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Reverse Leg Raises

Face down with your hips supported — on a mat, bench edge, or bed — you raise both straight legs behind you by squeezing the glutes, then lower them past neutral if the setup allows. It trains hip extension through a range prone floor work cannot reach, building the glutes and back line without a single piece of kit. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Lower back · erector spinae Glutes · gluteus maximus Hamstrings

Sets & reps by goal

GoalSets × RepsRest
Strength4 sets x 4-6 reps with a 3-sec top hold90 sec - 2 min
Muscle3 sets x 9-12 reps60-90 sec
Endurance2-3 sets x 18-27 reps30-45 sec

Level — Beginner

Beginner — flat-floor version first; the off-the-edge version adds range and is the natural progression.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Lie face down with hip bones at the edge of your support so the legs can hang if elevated, or flat on a mat if not.
  2. Grip the surface lightly with your hands for anchoring.
  3. Squeeze both glutes, then raise the straight legs until they are level with your torso.
  4. Hold the top for two seconds with the toes reaching long behind you.
  5. Lower under control through the fullest pain-free range your setup gives you.

Breathing: Exhale as the legs lift, inhale as they lower — never hold your breath at the top of the squeeze.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Raising the legs well above the line of the body.. Past body-line height, the hips are done extending and the lumbar spine supplies the extra arc, turning glute work into repeated back arching. Fix: Stop when heels, hips, and shoulders form one line — use the two-second hold there instead of extra height.
Bending the knees to make the lift lighter.. Shortening the lever cuts the load on the glutes, which defeats the reason for choosing the straight-leg version. Fix: Keep the knees long; if the straight-leg lift is too hard, raise one leg at a time rather than bending both.
Bracing by pushing the ribs and chest up off the surface.. Lifting the chest pre-arches the spine, so every rep starts from extension and the lower back does double duty. Fix: Keep the breastbone heavy on the support and let the legs do all the moving.

Common questions

What is the benefit of hanging the legs off an edge?

Range. Flat on the floor, your legs start at neutral and can only rise a little before the hips run out of extension. Hanging off a bench or bed edge, they start below neutral, so the glutes work through a longer arc from stretch to full squeeze. Same movement, meaningfully bigger training window — use the edge when you have one.

Reverse leg raises vs glute bridges — which builds glutes better?

Bridges load the glutes harder at the top and accept added weight easily, so they usually lead a glute program. Reverse leg raises earn their spot by loading the hip from a stretched starting position and training the back extensors alongside — a combination bridges skip. Together they cover the range better than either alone; if forced to pick one for glutes, pick bridges.

Why does my lower back take over during reverse leg raises?

Usually because the legs are travelling higher than the hips can extend, or because the glutes never fired first. Reset the sequence: squeeze the glutes for a full second before the feet move, cap the lift at body line, and slow the tempo. If the back still dominates, switch to single-leg lifts until the glute-first pattern is automatic.

Related exercises

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