Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Exercise Ball Prone Leg Raise: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The exercise ball prone leg raise is performed by lying face down with your legs extended and toes resting on a stability ball. You lift your legs using your lower back and glutes, targeting the spine and core stabilizers.

Primary muscles
Not recorded
Secondary muscles
Abs , Glutes
Equipment
Stability Ball
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the exercise ball prone leg raise
Front view: muscles worked by the exercise ball prone leg raise. Secondary: abs and glutes.
Back view: muscles worked by the exercise ball prone leg raise. Secondary: abs and glutes.
Primary Secondary

How to do the exercise ball prone leg raise

  1. Step 1: Lie face down on a mat with your legs extended and your toes resting on top of the stability ball.
  2. Step 2: Place your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart, and engage your core muscles.
  3. Step 3: Keeping your legs straight, slowly lift them off the ground, using your lower back and glutes to raise them as high as possible.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the exercise ball prone leg raise by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.