeloton.com/blog/leg-lifts
• Cronkleton, E. (2020, July 28). Why do people say never to skip a leg day? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/never-skip-leg-day#benefits-of-leg-days