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Alternate Leg Raise (Advanced)

The advanced alternate leg raise is done lying flat with both legs straight — one leg lowers to a hover just off the floor while the other rises, and they trade places without either ever resting. It is a lower-ab and hip-flexor test built on one non-negotiable: the lower back stays pressed down throughout. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Abs · rectus abdominis Hip flexors · iliopsoas Obliques Deep core · transverse abdominis

Sets & reps by goal

GoalSets × RepsRest
Strength3–4 × 3–6 per leg (5 s lowering)90 s
Muscle3 × 9–12 per leg60–90 s
Endurance2 × 18–27 per leg45–60 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Advanced

Advanced — graduate here only after the modified version is clean for 15 reps per leg.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Press your lower back into the floor before the first rep and keep it welded there.
  2. Both legs stay straight with knees locked and toes pointed for the whole set.
  3. Lower the descending leg over a slow 3 seconds — the lowering is the exercise.
  4. Stop the bottom leg at a hover, 5–10 cm off the floor, never resting it down.
  5. Keep your ribs pulled down and your head relaxed on the floor.

Breathing: Exhale slowly as the leg lowers, inhale as it rises — the exhale helps keep the back flat.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Lower back arching off the floor as the leg descends. The pelvis tips forward and the lumbar spine takes the strain the abs should be absorbing. Fix: Shorten the range — lower only as far as the back stays flat — and rebuild from there.
Bending the knees to make the lever shorter. It quietly turns the advanced version back into the easy one while you count the same reps. Fix: Lock the knees; if straight legs are impossible, do the modified version deliberately instead.
Dropping the leg fast and catching it at the bottom. Gravity does the descent and the catch jerks the hip flexors. Fix: Count 'one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three' on every lowering.

Common questions

Why do I feel leg raises in my lower back?

As the legs lower, their weight pulls the pelvis into a forward tilt; if the abs cannot resist it, the lumbar spine arches and complains. The fix is range, not toughness: lower only as far as your back stays flat on the floor, and slide your hands under your hips temporarily if you need the extra help.

What makes this version 'advanced'?

Two things: both legs stay straight, which lengthens the lever your abs must control, and neither foot ever touches down, so there is zero rest inside the set. The modified version bends one knee and lets the resting foot stay planted — a genuinely useful stepping stone, not a cop-out.

How many alternate leg raises should I do?

Aim for 8–12 slow reps per leg with a flat back, for 2–3 sets. The set is over the moment your lower back pops up or the lowering speeds up — those reps no longer train what you came for. Progress by slowing the descent before you add reps.

Related exercises

Easier: Alternate Leg Raises (Modified)  ·  Harder: Alternate Leg Raise (Advanced 2)

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