Leg Raises for Single Parents: Floor to Playground Bar

You are lying on the living room floor after bedtime, legs in the air, and within three reps your lower back has peeled off the carpet and is grumbling. Sound familiar? Leg raises are one of those moves that look simple and turn out to be sneaky. They are also brilliant once you know how to build them up, and you can practise them anywhere from the sofa to the monkey bars at your local playground. This is my practical guide to leg raises for single parents: a step-by-step path from lying on the floor to hanging from a bar, with the lower back protected at every stage.

Why leg raises are tricky for the lower back

When you lift your legs, the main muscles doing the lifting are your hip flexors, which attach to the front of your lower spine. If your deep tummy muscles are not strong enough to hold your pelvis steady, those hip flexors pull your lower back into an arch. That is the moment it starts to ache.

So the real skill in a leg raise is not lifting your legs. It is keeping your pelvis and lower back still while your legs move. Every progression below is designed around that one idea. Shorter levers (bent knees) and smaller ranges come first. Longer levers and hanging come later.

Leg raises for single parents: the floor progressions

Work through these in order. Stay on a level until you can do 3 sets of 10 slow reps with your lower back staying gently in contact with the floor.

Level 1: Bent-knee marches

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Press your lower back gently towards the floor and breathe out. Lift one foot until the knee is above the hip, lower it, swap. Slow and quiet. 3 x 8 each side.

Level 2: Double bent-knee lifts

Same set-up, but lift both feet together to bring knees over hips, then lower until your toes just tap the floor. Hands can rest by your sides, palms down, for support. 3 x 8.

Level 3: Sofa-anchor reverse crunch

Lie with your head towards the sofa and hold the base of it behind you. With knees bent at 90 degrees above your hips, curl your hips slightly off the floor, as if tipping a bowl of water towards your chest. Lower slowly. This trains the deep lower abs rather than the hip flexors. 3 x 6 to 10.

Level 4: Single straight-leg lowers

Both legs pointing to the ceiling. Keep one there while you slowly lower the other as far as you can without your back arching, then return. 3 x 6 each side.

Level 5: Full straight-leg raises

Both legs together, lower them slowly, stopping before your back lifts. For most people that is somewhere above 45 degrees at first. Bring them back up. 3 x 6 to 10. Bend your knees slightly if your hamstrings are tight.

A good self-check: slide your hand under your lower back. If you feel the pressure on it disappear during the rep, you have gone too low.

Moving to the playground bar: hanging leg raises

Hanging leg raises are excellent, but they are an advanced move. You need decent grip, shoulder strength and core control first. Do not jump straight onto the monkey bars and start swinging your legs about. Here is a safer route.

1. Dead hang: hold a sturdy bar (a pull-up bar, or adult-safe monkey bars) with feet able to reach the ground or a step. Build up to 3 x 20 seconds of hanging with shoulders gently pulled down away from your ears.
2. Hanging knee tucks, small: from the hang, lift your knees a little towards your chest without swinging. 3 x 5.
3. Hanging knee raises: knees up to hip height, pause, lower in 3 seconds. 3 x 6 to 8.
4. Hanging straight-leg raises: only once knee raises are controlled. Legs to hip height, slow lowering.

Form cues: shoulders active, not shrugged; no kicking or swinging; breathe out as you lift; step down carefully rather than dropping. Stop if you feel pain in your shoulders, elbows or back. My guide to chin-ups for single parents has more on building grip and hanging strength safely.

Playground etiquette and safety

• Check the equipment is solid and suitable for adult weight. Not every frame is.
• Kids come first. Use the bars when they are free, and never block younger children.
• Keep your child in sight. A playground session works best when they are happily playing nearby.
• Do floor levels on a bench or the grass if the bars are busy.

A 12-minute leg raise session

Pick the floor level you are on and do this twice a week:

• Warm-up: 1 minute of cat-cow and 10 glute bridges
• Your leg raise level: 3 sets
• Plank or knee plank: 3 x 20 to 30 seconds
• Dead hang (if you have a bar): 3 x 15 to 20 seconds
• Finish: hamstring stretch on the floor, 30 seconds each leg

If planks are new to you, my plank progression for beginners fits neatly alongside this.

Protecting your lower back

Leg raises should not cause back pain. If they do, go back a level. If you already have back pain, or it is sharp, worsening or travels down your leg, please see your GP or a physio before doing this kind of exercise. The NHS page on back pain explains when to get help. If you are postnatal, get checked by your GP first (usually around 6 to 8 weeks after birth), as lifting both legs puts a lot of pressure on healing tummy muscles.

For more ways to fit training around solo parenting, see the main guide on single parent fitness.

Where a bootcamp class fits

The hardest part of leg raises is knowing whether your back is staying put. In class I can see it straight away and tell you which level to stay on. We use reverse crunches, dead bugs and leg lowers in the SYP Built To Last functional strength class, with an easier and harder option every time. Small groups, no mirrors full of strangers, no pressure.

FAQs

Why do leg raises hurt my lower back?

Usually because your legs are going lower than your core can control, so your pelvis tips and your back arches. Bend your knees, shorten the range or go back to bent-knee marches.

Are leg raises good for lower abs?

They work the lower part of your tummy along with the hip flexors. Reverse crunches, where your hips curl up, tend to target the lower abs more directly.

Can beginners do hanging leg raises?

Most beginners are better off building floor leg raises and dead hangs first. Hanging knee raises come next. Straight-leg hanging raises are an advanced move.

How often should I do leg raises?

Two or three times a week is plenty. Your abs need rest to get stronger, like any other muscle.

Book your first class

If you want to build core strength with someone watching your back, literally, come and join us. SYP Bootcamp runs 45-minute small-group classes in a church hall in Archway N19, indoors whatever the weather, max 10 people, £15 a class. Book my £15 class or call or WhatsApp me on 07301 512215. If you would rather train completely one-to-one, I also offer private personal training in Archway.

About the author

Artem Olekhnovych is a personal trainer in Archway and the founder of SYP Fitness and SYP Bootcamp. He has coached clients in Archway, Highgate and across North London for over 10 years, and runs small-group bootcamp classes for busy mums and dads. Read reviews from his 1-1 clients.