Legs · Bodyweight
Lying Alternate Leg Extension
How to do the lying alternate leg extension, 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 on your back with your legs extended and your lower back pressed into the floor. Lift one straight leg up toward the ceiling, lower it back without touching down, then raise the other leg, alternating in a controlled rhythm.
- 1Your hip flexors and lower abs lifting each straight leg
- 2Your quad staying firm to keep the leg straight
- 3Your lower back pressed flat into the floor throughout
Common mistakes
- Letting your lower back arch up off the floor
- Bending your knee to swing the leg up
- Using momentum instead of lifting each leg with control
Muscles worked
The lying alternate leg extension mainly works the hip flexors, lower abs, and quads, with the upper abs assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- QuadsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the lying alternate leg extension 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.