Do Leg Lifts

Leg lifts are some of the best exercises you can do to work out your abs and your legs. There are a variety of leg lifts that you can do, depending on your physical condition and the level of intensity that you're looking for in a workout. If you want to know how to do leg lifts and to be on your way to a more toned and stronger body, then see Step 1 to get started.

Steps

Doing Vertical Leg Lifts

  1. Lie flat on your back with your legs stretched out in front of you. Your legs should just be a toe's width apart. Make sure to keep your hands down flat on the ground near your sides, with your palms down.
    • You can use a yoga or exercise mat for extra support and comfort.
    • If you experience occasional back pain, you can roll a towel and place it under the arch of your back, just above your hips.
    • Additionally, if you lay on a workout bench instead of on the floor, it will improve your range of motion and allow you to lift/lower your legs farther.[1]
  2. Bend your knees and raise your legs. Your calves should be parallel to the ground, while your thighs are perpendicular.[2] You should keep your toes pointed while you do this, drawing your abdominal muscles toward your spine. Your thighs should be perpendicular to your body, while your shins should be parallel.
    • Be sure to contract your abdominals to push your lower back into the floor; there should not be any gap between them. This helps you target the abdominal muscles while protecting your spine.
    • Keep your eyes and face directed at the ceiling and avoid the temptation to strain your neck to look at your legs. This will help you avoid pain in your neck. If you feel that your head and neck are moving forward too much, lift your chin up a bit more.
  3. Straighten your legs until your feet are pointed at the ceiling. Keep your toes pointed and raise your legs as slowly as possible. Remember not to let your lower back arch off the ground, or you may injure yourself and you won't be getting as good of a workout.
    • If you can do Step 2 easily while keeping your back flat on the floor, give yourself a harder workout by skipping Step 2 and raising your legs to the ceiling without bending them.
  4. Slowly lower your legs. Bring them down as far as you can while keeping your back flat against the floor. Your eventual goal is to reach about an inch off the floor. Don't just let gravity work for you -- make sure you're in control. Hold your arms in the same place, but use them for strength and support as you lower your legs.
    • Resist the temptation to let your feet touch the floor if you want the best workout you can get.
    • Keep your lower back pressed into the floor to engage your abdominals and protect your spine. This will get harder the closer your feet get to the floor, so only lower as far as you can while not arching your back. If you feel your lower back arching up off the floor, don't lower your legs down as far. As your abdominals get stronger, you will be able to lower your feet closer to the floor using proper form.
    • Most importantly, don't forget to breathe! A lot of people freeze up when they do this exercise.
  5. Slow it down if this exercise is too easy. For even more of a workout, you can lift your straightened legs all the up on a count of ten, and then lower them down while counting to ten again. This will definitely give your abs a great workout, but it is a bit more of a challenge.
    • For yet another challenge, you can also practice raising your feet about 20%, holding for one second, raising them 20% more, holding for one second, and continuing this until you get them as high as they need to be. You can lower them in increments in the same way.
  6. Repeat 3 sets of 10-20 leg lifts. Start with 3 sets of 10 and build your way up to 3 sets of 20.

Doing Leg Lifts with a Ball

  1. Lie flat on the ground. Lie down with your arms at your sides with your legs out in front of you. Use a yoga or exercise mat for your comfort.
  2. Place a ball between your feet and lift your legs up. Using an exercise or medicine ball can add some extra resistance to your workout and will make it even more challenging. Just place the weight in between your feet, get a firm grip on it, and then begin to lift your legs up until they are perpendicular to the rest of your body. This is the vertical leg lift with an added weight.
  3. Lower your legs as slowly as possible. The slower you go, the more you resist gravity and force your muscles to maintain control. This is a great workout for your abdominal muscles, though it can take a bit more effort than regular leg lifts.
  4. Do 3 sets of 5-10 leg lifts with a ball. Since these exercises are a bit harder, you should start off by doing fewer of them until you feel ready for more. Then, you can move to doing 3 sets of 10-20 leg lifts with the added weight.
  5. Add an extra challenge. If you like lifting the ball with your feet, then you can lift up your legs with the ball in them while reaching toward the ball with your arms.
    • Raise your arms and legs up at the same time, so you can grab the ball in your hands and then move it all the way up behind your head. Then, lift your arms and legs up in the same way again, and shift the weight between your arms and your legs.
    • Move the weight down to the floor with your feet and raise them up again to transfer the weight to your arms once more. This advanced leg lift is certain to get your abs -- and your arms -- burning.

