Seated Side-To-Side Leg Raise Crunch On Floor
Seated Side-To-Side Leg Raise Crunch On Floor Exercise Description
This floor-based core drill trains trunk control while your legs move side to side. With a slight recline and a braced midsection, you keep the torso quiet as the legs sweep, emphasizing the rectus abdominis and obliques. The hip flexors (primarily iliopsoas and rectus femoris) help hold the legs up, while the obliques resist trunk rotation and lateral flexion. Keeping a neutral spine with a gentle posterior pelvic tilt reduces lumbar extension as the legs move. Use a small, controlled range and steady breathing to maintain balance and tension. Bending the knees shortens the lever and makes control easier; straightening the knees increases the challenge. Hands on the floor behind the hips provide support so the focus stays on bracing and smooth leg motion.
- Muscle Groups: Abs, Core, Obliques, Waist
- Target Muscles: External Obliques, Internal Obliques, Rectus Abdominis
- Assisting Muscles: Iliacus, Psoas Major, Rectus Femoris
- Stabilizing Muscles: Multifidus, Quadratus Lumborum, Transversus Abdominis, Trapezius - Lower Fibers, Trapezius - Middle Fibers
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Core, Torso
- Body Surface: Front, Side
- Body Symmetry: Bilateral
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Other
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Trunk Flexors, Trunk Lateral Flexors, Trunk Rotators
- Joint Involvement: Single-joint
- Muscle Location: Deep Side Abs, Side Abs, Stomach
- Movement Direction: Rotational
- Muscle Position: Anterior, Lateral
- Gender: Male
How To Do The Seated Side-To-Side Leg Raise Crunch On Floor Exercise
‘- Sit tall on the floor with knees together and heels down; place hands on the floor slightly behind your hips, fingers forward.
– Brace your abdominal wall (ribs down), set a gentle posterior pelvic tilt, and lengthen through the crown of your head.
– Retract and depress the scapulae; keep the chest lifted and neck neutral.
– Lean back a few degrees without rounding or arching the lower back.
– Lift both feet so shins are roughly parallel to the floor; keep knees lightly bent and ankles together.
– Maintain your torso position; move both legs together to the right in a small, controlled arc driven from the hips.
– Pause briefly, return to center under control, then sweep to the left.
– Keep the pelvis level; avoid twisting the trunk or hiking one hip.
– Move slowly—no swinging or momentum—and breathe continuously.
– If your low back begins to arch or you lose balance, reduce the range or lightly tap heels down to reset.
– Make it easier: keep heels grazing the floor or lean the torso slightly less.
– Make it harder: extend the knees a bit or bring the hands closer to the hips for less support.
Seated Side-To-Side Leg Raise Crunch On Floor Tips
‘- Sit tall with knees together and heels down, placing your hands on the floor slightly behind your hips with fingers pointing forward.
– Brace your abdominal wall with ribs down, set a gentle posterior pelvic tilt, and lengthen through the crown of your head before you start moving.
– Retract and depress your shoulder blades to keep the chest lifted and neck neutral.
– Lean back only a few degrees, avoiding both rounding and arching through the lower back.
– Lift both feet so your shins are roughly parallel to the floor, keeping the knees lightly bent and the ankles together.
– Maintain your torso position and sweep both legs together side to side from the hips in a small, controlled arc.
– Keep the pelvis level and avoid twisting your trunk or hiking one hip as the legs move.
– Move slowly without swinging or using momentum, and breathe continuously throughout the set.
– If your low back starts to arch or you lose balance, reduce the range of motion or lightly tap your heels down to reset.
– To adjust difficulty, make it easier by letting your heels graze the floor or leaning back less, and harder by extending the knees a bit or bringing the hands closer to your hips.
Seated Side-To-Side Leg Raise Crunch On Floor Beginner Introduction
In This floor-based core drill, the body leans back a little with support from the hands while both legs float off the ground and sweep gently from one side to the other. The upper body stays almost motionless, turning the exercise into a test of how steadily the midsection can hold while the legs move. The abs and side abs take on most of the effort to keep the trunk from tipping, rotating, or bending, so the movement feels very centered around core stability rather than big motion.
Hip flexors and the front of the thighs assist in keeping the legs lifted, while a slight tuck through the hips and a natural curve in the lower back help limit strain as the legs travel. The action stays small and controlled, with calm, regular breathing playing a big role in balance and tension. Bending the knees shortens the lever for a more accessible version, and straighter legs or less support from the hands creates a tougher, more advanced challenge.