The side leg raise, or hip abduction, works the abductor muscle group. It is an effective exercise for toning the hip area. To perform the side leg raise, stand next to a chair or wall and grasp it for support. Transfer your weight to your right leg then lift your left leg out to the side as high as possible. Slowly return to the starting position. Complete the desired number of repetitions, then repeat the exercise with your right leg.
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The hanging bent knee leg raise is a challenging core exercise for advanced lifters. Although it is typically considered an abdominal exercise, the hip flexor muscles are primary movers during a large portion of the hanging ben...
The exercise primarily targets the hips, but it will also improve strength and definition in the abdominal muscles. Ground leg raises are simple and effective. Doing them will help you develop the strength needed to perform mor...
The hanging leg raise is a challenging yet effective exercise that can strengthen both your lower and upper abs. The exercise involves hanging from a bar and using your abs to raise your legs. However, tight hip-flexors, which ...
Lying leg raises and throwdowns are primarily a lower belly exercise, targeting your rectus abdominus. They do, however, work your hip flexors, which connect near the top of your thighs. Overall, leg raises and throwdowns will ...
Equipment used to perform hanging leg raises includes arm straps, pull-up bars and a hanging leg raise machine, or Captain's chair. Also referred to as the hanging knee raise, the hanging leg raise targets the abdominal muscles...
The hanging leg raise is an effective abdominal exercise that can be used in building or toning your abdominal muscles. The exercise works your lower and upper abdominal muscles, especially your rectus abdominis. To do a hangin...
Abdominal leg raises are among the most basic exercises for targeting the lower abdominal area right above your hips. They are also quite beneficial for strengthening the entire core area, and increasing flexibility of the spin...
The hanging leg raise is a highly effective abdominal exercise that targets the rectus abdominis. To perform this move, you must have a horizontal bar from which to hang — a chinup bar, free-standing exercise station or a...
During ab exercises, you always recruit this muscle. However, by changing the angle of your body or moving a particular way, you will place more emphasis on one area. Leg raises on a pullup bar target the lower portion of the r...
If you wish to develop your calves further, some method of a heel raise is usually the way to go. Though you could do heel raises while lying, seated or standing, the standing version may be the most practical as it mimics the ...
Hanging leg raises are a great exercise for the abdominal and lower pelvic muscles, lower back muscles and hip flexors. However, this exercise is not for beginners because it requires you to have a foundation of muscular condit...
The word "prone" is used in anatomical notation to describe a downward position of a body part. You perform the opposite prone arm and leg raise on all fours or flat on your stomach. The all-fours exercise is often re...
The hips and outer thighs are often problem areas for fat accumulation. Outer leg raises help tone these muscles, while aerobic exercise helps burn fat from around your body, including these areas. Perform this exercise, or any...
The back of your lower leg is strengthened when you perform heel raises. Heel raises are a calisthenic exercise using solely the weight of your body as resistance. As your calf strength improves, increase the challenge of the e...
Reducing saddlebags and toning your outer thighs doesn’t necessarily require expensive equipment or even hours in the gym. Performing side leg raises works your abductor muscle group, which is located in your butt and out...
Exercises with free weights and machines work the glutes, but you can also use the weight of your body. A glute leg raise is a body-weight exercise you can do anywhere.
Developing strong hip adductors can help prevent injury such as a pulled groin muscle. Groin injuries are common among athletes in sports that require a quick change of direction or explosive movements.
A lying straight leg raise is a resistance-training exercise performed while lying on a flat bench. Resistance is generally applied using ankle weights, but you can also attach a cable that is connected to a weight stack around...
Hanging leg raises are an effective abdominal strengthening exercise. If you are working out at home, your abdominal exercises do not have to be limited by lack of equipment options. Typically, you perform a hanging leg raise o...
The hanging leg raise works several muscles in your hips and midsection. To perform this exercise, hang from a fixed pullup bar with your arms and legs extended. With your legs together, contract your abdominal muscles and lift...
Leg raises work your abdominals and your hip flexors, the muscles that help pull your thighs up to your chest. These muscles work together in many activities, from jumping to ballet to martial arts, and can be trained at home. ...
Leg raises, which can be performed in various forms and positions, effectively work the quadriceps, as well as other muscle groups. Some leg raise exercises require resistance from machines, while others rely on simple body wei...
Orthopedists can use the exercise to diagnose certain spine problems; you can do straight-leg lifts to strengthen leg muscles. Those are both done lying down. Performing hanging straight-leg lifts from a pullup bar, meanwhile, ...
