Legs · Bodyweight
Seated Leg Raise
How to do the seated 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
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit on the edge of a bench or sturdy chair with hands gripping the sides for support and lean back slightly. Extend your legs out and raise them toward parallel using your lower abs, then lower under control without letting your feet touch the floor.
- 1Lower abs and hip flexors lifting your legs
- 2Constant tension by keeping feet off the floor
- 3A controlled lift and a slow lower
Common mistakes
- Swinging your legs up with momentum
- Rounding hard or collapsing your chest
- Letting your lower back yank to help
Muscles worked
The seated leg raise mainly works the hip flexors and lower abs, with the upper abs, obliques, and quads assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- GlutesMinor
Kovo programs the seated 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.