10 Best Twisted Leg Raise (female) Alternatives for Home Workouts
If you can’t perform the Twisted Leg Raise (female), use exercises that load the rectus abdominis and obliques while reducing hip-flexor dominance. Try dead bugs, alternating leg lowers, or lying windshield wipers. Cue a posterior pelvic tilt and brace your core so your low back stays pressed to the floor throughout each rep.
Original Exercise: Twisted Leg Raise (female)
How to Perform Twisted Leg Raise (female)
- Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms by your sides.
- Bend your knees and lift your legs off the ground, bringing them towards your chest.
- As you lift your legs, twist your hips to one side, bringing your knees towards your opposite shoulder.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement, this time twisting your hips to the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Twisted Leg Raise (female) Alternatives
1. Elbow-to-knee
99.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by lying 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 upper body off the ground, bringing your right elbow towards your left knee.
- At the same time, bring your left knee towards your right elbow, creating a twisting motion.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body and extend your legs back to the starting position.
2. Alternate Heel Touchers
90.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Extend your arms straight out to the sides, parallel to the ground.
- Engaging your abs, lift your shoulders off the ground and reach your right hand towards your right heel.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side, reaching your left hand towards your left heel.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Dead Bug
85.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your arms extended towards the ceiling.
- Bend your knees and lift your legs off the ground, creating a 90-degree angle at your hips and knees.
- Engage your core and lower back to press your lower back into the ground.
- Slowly lower your right arm and left leg towards the ground, keeping them straight and hovering just above the floor.
- Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position.
4. Band Bicycle Crunch
83.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees bent.
- Lift your feet off the ground and bring your right knee towards your chest while simultaneously twisting your torso to bring your left elbow towards your right knee.
- Straighten your right leg while bringing your left knee towards your chest and twisting your torso to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
- Continue alternating the twisting motion, as if you are pedaling a bicycle, while keeping your core engaged throughout the movement.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Cross Body Crunch
83.7% 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, lift your upper body off the ground and twist to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
6. 3/4 Sit-up
83.2% 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.
7. Crab Twist Toe Touch
81.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by sitting on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Place your hands behind you, fingers pointing towards your feet, and lift your hips off the ground.
- Extend one leg straight out in front of you while simultaneously reaching your opposite hand towards your toes.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Bent Knee Lying Twist (male)
80.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Extend your arms out to the sides, perpendicular to your body.
- Keeping your knees together, slowly lower them to one side, aiming to touch the ground with your knees.
- Pause for a moment, then engage your core and slowly lift your knees back to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement to the other side.
9. Cocoons
80.1% 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.
- 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.
10. Assisted Motion Russian Twist
78.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Hold the medicine ball with both hands in front of your chest.
- Lean back slightly, engaging your abs and keeping your back straight.
- Slowly twist your torso to the right, bringing the medicine ball towards the right side of your body.
- Pause for a moment, then twist your torso to the left, bringing the medicine ball towards the left side of your body.
Why You Might Need a Twisted Leg Raise (female) Alternative
You may need a substitute for pain, limited mobility, or lack of confidence with the move. Twisted leg raises often pull in the iliopsoas and stress the lumbar spine if you lose posterior pelvic tilt. Choose alternatives to offload hip flexors, maintain spinal neutrality, or scale intensity for fatigue or pregnancy. For example, swap to dead bugs and focus on bracing the transverse abdominis and keeping the low back glued to the mat to emphasize abdominal activation and reduce lumbar shear.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Pick a substitute based on which muscles you want to emphasize, your current mobility, and available progression options. To bias the rectus abdominis and minimize hip flexor recruitment, choose moves that maintain lumbar contact with the floor, such as alternating leg lowers — cue: keep knees slightly bent and press the sacrum into the mat. If you need more rotation to target the obliques, use controlled Russian twists with feet elevated and ribs-down cueing. Prioritize exercises that allow tempo control (3-0-3 eccentrics) and clear spinal alignment cues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Twisted Leg Raise (female) work?
Twisted leg raises primarily target the rectus abdominis and the obliques while recruiting the transverse abdominis for stability. The hip flexors (iliopsoas) assist, so you must cue a posterior pelvic tilt to shift load onto the abs and away from the hips.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Twisted Leg Raise (female)?
The dead bug is the best bodyweight alternative to isolate the abs while limiting hip-flexor dominance. Lie on your back, flatten the low back to the floor, then slowly extend opposite arm and leg — cue controlled exhale and maintain sacrum contact to maximize rectus and transverse abdominis activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Twisted Leg Raise (female)?
Yes. You can build core muscle using a range of bodyweight and loaded movements like weighted decline sit-ups, hanging leg raises, and loaded Russian twists. Increase time under tension or add resistance while cueing spinal neutrality to progressively overload the abs and obliques.
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