Seated leg raises provide you with an easier alternative to advanced core strengthening exercises like hanging leg raises. A beginner with access to a flat bench can use the exercise to tighten up and strengthen the hip and abd...
Both men and women spend diligent hours trying to make the midsection stand out and look lean and ripped. Vertical leg raises require the body to be in a vertical position, and they are one of the best exercises for toning the ...
The contra leg raise is a difficult abdominal exercise suitable for the more experienced weightlifters. This exercise is often underutilized in training; however, the benefits it can have on performance are significant. The exe...
The hips are the power base of the body, providing explosiveness for athletic movements like running and jumping. They also support all the major lifts of the lower body. Luckily, the hips come into play in many leg and core ex...
The passive straight leg test is performed by a physician to determine if lower back pain is caused by a herniated disk -- a disk that has come out of alignment and is pressing on a nerve. The test, also referred to as Lasegue'...
Leg raises and crunches are a way to target your abdominal muscles. Doing abdominal exercises on a regular basis will help you strengthen your core muscles and tone your tummy. Although both leg raises and crunches target your ...
Depending on your body position, the lying leg raise works your outer thigh, inner thigh, and abdominal or gluteal muscles. The Fitball, also call a stability ball, Swiss ball, exercise ball or Resist-a-Ball, may add challenge ...
Body-weight exercises require little in the way of equipment and allow you to get in a workout just about anywhere. With a chinning bar and somewhere to brace your hands, you can work many of the muscles of your body. While the...
The seated straight leg raise exercise is an activity useful for functional purposes. This exercise helps increase the strength of your hip flexors, located on the inside of your pelvis, as well as the quadriceps muscles. This ...
Lying leg raises are not used to just strengthen your legs. Your stomach and back are also strengthened, depending on the position of your body. Leg raises do not require the use of any equipment, so you can perform the movemen...
Although leg raises are often billed as a core strengthening exercise, your hip flexors are actually the primary movers, not your abs. Although your abs do work to stabilize your lower back in an isometric contraction, the stro...
Raised leg crunches are a popular variation on the standard abdominal crunch that involves keeping your legs elevated as you exercise. Useful for engaging both the upper and lower region of the rectus abdominus muscles, raised ...
The unit is a system of straps and handles that attach to an overhead anchor. By changing where you sit or stand in relation to the anchor, you can change the difficulty of each exercise. You can use the TRX unit to help advanc...
Straight leg raises are beneficial for the strengthening of your upper leg muscles. Flexion increases your quadriceps strength while extension strengthens the hamstrings and gluts. Abduction and adduction have a direct impact o...
If you hate to do tons of crunches, but want a strong core, give the hanging leg raise exercise a try. Though a challenging exercise, the hanging leg raise is beneficial for strengthening both your lower and upper abdominal mus...
Requiring only body weight and a place to hang, this exercise can be performed almost anywhere, for example, a sturdy tree limb while out on your daily run or a pull up bar in the gym. Attack those stubborn lower abs with hang...
A power bar is a piece of equipment that goes in your doorway like a pull-up bar but instead of just pull-ups, you can do exercises for your back, chest, shoulders and abs. The power bar doesn't require screw fixings and won't ...
Hanging leg raises target your lower abdominal muscles; however, they require a high bar to hang from to perform them. So how can you do the abdominal work of the hanging leg raise exercise without a high bar? There are three v...
A hanging leg raise is an abdominal exercise that requires you to use your abdominal muscles to control your legs and requires significant muscle strength to be effective. The exercise is considered one of the most effective ab...
The hanging leg raise is an advanced ab exercise; even the basic version is not for beginners. To perform the hanging leg raise exercise, you need a bar to hang from. If available, you can use ab straps. You rest your upper arm...
Leg raising machines are fitness products designed to assist in the performance of a number of exercises, including the leg raise exercise from which the device gets its name. These machines are often simple in design, consisti...
The main muscles affected during leg raises are the lower abdominals, but the upper abdominals and intercostal muscles -- the muscles that are between the ribs and form the chest wall -- also receive a workout. There are ways ...
When sciatica flares up, you experience pain, tingling sensations, numbness and weakness along the length of the sciatic nerve, according to MayoClinic.com. This is generally caused from another problem, such as spinal stenosis...
Attach the device to a doorway---no fasteners required---or place it on the floor and you can start working out immediately. It fits in most doorways between 24 and 32 inches wide. The Power Trainer Pro can support up to 250 lb...
When choosing machines to raise the legs, the key factor for determining which machines you should ultimately use will be based on the goals you are trying to achieve. While some machines are geared toward training the lower ab...
