Home · Exercise Library · Core · Seated Alternate Leg Raise

Seated Alternate Leg Raise

Sitting tall with your hands behind you for support, you lift one straight leg off the floor, lower it with control, and switch sides. It is a gentle introduction to hip-flexor and lower-abdominal work — ideal for beginners and for anyone easing back into core training after time away. 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

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 sets x 4-6 reps per leg with a 3-sec hold aloft	90 sec
Muscle	3 sets x 9-12 reps per leg	60-90 sec
Endurance	2-3 sets x 18-27 alternating reps	30-45 sec

Level — Beginner

Beginner — a supported, single-leg entry to leg-raise work; range and lean-back angle are the two difficulty dials.

Proper form — 5 cues

Sit with legs extended, torso leaned slightly back, hands planted behind the hips.
Grow tall through the crown of the head — no slumping into the shoulders.
Lift one straight leg until the heel is 20 to 30 centimetres off the floor.
Hold one second, lower the heel to a soft touch, and lift the other leg.
Keep the resting leg long and active rather than collapsed.

Breathing: Exhale as the leg lifts, inhale as it lowers — unhurried and even.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Slumping through the spine to make the lift easier.. A rounded torso shortens the hip flexors' working range and shifts the effort into the lower back's passive structures. Fix: Re-stack tall before every lift — think of a string pulling the breastbone up — and lean into the hands only lightly.

Bending the lifting knee mid-rep.. A bent knee halves the lever and the abdominal demand, so progress quietly stalls while the reps keep counting. Fix: Lock the knee and point the toes before the heel leaves the floor; if that is too hard, lift lower rather than bending.

Dropping the leg instead of lowering it.. Letting gravity finish the rep discards the lowering half of the work — often the more valuable half for beginners. Fix: Match the tempo down to the tempo up — two seconds each way with a soft heel touch between.

Common questions

Is the seated alternate leg raise a good beginner core exercise?

Yes — it is one of the friendliest entry points there is. The seated lean and planted hands support the spine, only one leg loads at a time, and the range is easy to shrink on harder days. It builds the hip-flexor and lower-abdominal base that lying leg raises and scissors will demand later, without asking for that strength on day one.

Seated vs lying leg raises — which should I do first?

Seated first. Lying versions load both legs against a long lever and require the abs to pin the lower back down — a common early failure point. The seated single-leg version delivers a smaller, well-supported dose of the same pattern. Progress to lying raises when 12 controlled seated reps per leg with a one-second hold feel easy.

Why do I feel this in the front of my hips instead of my abs?

Because the hip flexors genuinely lead this movement — lifting a straight leg is their job, and the abs work mainly to hold your leaned-back trunk still. That split is normal and useful. To bias the abs harder, lean back a few degrees more and add the pause at the top; to keep it hip-flexor friendly, stay more upright.

Related exercises

Alternate Leg Raises (Modified)Abs · Hip flexors Cable Seated in and OutAbs · Hip flexors Cross Mountain ClimbersAbs · Hip flexors Cross Mountain Climbers (Modified)Abs · Hip flexors Flutter KicksAbs · Hip flexors

Browse: All core exercises · All hips & inner thighs exercises · All bodyweight exercises · Full exercise library

This is one exercise. Your plan is the other 99%.

Maddy hand-builds training around your exact body — schedule, recovery, injuries, food culture. It starts with a 3-minute scan.

Start My Body Scan → 11 questions · 3 min · free · no card yet