Legs · Bodyweight
Flat Knee Raise
How to do the flat knee 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
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Core Hold
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie flat on your back with legs extended. Lift your knees towards your chest, engaging your core, and lower back down with control.
- 1Feel your lower abs activating as you raise your knees while lying flat
- 2Keep your lower back pressed into the floor to maintain core engagement
- 3Control the lowering phase to maximize tension
Common mistakes
- Avoid swinging your legs or using momentum
- Don't lift your head or strain your neck
- Avoid letting your lower back arch off the ground
Muscles worked
The flat knee raise mainly works the lower abs and hip flexors, with the upper abs, forearms, obliques, and glutes assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- GlutesSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the flat knee 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 April 2026.