Flat Bench Lying Leg Raise

Equipment: Bodyweight

New to this

Your first flat bench lying leg raise

What weight should I start with on the flat bench lying leg raise?

No weight. Start with 2 sets of 8 and stop the set the moment your lower back peels off the bench.

If 8 is easy, go to 3 sets of 12 before you think about holding a dumbbell between your feet. Most people never need to add weight here.

Hold the edge of the bench above your head. That grip is what keeps your torso from sliding, and it makes the abs do the work instead of your arms bracing on the floor.

What usually goes wrong on the flat bench lying leg raise?

Your lower back arches away from the bench as your legs drop. Bend your knees slightly and stop the descent higher. Full range with a flat back beats a longer range with an arch.

You swing your legs up with momentum. Take 2 seconds up and 3 seconds down. The set gets much harder and much shorter.

You feel it in your hip flexors more than your abs. Tilt your pelvis so your lower back presses into the bench before rep one, and hold that position the whole set.

If the benches are all taken

Any of these train the same job: keeping your lower back still while your legs or torso move. The hanging version is the hardest of the three and the plank needs nothing but floor.

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. This will be your starting position.
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. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction at the top for a second.
Now, as you inhale, slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.