Abdominal muscles are often overlooked by gym goers, . One of the best exercises for strengthening lower abdominal muscles is the leg raise. While not as popular as sit-ups or crunches, the leg raise is very effective, and targets the hard to reach lower abs. Here is how you perform a leg raise properly;

1. Lie flat on the floor, face up. Use a yoga mat, or some other padding to make the movement more comfortable.
2. Place arms to the side, close to the body with the palms face down and under your butt to take some of the pressure off your tailbone while you preform the leg raise.
3. Keeping your legs straight, raise your legs off the ground. The knees should be in a locked position.
4. Keep lifting your legs until they are at a 45 – 60 degree angle with the floor, and your knees are directly over your head. If your are not able to lift your legs this far, then go as far as you can. If your knees bend slightly, that is fine but not too much.
5. Lower your legs back down to the ground until you are almost at the starting position. Do not let your legs touch the ground though on the way down.
6. Once your legs are almost touching the ground, hold, and then repeat the exercise.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind with the leg raise. First, make sure your back stays flat to the ground, and you do not arch it as you raise your legs. Second, use a controlled and steady motion. You can hold position, which is often helpful. Doing this exercise too quickly can cause injury, so no fast or jerky motions. There are a number of training programs which incorporate the leg raise. In order to master this move, attempt to build up to 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Once you ave completed this, you can incorporate more challenging routines.

Here is a short video demonstration on how to do a leg raise.

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1. How To Do Knee Raises
2. How to do Abdominal Crunches
3. How to do Side Crunches
4. How To Do Sit Ups
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