Rear Leg Raises
A beginner mobility exercise that works the quads, needing no equipment.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Rear Leg Raises
- Place yourself on your hands knees on an exercise mat. Your head should be looking forward and the bend of the knees should create a 90-degree angle between the hamstrings and the calves. This will be your starting position.
- Extend one leg up and behind you. The knee and hip should both extend. Repeat for 5-10 repetitions, and then switch sides.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Rear Leg Raises
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Kneeling Hip Flexor
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the quads.
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2
Looking At Ceiling
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the quads.
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3
On Your Side Quad Stretch
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the quads.
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4
On-Your-Back Quad Stretch
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the quads.
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5
One Half Locust
A beginner mobility exercise that works the quads.
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6
Sit Squats
A beginner mobility exercise that works the quads.
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7
Standing Elevated Quad Stretch
A beginner mobility exercise that works the quads.
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8
Standing Hip Flexors
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the quads.
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9
Frog Hops
An intermediate compound mobility exercise that works the quads.
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10
Intermediate Hip Flexor and Quad Stretch
An intermediate compound mobility exercise that works the quads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do rear leg raises work?
Rear Leg Raises primarily works the quads.
What equipment do I need for rear leg raises?
None. Rear Leg Raises is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.
Rear Leg Raises: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Rear Leg Raises is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of rear leg raises?
Kneeling Hip Flexor, Looking At Ceiling, On Your Side Quad Stretch train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
How do I log rear leg raises in Fitnit?
As time held rather than reps. Fitnit records the seconds and credits them to the quads on your body map, so you can see which muscles you train hard and never stretch.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
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