Reverse Plank Leg Raise
- Primary muscleAbs
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyAdvanced
- TypeCore · Core stability
- Secondary muscles
- Glutes, Hamstrings, Delts
- Body part
- Core
- Position
- Prone
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Flipping the plank face-up already makes the glutes and hamstrings hold the hips high; lifting one leg then leaves three points of contact and nearly the whole posterior chain working on the support side. Sagging hips erase the rep's value, so keep sets short and stop while the shoulder-to-ankle line still holds.
How to do the Reverse Plank Leg Raise
- Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you and your hands resting on the ground behind you, fingers pointing towards your feet.
- Press through your hands and lift your hips off the ground, coming into a reverse plank position.
- Engage your core and lift one leg off the ground, extending it straight up towards the ceiling.
- Hold for a moment, then lower your leg back down.
- Repeat with the other leg.
- Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Pull the elbows toward the toes and the toes toward the elbows without moving either to fire the whole core.
Muscles worked
Primary
Abs · Core
The abs resist the hips from sagging and should feel like they are tightening more with every exhale.
Secondary
- Glutes — Squeezing the glutes locks the hips in line with the spine and takes the load off the lower back.
- Hamstrings
- Delts — The shoulders hold the upper body up and get more work on shoulder tap variations.
Common mistakes
- Hips sagging — squeeze the glutes and tuck the pelvis slightly so the lower back stays flat; a plank with an arched back trains nothing useful.
- Hips too high — the body should be a straight line from head to heels, so check in a mirror or have someone lay a bar along your back.
- Time over tension — a two minute plank with a loose core is worse than 30 seconds with everything braced; shorten the hold and squeeze harder.
- Holding the breath — breathe normally through the hold and keep the abs braced through each exhale.
Where it fits in a workout
Planks go at the end of a session or in the warm-up to switch the core on before squats and deadlifts. Superset a front plank with a side plank each way.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without bodyweight
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.