Hanging Knee Raise
Abs plus grip plus control — the bar version of a crunch, without the neck strain.
Setup
- Dead hang, shoulders set, body quiet.
How To Do It
- Curl the knees up toward your chest, tilting the pelvis at the top.
- Lower slow — no swinging into the next rep.
Breathing
Exhale raising the knees.
Common Mistakes
- Swinging like a pendulum — pause each rep at the bottom.
- Just lifting legs without the pelvic curl — the curl IS the ab work.
Programming It
Three sets of 8-15, controlled.
Why This Exercise Works
Hanging removes the floor's support, so the hip flexors and lower abs have to lift the legs against gravity with nothing to push against. Bringing the knees above the hips is where the abs finally take over from the hip flexors — stop below that and you have trained mostly hip flexor.
Where You Should Feel It
The lower abs once the knees pass the hips, and the hip flexors below that. Grip usually fails before the abs do at first. Swinging means the abs have stopped working and momentum has taken over.
Where It Fits in a Program
Abs plus grip plus control — the bar version of a crunch, without the neck strain. Hold work sits anywhere. Use it as a finisher, or between sets of something heavy.
Progressing and Regressing It
To progress the hanging knee raise: straighten the legs, or pause at the top. To regress it: raise one knee at a time, or do it on a captain's chair with back support.
Who It's For
Anyone building trunk strength who can hang. It is a genuine step up from floor work because there is nothing to push against.
Equipment and Substitutions
What you need for this one: a pull-up bar. No pull-up bar? A door-frame bar costs very little. Failing that, the row variations below train the same muscles from a different angle.
Related Exercises
- Hanging Leg Raise — Abs, Hip Flexors
- Reverse Crunch — Abs, Hip Flexors
- Toes-to-Bar — Abs, Lats, Grip
- V-Up — Abs, Hip Flexors
- Kneeling Cable Crunch — Abs
- Ab Wheel Rollout — Abs, Lats, Shoulders
- Bicycle Crunch — Abs, Obliques
- Body Saw — Abs, Core, Shoulders
Common Questions
What muscles does the hanging knee raise work?
The hanging knee raise primarily trains the abs, hip flexors, grip.
How many sets and reps should I do?
Three sets of 8-15, controlled.
What are the most common hanging knee raise mistakes?
Most often: swinging like a pendulum; just lifting legs without the pelvic curl.
Do I need a pull-up bar to do this?
This version uses a pull-up bar, and it trains the abs, hip flexors, grip. Any solid overhead bar works. If there is genuinely nothing, the rowing variations below are the practical substitute.
Is this safe if I have an existing injury?
The hanging knee raise puts the shoulder and elbow under load through a range many people have lost, so a cranky shoulder usually objects here before anything else does. Pain that pinches at a specific point is worth assessing; ordinary training discomfort is not. Not medical advice.