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Exercise guide
Bench Leg Pull-In
A supine core exercise on a flat bench, pulling the knees toward the chest to train the rectus abdominis.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- rectus abdominis · hip flexors · obliques
- Goals
- hypertrophy · endurance
- Equipment
- Bench
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- beginner
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Lie on your back on a flat bench and grip the sides behind your head for support.
- Extend your legs straight out with heels just above the bench surface.
- Pull your knees toward your chest, lifting the hips slightly off the bench.
- Extend the legs back out under control without letting the heels touch the bench.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Keep the lower back pressed into the bench to reduce hip flexor dominance.
- Control the eccentric; do not let gravity drop the legs.
- Squeeze the abs at the top of each rep for a stronger contraction.