Core · Bodyweight
Seated Open Knee Leg Raise on a Chair
How to do the seated open knee leg raise on a chair, 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
Sit on the edge of a chair holding the sides for support, with your knees bent and dropped open to the sides in a butterfly position. Brace your core and lift both legs together while keeping the knees open, then lower them back down under control.
- 1Feel your lower abs and hip flexors raise your open knees
- 2Feel your inner thighs working to keep the knees open
- 3Keep your torso tall and braced as the legs lift
Common mistakes
- Don't rock your torso to swing the legs up
- Avoid rounding your lower back at the top of the raise
- Don't let the knees collapse together as you lift
Muscles worked
The seated open knee leg raise on a chair mainly works the lower abs and hip flexors, with the upper abs and adductors assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- ObliquesMinor
- QuadsMinor
- GlutesMinor
Kovo programs the seated open knee leg raise on a chair 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.