Body And Fitness Blog

The leg raise is a great exercise for toning the lower abs and upper thighs, great for pear shaped people, though should be done by anyone looking to achieve a great six pack.

For best results, use a flat bench. Lie on your back, with your bum positioned so that it is just overhanging the edge of the bench. This allows you to lower your feet below the level of your hips and therefore place greater tension on the lower abs.

Keeping your legs straight, raise them up until they are pointing straight up, so your feet are level with your feet. Your legs should be at 90 degrees to your body at this point. If you can, try raising your hips off the bench now just to make the exercise slightly harder.

Lower your legs back to the starting position, which is slightly below the level of the hips. To make it harder, try holding it at the starting position, just for a second at first, but build up to a few seconds. You may not be able to do many reps, but you will still have a good workout because the abs are always under tension.