How to Do Leg Lifts
Lie flat on your back with your legs stretched out in front of you., Bend your knees and raise your legs., Straighten your legs until your feet are pointed at the ceiling., Slowly lower your legs., Slow it down if this exercise is too easy., Repeat...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Lie flat on your back with your legs stretched out in front of you.
Your legs should just be a toe's width apart.
Make sure to keep your hands down flat on the ground near your sides, with your palms down.
You can use a yoga or exercise mat for extra support and comfort.
If you experience occasional back pain, you can roll a towel and place it under the arch of your back, just above your hips.
Additionally, if you lay on a workout bench instead of on the floor, it will improve your range of motion and allow you to lift/lower your legs farther. -
Step 2: Bend your knees and raise your legs.
Your calves should be parallel to the ground, while your thighs are perpendicular.You should keep your toes pointed while you do this, drawing your abdominal muscles toward your spine.
Your thighs should be perpendicular to your body, while your shins should be parallel.
Be sure to contract your abdominals to push your lower back into the floor; there should not be any gap between them.
This helps you target the abdominal muscles while protecting your spine.
Keep your eyes and face directed at the ceiling and avoid the temptation to strain your neck to look at your legs.
This will help you avoid pain in your neck.
If you feel that your head and neck are moving forward too much, lift your chin up a bit more. , Keep your toes pointed and raise your legs as slowly as possible.
Remember not to let your lower back arch off the ground, or you may injure yourself and you won't be getting as good of a workout.
If you can do Step 2 easily while keeping your back flat on the floor, give yourself a harder workout by skipping Step 2 and raising your legs to the ceiling without bending them. , Bring them down as far as you can while keeping your back flat against the floor.
Your eventual goal is to reach about an inch off the floor.
Don't just let gravity work for you
-- make sure you're in control.
Hold your arms in the same place, but use them for strength and support as you lower your legs.
Resist the temptation to let your feet touch the floor if you want the best workout you can get.
Keep your lower back pressed into the floor to engage your abdominals and protect your spine.
This will get harder the closer your feet get to the floor, so only lower as far as you can while not arching your back.
If you feel your lower back arching up off the floor, don't lower your legs down as far.
As your abdominals get stronger, you will be able to lower your feet closer to the floor using proper form.
Most importantly, don't forget to breathe! A lot of people freeze up when they do this exercise. , For even more of a workout, you can lift your straightened legs all the up on a count of ten, and then lower them down while counting to ten again.
This will definitely give your abs a great workout, but it is a bit more of a challenge.
For yet another challenge, you can also practice raising your feet about 20%, holding for one second, raising them 20% more, holding for one second, and continuing this until you get them as high as they need to be.
You can lower them in increments in the same way. , Start with 3 sets of 10 and build your way up to 3 sets of
20. -
Step 3: Straighten your legs until your feet are pointed at the ceiling.
-
Step 4: Slowly lower your legs.
-
Step 5: Slow it down if this exercise is too easy.
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Step 6: Repeat 3 sets of 10-20 leg lifts.
Detailed Guide
Your legs should just be a toe's width apart.
Make sure to keep your hands down flat on the ground near your sides, with your palms down.
You can use a yoga or exercise mat for extra support and comfort.
If you experience occasional back pain, you can roll a towel and place it under the arch of your back, just above your hips.
Additionally, if you lay on a workout bench instead of on the floor, it will improve your range of motion and allow you to lift/lower your legs farther.
Your calves should be parallel to the ground, while your thighs are perpendicular.You should keep your toes pointed while you do this, drawing your abdominal muscles toward your spine.
Your thighs should be perpendicular to your body, while your shins should be parallel.
Be sure to contract your abdominals to push your lower back into the floor; there should not be any gap between them.
This helps you target the abdominal muscles while protecting your spine.
Keep your eyes and face directed at the ceiling and avoid the temptation to strain your neck to look at your legs.
This will help you avoid pain in your neck.
If you feel that your head and neck are moving forward too much, lift your chin up a bit more. , Keep your toes pointed and raise your legs as slowly as possible.
Remember not to let your lower back arch off the ground, or you may injure yourself and you won't be getting as good of a workout.
If you can do Step 2 easily while keeping your back flat on the floor, give yourself a harder workout by skipping Step 2 and raising your legs to the ceiling without bending them. , Bring them down as far as you can while keeping your back flat against the floor.
Your eventual goal is to reach about an inch off the floor.
Don't just let gravity work for you
-- make sure you're in control.
Hold your arms in the same place, but use them for strength and support as you lower your legs.
Resist the temptation to let your feet touch the floor if you want the best workout you can get.
Keep your lower back pressed into the floor to engage your abdominals and protect your spine.
This will get harder the closer your feet get to the floor, so only lower as far as you can while not arching your back.
If you feel your lower back arching up off the floor, don't lower your legs down as far.
As your abdominals get stronger, you will be able to lower your feet closer to the floor using proper form.
Most importantly, don't forget to breathe! A lot of people freeze up when they do this exercise. , For even more of a workout, you can lift your straightened legs all the up on a count of ten, and then lower them down while counting to ten again.
This will definitely give your abs a great workout, but it is a bit more of a challenge.
For yet another challenge, you can also practice raising your feet about 20%, holding for one second, raising them 20% more, holding for one second, and continuing this until you get them as high as they need to be.
You can lower them in increments in the same way. , Start with 3 sets of 10 and build your way up to 3 sets of
20.
About the Author
Betty Cooper
Committed to making pet care accessible and understandable for everyone.
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