Lying Leg Raise
Muscles worked: Abs.
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.
- 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.
- Now, as you inhale, slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Hands under the hips if needed
- Legs straight, heels never rest
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 10 to 20 rep range, progressing in 1 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Bodyweight movement: log added weight only, and your records account for your logged bodyweight. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Cable Crunch - abs
- Hanging Leg Raise - abs
- Ab Wheel Rollout - abs
- Ab Crunch Machine - abs
Track the lying leg raise properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.