Lie on your back with your legs together and stretched out on the floor. Your hands should be
by your sides, and also in contact with the floor. Raise your legs, bending them at the knee
approximately forty-five degrees from the straight alignment. Your feet should be kept an inch or
two off the floor. This is the start position (fig. 65). The positive portion of the exercise involves
raising the legs and feet smoothly--over a count of two seconds-until the feet are directly above
the pelvis (fig. 66). As you move, the angle of the knee should not change; it must remain
"locked" in the same position. Pressing down on the floor with the hands will help you stabilize
your torso throughout the movement. Pause at the top, before reversing the motion. Pause again
in the start position before repeating as necessary. Exhale as the feet move up, inhale as they are
moving down. Keep the stomach tight at all times. The feet should not touch the floor at all during the set.

Muscle group: Abdominal

Steps

The flat bent leg raise is a very simple continuation of the flat knee raise. Extending the knees
places the feet farther away from the body, making the exercise harder due to leverage. This
increases the stress on the hips and all the muscles of the waist and abdomen, building more
strength and tone.

All exercises