Exercise Ball Leg Raise

Starting Position

The starting position for this exercise is the bridge.
Arms are straight and out to the sides of your body.
Engage your abdominal muscles as you learned in the exercise ball instructions
Slowly raise your hips until your body is straight from heels to shoulders.

Action

Slowly raise one leg up toward the ceiling and lower it.
Don't allow your hips to move or your back to sag.

Prime Movers

Hip flexors, glutes, quadriceps, back extensors

Physio Tips

Be sure your transversus abdominus is active and your hips are steady before moving your leg to prevent injury.
Keep your hips level. If you had a dowel across your hips it should remain horizontal at all times.

Progression

Try the T Raise exercise
Try adding 1 kg ankle weight

This exercise introduces some limb movement to the basic bridging exercise. Because the muscles that elevate your thigh partially originate from the front of your spine, your spinal stabilizing muscles must work hard to prevent any movement from occurring at your spine.

If you are having difficulty with this exercise, go back and work on bridging and maybe try the bridging with arms over trunk until you can hold it for at least 30 to 60 seconds without any sagging or shaking.

1balls

Try 6 repetitions on each leg.

2balls

Try 10 repetitions on each leg.

3balls

Try 15 repetitions on each leg.

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Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced