Plank Leg Raise
Primary Muscle Group: Abdominals, Legs, Glutes, Lower Back
Secondary Muscle Group: Shoulder, Arms
Equipment Needed: None
The Benefits of Plank Leg Raise
Plank leg raises work many muscle groups, making them a great exercise for home workouts, ab workouts and full body workouts. They target your abdominal muscles, glutes, lower back and shoulders which make it suitable for both men and women who are trying to improve their core strength and Posture. The Plank Raise is also great for improving your core stability because it forces you to stay balanced when lifting one of your legs off the ground whilst in the plank position.
If you are looking for other exercises that are similar to the plank raise then you can check our Free Workout Plans or our full workout plans with coaching .
The Risks of doing Plank Leg Raise
When doing the Plank Raises it’s important to warm up and stretch because when you raise your legs off the ground, it could put some strain on the lower back. It’s a good idea to do some light exercise that will loosen your back and legs up before doing the plank raise exercise to avoid any risk of injury.
So before giving Plank Raises a go, here's exactly how to do them without risking pain or injury.
How To Do Plank Leg Raise
1. Start in a plank position with your arms bent and your weight in your forearms.
2. Engage your core and keep your body straight all the way from your head down to your heels.
3. Now raise your right leg and hold that position for one second. As you raise, try to keep your hips down and the rest of your body in a straight line.
4. Lower your right leg and raise your left leg. Continue alternating back and forth.
For Perfect Technique
• look forward, rather than down as you perform this, straightening your body and maintaining as flat a spine as possible.
• Your back should be as straight as possible with your abdominal muscles tight, so try not to hunch your shoulders too much.
• Control how fast you go. The faster the more intense your workout.
Variations
Once you have mastered the Plank Leg Raise exercise you can try alternative exercises that target similar muscle groups such as;
How To Do Seated Criss Cross
1. Start by sitting at a 45 degree angle on the floor with your legs straight and flat against the ground.
2. Tighten your abs and lift your legs off the floor.
3. Lower your right foot back down and lift your left leg up towards the sky, as you did with your right foot.
4. Bring one ankle over the other, in a criss cross motion down. (see illustration and video demonstration)
How To Do Windmills
1. Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart with both of your feet facing forward.
2. Keeping your back straight, hinge your hips and lower your back.
3. Keep your arms straight reach with your right hand towards your left foot, making your torso and head face the left hand side. Your left arm should be raised above your body and kept straight.
4. Bring the right arm up and out over your head and at the same time bring your body and your arm across towards your right foot as per the video demonstration and illustrations above.
The Plank Raise target large muscle groups in your Abs, legs and lower back making them excellent options for building a better body shape.