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Questions and answers about sports

Lying Leg raises, hand under head?

5 min read

Asked by: Ashley Thompson

Where should your hands be during leg raises?


Okay for us we're going to put it our hands behind the lower back or slightly underneath near the glutes to Kate.

Should you put your hands under your butt when doing leg raises?

When doing exercises like leg raises, bicycles, flutter kicks, etc., the abs contract to counter the movement of the legs. This contraction can often make your back arch and cause lower back pain if done incorrectly. Hands under the lower back is NOT the solution, but hands under your butt may be.

What are lying leg raises good for?

Besides working the lower abs and inner thighs, leg lifts also help with hip strength and flexibility due to the motion of your legs and hips during the move. Plus, the move gets your low back involved, which is beneficial for anyone who is interested in strengthening the full core region.

What muscles do lying leg raises work?

The leg raise is a strength training exercise which targets the iliopsoas (the anterior hip flexors). Because the abdominal muscles are used isometrically to stabilize the body during the motion, leg raises are also often used to strengthen the rectus abdominis muscle and the internal and external oblique muscles.

How do you properly do leg raises?

How to Do Leg Raises

  1. STEPS.
  2. Lie on your back, legs straight and together.
  3. Keep your legs straight and lift them all the way up to the ceiling until your butt comes off the floor.
  4. Slowly lower your legs back down till they’re just above the floor. Hold for a moment.
  5. Raise your legs back up. Repeat.


Are leg raises useless?

Unfortunately for the majority of folks favoring this type of exercise, leg raises don’t actually work your abdominal muscles effectively, if at all.

What happens if you do leg raises everyday?

Regular performance of leg raises helps to lower your risk for back injuries, back pain and back strain while performing other exercises or routine activities.

How do you not arch your back when doing leg raises?

All you got to do to go from an anterior pelvic tilt to a posterior pelvic tilt is tuck your butt under towards the front of your body implementing a posterior pelvic tilt may make the exercise.

Why does my back crack when I do leg raises?

Back cracking can occur whenever the spine’s facet joints are manipulated out of or into their normal position, such as when twisting the lower back or neck. When the facet joints move like this, they can produce an audible crack or pop along with a grinding sensation or sudden relief of pressure.

Why are leg raises so hard?

These muscles tend to be tight, contracted and under used since we are sitting down so much. Even when we walk, we are not really lengthening these muscles. Pulling the leg out and keeping the hip forward during leg lifts is difficult, since it is not a natural position for the muscles to be in.

Are leg raises enough for abs?

The hanging knee raise is among the best exercises for targeting the lower abs while working out your entire core. This exercise also builds excellent forearm and grip strength.

Do leg raises strengthen hip flexors?

One of the easiest and most gentle hip flexor exercises you can do is the straight leg raise. This move targets the hip flexors as well as the core muscles. It’s often included in a rehab program after a hip or pelvis injury, and it’s also an excellent exercise to add to a lower-body routine.

Where do I put my hands in flutter kicks?

Take your hands put it like that like make little fists that's how i like to do it. And then put them underneath your bum like that.

How do you keep your back flat when doing leg raises?

All you got to do to go from an anterior pelvic tilt to a posterior pelvic tilt is tuck your butt under towards the front of your body implementing a posterior pelvic tilt may make the exercise.

Why are butterfly kicks so hard?

The motions may be small, but you’re building serious core strength and stability with this abs move. “The up-and-down motion has your abs working hard to control your legs, pelvis and core,” Richter explains. Plus, simply holding both legs off the ground takes a good amount of core strength.

Why does my lower back hurt during flutter kicks?

Feeling soreness in your lumbar spine, or the vertebrae of your lower back, is extremely common with ab-focused moves like the leg lower exercise, flutter kicks, and scissor kicks. All of these involve lying down on your back and moving your legs without them touching the ground.

Which body part is greatly developed by flutter kicks?

Flutter kicks are an exercise that works the muscles of your core, specifically the lower rectus abdominal muscles, plus the hip flexors. They mimic a swimming stroke, but are performed on dry land.

Do flutter kicks burn belly fat?

Flutter kicks can burn fat and build muscle



Engaging the core during flutter kicks will help strengthen and sculpt the ab muscles. The movement is also considered cardio because it increases the heart rate, so it’s a double-dip exercise that can help shed belly fat while building muscle.