Doing Hanging Leg Lifts

  1. Hang from a bar with your arms. Keep your hands/arms a bit more than shoulder width apart. Get a firm grip on the bar and look straight ahead of you to avoid straining your neck. Keep your body still and even, with your feet together. Your fingertips should be facing away from you.
    • If you're at a gym, the bar may have extra handles to support your hands.
  2. Raise your legs until they are perpendicular to your body. Keep your toes pointed as you do this. You may not be able to get them as high as you want them to be at first. Keep your back straight and avoid the temptation to hunch over or to curl in toward your legs.
  3. Slowly lower your legs. Once your legs have reached their maximum height and you feel that slow burn in your core, gently lower them down. Try going as slowly as you can to work your muscles even harder.
    • Make sure you lower your legs slowly so that you are doing the work instead of relying on the momentum of your legs dropping.[3]
  4. Repeat 3 sets of 10 hanging leg lifts. As you get more comfortable, you can increase to 3 sets of 20 hanging leg lifts.
    • The hanging variation of the leg lift exercise is better for people with back problems because it does not put the same amount of pressure on your back as it does when you do them lying down.
  5. Make it easier if you need to. If these legs lifts are too challenging, you can raise your legs with bent knees instead. For this variation of the exercise, bend your knees and keep your legs together while raising your knees as high as they can go, nearly up to your chest. Then, lower your legs and start again. This exercise is a bit less strenuous for the abdominal muscles.

Doing Side Leg Lifts

  1. Lie on your side with your head resting on your hand above your elbow. Lie down on one side and prop your head and neck up with your elbow. Look straight ahead of you. Using your elbow to prop up your head will keep you from straining your neck.
    • Keep your other arm in front of you with your palm facing down.[4]
  2. Slowly lift your top leg as high as it will go. The leg should go up at least one or two feet. You can keep your free hand either on your hip or on the floor in front of you for some additional support. Keep looking straight in front of you instead of looking up at the leg.
    • Make sure you keep your hips stacked and your torso still.[5]
  3. Gently lower your leg. Keep your body in the same position except for the leg, and slowly lower it until it meets the other leg. Remember to keep your spine straight and to avoid caving forward as you lift your leg.
    • For more of a challenge, lower it, but keep it about an inch away from the bottom leg to feel an extra burn in your side.
  4. Do 15 reps on this side and repeat on the other side. Once you've finished with one leg, just move over onto your other side and elbow and repeat what you did with the other side.
    • This is a great leg exercise for your side body. It is also a great workout for improving the appearance of your butt![5] Most leg lifts are focused on working out your front body, so this is a great way to get that full-body workout!

Tips

  • Pace yourself. Trying to do too many lifts before you're ready, or starting on the advanced lifts with a heavy medicine ball, can damage your muscles and make it more difficult for you to continue working out in the future.
  • If you're adding a medicine ball to your workout, start with a smaller equipment ball, such as one that weighs 3 kilograms. Progress to lifting slightly heavier equipment, such as a 5-kilogram ball.

Warnings

  • When you're adding a medicine ball to your exercise, be certain that you can hold it firmly between your legs. Having it drop onto your body is painful.
  • If you begin to feel faint or dizzy, stop exercising and consult medical help. If you continue feeling dizzy, don't be afraid to seek medical attention.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/abs-exercises/tone-your-abs-lying-leg-raise
  2. ↑ http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/how-to-do-leg-raises/
  3. ↑ http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/simon7.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.fitness.com/exercises/81/lying_side_leg_raises.php
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/how-to-get-a-better-butt?page=3
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