10 Best Lying Leg-hip Raise Alternatives for Home Workouts
If you can’t perform the lying leg-hip raise, use exercises like reverse crunches, hanging knee raises, dead bugs, captain’s chair raises, or glute-bridges with knee drive to target the rectus abdominis and lower core. Emphasize a posterior pelvic tilt and slow eccentric control to maximize abdominal loading and limit hip-flexor dominance.
Original Exercise: Lying Leg-hip Raise
How to Perform Lying Leg-hip Raise
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms by your sides.
- Place your hands under your glutes for support.
- Engage your core and lift your legs off the ground, raising them towards the ceiling.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Lying Leg-hip Raise Alternatives
1. Exercise Ball Crunch
96.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on an exercise ball with your lower back curvature pressed against the spherical surface of the ball. Your feet should be bent at the knee and pressed firmly against the floor. The upper torso should be hanging off the top of the ball. The arms should either be kept alongside the body or crossed on top of your chest as these positions avoid neck strains (as opposed to the hands behind the back of the head position).
- Lower your torso into a stretch position keeping the neck stationary at all times. This will be your starting position.
- With the hips stationary, flex the waist by contracting the abdominals and curl the shoulders and trunk upward until you feel a nice contraction on your abdominals. The arms should simply slide up the side of your legs if you have them at the side or just stay on top of your chest if you have them crossed. The lower back should always stay in contact with the ball. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second.
- As you inhale, go back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
2. Arms Overhead Full Sit-up (male)
95.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Extend your arms overhead, keeping them straight.
- Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is upright.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Bent-Knee Hip Raise
94.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lay flat on the floor with your arms next to your sides.
- Now bend your knees at around a 75 degree angle and lift your feet off the floor by around 2 inches.
- Using your lower abs, bring your knees in towards you as you maintain the 75 degree angle bend in your legs. Continue this movement until you raise your hips off of the floor by rolling your pelvis backward. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: At the end of the movement your knees will be over your chest.
- Squeeze your abs at the top of the movement for a second and then return to the starting position slowly as you breathe in. Tip: Maintain a controlled motion at all times.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
4. Decline Reverse Crunch
93.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on your back on a decline bench and hold on to the top of the bench with both hands. Don't let your body slip down from this position.
- Hold your legs parallel to the floor using your abs to hold them there while keeping your knees and feet together. Tip: Your legs should be fully extended with a slight bend on the knee. This will be your starting position.
- While exhaling, move your legs towards the torso as you roll your pelvis backwards and you raise your hips off the bench. At the end of this movement your knees will be touching your chest.
- Hold the contraction for a second and move your legs back to the starting position while inhaling.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
5. Butt-ups
93.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands by your sides, palms facing down.
- Engaging your abs, lift your legs off the ground, bringing your knees towards your chest.
- At the top of the movement, squeeze your abs and pause for a moment.
- Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
6. Decline Sit-up
89.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent.
- Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the bench, curling forward towards your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. Crunch Floor
89.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engage your abs and lift your shoulders off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your shoulders back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Crunch (hands Overhead)
89.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Extend your arms straight above your head.
- Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Decline Crunch
88.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body towards your knees, curling your torso.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Cocoons
88.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Lying Leg-hip Raise Alternative
You may substitute lying leg-hip raises because of lower-back pain, limited hip mobility, or because hip flexors dominate the movement. Alternatives let you shift emphasis from iliopsoas to the rectus abdominis by increasing spinal flexion or reducing hip flexion. For example, a reverse crunch that starts with a posterior pelvic tilt reduces lumbar shear while increasing abdominal short-range contraction. Use cues such as "draw your navel to your spine" and "exhale to initiate the upward phase" to bias abs over hip flexors and protect the lumbar spine.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose a substitute by matching movement pattern, loading, and lumbar tolerance to your goals. If you need less hip-flexor involvement, pick reverse crunches or dead bugs and cue a posterior pelvic tilt. If you want progression, choose hanging knee raises or captain’s chair work and focus on controlled scapular retraction and core brace to limit lumbar extension. For rehab, prioritize low-range, high-control moves like dead bugs with slow 4–5 second eccentrics and constant transverse abdominis engagement (draw in the navel).
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Lying Leg-hip Raise work?
The movement primarily targets the rectus abdominis, especially the lower portion, while the iliopsoas and rectus femoris act as hip flexors. Obliques and the transverse abdominis stabilize the pelvis; cue a posterior pelvic tilt to increase spinal flexion and abdominal activation.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Lying Leg-hip Raise?
For most people the reverse crunch is the best bodyweight alternative because it emphasizes spinal flexion and limits hip-flexor pull. Perform it by curling the pelvis up off the floor with a posterior pelvic tilt, pause at the top, then slowly lower with control to maximize rectus abdominis activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Lying Leg-hip Raise?
Yes. You can hypertrophy the abs using progressive difficulty and time under tension through harder bodyweight moves (hanging leg raises, L-sits) or increased eccentric tempo on reverse crunches. Always maintain a braced core and posterior pelvic tilt when appropriate to maximize abdominal loading and minimize compensatory hip-flexor recruitment.
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