Leg Raise
The Leg Raise is a standing core and hip flexor exercise that involves lifting one leg forward while maintaining an upright posture. It strengthens the lower abdominals and improves single-leg balance without requiring equipment.
Since Leg Raises heavily recruit the hip flexors alongside the abs, Iridium checks your per-muscle recovery status to ensure recent lower-body training hasn't pre-exhausted this secondary group. To ensure consistent progress on this fixed-load exercise, Iridium tracks your rep performance relative to body weight and uses RPE feedback to determine exactly when to increase volume.
Form Cues
- Brace your abdominals tightly before initiating movement
- Keep your torso completely vertical throughout the lift
- Lift your leg with control using hip strength, not momentum
- Keep the knee of your standing leg slightly soft
- Exhale as you lift your leg upward
- Don't lean backward to counterbalance the leg lift
- Don't swing the leg aggressively
- Don't arch your lower back at the top of the movement
- Don't lock the knee of the standing leg
- Don't let your foot crash down; control the lower
Common Mistakes
- Excessive backward leaning
- Using momentum to swing leg
- Arching the lumbar spine
- Rushing the lowering phase
- Insufficient core bracing
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the hip flexors (iliopsoas) and the lower portion of the rectus abdominis. It also engages the quadriceps (rectus femoris) to keep the leg extended and relies on the deep core stabilizers to prevent torso swaying.
Primary
Secondary
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