The standing leg increase tends to get overshadowed by showier workout routines like hip thrusts and burpees — however if you wish to construct up a sturdy decrease half, it’s time to familiarize your self with this straightforward however efficient transfer.
It’s straightforward to do standing leg raises virtually wherever — so even if you happen to can’t make it to the gymnasium, you’ll be able to nonetheless knock out a number of units proper in your lounge.
Standing Leg Increase Train: Step-by-Step Directions
- Stand tall along with your arms in your hips and ft shoulder-width aside.
- Shifting your weight to your proper foot, slowly raise your left leg straight out in entrance of you, as excessive as you comfortably can. Maintain your core tight and your left foot flexed; don’t bend your knees, and keep away from rotating your ankle outward.
- Decrease your foot again all the way down to beginning place. That’s one rep. Full all reps on one facet earlier than switching to the opposite.
What Muscle tissue Do Standing Leg Raises Work?
The standing leg increase train targets and strengthens your hip muscle groups. Particularly, the adductors alongside your internal thighs and the gluteus medius on the higher, outer fringe of your pelvis.
Since you use your hip muscle groups for strolling, working, and balancing, this train is very useful for preserving you steady throughout cardio and energy strikes like sprints, squats, and lunges.
Standing leg raises additionally work the rectus abdominis muscle (a.ok.a. your “six-pack”). The cross-body motion within the facet variation lights up the obliques (the muscle groups on the perimeters of your waist).
Standing Leg Aspect Increase Variation
One variation of the standing leg increase incorporates hip abduction, or transferring the leg away from the physique. Right here’s the right way to do it.
- Stand tall along with your arms in your hips. Cross one ankle over the opposite so your high foot hovers over or evenly touches the ground.
- Along with your foot flexed, raise your high leg out to the facet as excessive as you’ll be able to with out bending your knee. It is best to really feel a slight squeeze in your working hip. Watch out to not rotate your foot outward as you raise — your foot ought to keep parallel to the ground with toes dealing with ahead all through the transfer.
- Decrease your foot again all the way down to beginning place. That’s one rep. Full all reps on one facet earlier than switching to the opposite.
Prepared so as to add the standing leg increase to your subsequent leg exercise? Hannah Viva, NASM-certified private coach with Match Physique Boot Camp recommends sticking to a daily tempo so you’ll be able to full each rep with management and consistency.
And if you wish to make standing leg raises more difficult, add a resistance loop or ankle weight round your ankles.
