leg lifts - how to perform leg lifts

How to do Leg Lifts

Leg lifts have been shown to be very important for conditioning the abs muscles and it is a body weight exercise that should be in every weight training program. It is also a good exercise to combine with other stretching exercises during periods of rest as it is not very intensive.


There are different variations of leg lifts exercise. One of the most commonly practices form is the vertical leg lift.


The vertical leg lift exercise

 Start the exercise by lying flat on the floor or on an exercise mat keeping your hands at your sides with the palms face down, ready to support you.
 Keeping your legs close together, lift them straight upwards until you are approximately at a 90° angle.
 It can be beneficial if you are able to raise your leg a bit higher by also lifting your buttocks off the ground.
 Pause at the top of the movement, and bring your legs back down without bending the knees to the original position.
 Repeat as desired.


The exercise can be made more intensive by using ankle weights which will increase the difficulty of the exercise, but will also help to develop and condition the abdominal muscles faster.


The side leg lift exercise


Unlike the vertical leg lift exercise that is done with both legs at once, the side leg lifts work the legs one by one and hence this is an isolation exercise that works the different muscle sets one after the other.


 Start the exercise by lying at on your side, with the legs extended so that the feet are in alignment and using the hand under you support your head, and the other hand pressing in front of you with the palm facing downward for support.
 Then raise the leg at the top keeping the knees absolutely straight and take the legs as far as possible. You will feel the tautness of your abs as the muscles are employed in the action.
 Pause at the top, and then bring the leg slowly down to the starting position.
 After doing the number of repetitions that you desire, change positions by lying on the other side and complete the exercise with the other leg.
 Try to use only the legs in the movement and also try not to heave as this will reduce the load on the abs thereby reducing the effectiveness of the exercise.
 You can increase the intensity of this exercise by using ankle weights.