Side abdominal muscles (internal and external obliques)
Hip flexors
To perform leg raise on a decline bench, lie on the decline bench with your head at the higher end of the bench and grasp the top of the bench for support. Start with your legs raised a few inches of the bench pad. Then lift your legs up until they form a 60-degree angle with the bench pad. Pause for a moment and then lower your legs to the starting position. In this variation of the exercise, you are working against gravity at a different angle, which makes it more difficult.
To work the upper part of your abdominal muscles more, sit on the long edge of a flat bench with your feet together on the floor. Grip the edge of the bench behind you with your palms facing your body. Leaning your upper body back by bending your elbows, extend your leg straight out in front of you so your body is almost parallel to the floor. Raise your legs and upper body until they form a V-shape. Then return to the starting position.
The leg raise works the front of your abdominal muscles, as well as the sides of your hip flexors. This is a great exercise for strengthening your entire abdominal area, and is particularly useful for flattening the lower portion of your stomach.
You can perform this exercise while lying on a mat or on a flat bench. If you prefer to use a bench, lie flat on the bench and grasp the edges of the bench above your head for support.
To get into the starting position for this exercise, lie on your back and raise your legs a few inches off the floor. If you find this too difficult or your lower back feels strained, you can start with your legs a bit higher off the floor.
As you perform the exercise, focus on using your abdominal muscles to raise and lower your legs. You should also keep your lower back pressed to the floor and your head flat on the mat.
You should avoid leg raises if you have lower back problems.
Do not arch your back.
Do not lift your head off the mat.
Do not move your legs too quickly. Keep the movement slow and controlled.
