Get flat abs with leg-raise

If you are struggling to get that flat tummy, it is high time you include leg-raise in your daily exercise regime. Leg raise is a popular ab exercise along with crunch and plank that can tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles.

Leg raises also work several muscles on your hips and mid-section. The exercise also engages your oblique muscles giving your upper abs a defined shape. Several other muscle groups of your body also get engaged improving your overall strength. Regular practice of this exercise also helps lower the risk of back injury and back pain. Also, try these yoga poses for a flat tummy.

 How to do a standard lying leg raise

Step 1: Lie on the floor with hands on both sides of your head and plant your feet firmly on the ground with slightly bent knees. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Lift your feet off the floor and raise them up till your soles are facing the ceiling. While you’re doing so you will also slightly raise your hips off the floor.

Step 3: Slowly return to the starting position without touching the ground completely when they’re lowered.

If you find the exercise too simple, you can add weights to your legs like sandbags to make it more difficult. Or else you can try the hanging leg raise.

Hanging leg raise

This exercise needs you to hang from a chin-up bar with both hands holding it in a wide or medium grip. Your starting position will be the legs straight down rolled slightly backwards. After this, you will need to raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs and return slowly to the starting position. As you master this, you can add a weight to your legs but do so only when you are comfortable doing the bodyweight exercise. Remember that this is an advanced exercise and should only be tried when you’ve mastered the lying leg raise. You can lose belly fat with exercises by Hrithik’s trainer Kris Gethin. Also, learn how to do abdominal crunches to lose belly fat.

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