Core · Bodyweight
Captains Chair Straight Leg Raise
How to do the captains chair straight leg raise, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Settle your forearms onto the captain's chair pads and let your legs hang straight below you with your back against the support. Keeping your legs locked out, raise them together until they are parallel to the floor or higher, then lower under control without swinging.
- 1Lower abs curling your pelvis up as the legs rise
- 2A controlled, deliberate lift with no momentum
- 3Forearms and shoulders quietly supporting your bodyweight
Common mistakes
- Swinging the legs up with momentum instead of lifting
- Letting your lower back arch off the pad
- Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears
Muscles worked
The captains chair straight leg raise mainly works the lower abs and hip flexors, with the upper abs, forearms, obliques, and quads assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- LatsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the captains chair straight 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 abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.