Standing leg raises are sometimes overshadowed by fancy workouts like hip thrusts and burpees, however if you wish to construct sturdy decrease physique energy, it is time to familiarize your self with this easy however efficient transfer.
Standing leg raises are simple to do anyplace. So even if you cannot go to the gymnasium, you possibly can nonetheless do just a few units in your lounge.
Workout routines for elevating legs in a standing place: step-by-step directions
- Stand tall together with your arms in your hips and your ft shoulder-width aside.
- Shift your weight to your proper foot and slowly increase your left leg straight out in entrance of you, as excessive as you possibly can comfortably. Hold your core tight and your left leg bent. Keep away from bending your knees or rotating your ankles outward.
- Decrease your legs again to the beginning place. That is one rep. Full all repetitions on one facet, then swap to the opposite facet.
Which muscle mass work once you stand and lift your legs?
Standing leg increase workouts goal and strengthen the hip muscle mass. Particularly, the adductor muscle mass alongside the within of the thigh and the gluteus medius muscle on the high of the skin of the pelvis.
Since you use your hip muscle mass when strolling, working, and balancing, this train is very helpful for sustaining stability throughout cardio and energy coaching workouts comparable to sprints, squats, and lunges.
Standing leg raises additionally work your rectus abdominis muscle mass (also referred to as your “six pack”). The cross-body motion of the facet variation emphasizes your obliques (the muscle mass on the perimeters of your decrease again).
Variations of standing leg facet raises
One variation of standing leg raises incorporates hip abduction, or the motion of the legs away from the physique. This is how:
- Stand tall together with your arms in your hips. Cross one ankle over the opposite so your high foot is floating above or evenly touching the ground.
- Along with your legs bent, elevate your high leg as excessive as attainable to the facet with out bending your knee. You must really feel a slight stress in your decrease again as you’re employed. Watch out to not rotate your ft outward as you elevate. In the course of the motion, the ft must be stored parallel to the ground, with the toes pointing ahead.
- Decrease your legs again to the beginning place. That is one rep. Full all repetitions on one facet, then swap to the opposite facet.
Prepared so as to add standing leg raises to your subsequent leg exercise? Hannah Viva, a NASM-certified private coach at Match Physique Boot Camp, recommends sustaining a gradual tempo so you possibly can full each rep with management and consistency.
If you wish to make standing leg raises much more tough, add resistance loops or ankle weights round your ankles.

