Legs · Bodyweight
Alternate Leg Raise
How to do the alternate leg raise, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your lower back pressed into the floor. Keeping both legs straight, raise one leg toward the ceiling while the other stays low, then lower it and alternate as the other leg rises.
- 1Your lower abs and hip flexors lifting each leg
- 2Your lower back staying pressed into the floor
- 3Controlled, deliberate movement up and down
Common mistakes
- Letting your lower back arch off the floor
- Swinging the legs with momentum
- Straining your neck; keep your head down
Muscles worked
The alternate leg raise mainly works the hip flexors and lower abs, with the upper abs, obliques, and glutes assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- GlutesSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the alternate leg raise for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed June 2026.