Hanging Leg Raise
The hardest bodyweight ab movement most people can progress to.
Setup
- Hang from a bar, arms straight, legs together and STRAIGHT.
- Shoulders engaged, not passive.
How To Do It
- Raise the straight legs until they are at least level with the hips.
- Curl the pelvis slightly at the top — that is where the abs work.
- Lower slowly without swinging.
Breathing
Exhale as the legs rise.
Common Mistakes
- Bending the knees, which makes it a knee raise.
- Swinging into the next rep instead of stopping the pendulum.
Programming It
Three sets of 5-12, strict.
Why This Exercise Works
Straightening the legs lengthens the lever and roughly doubles the demand on the trunk compared with knees bent. The moment the lower back starts to swing, the set is over — the swing is the body borrowing momentum because the abs cannot hold the position any more.
Where You Should Feel It
The whole front of the trunk, hard, with the straight legs roughly doubling the demand of bent knees. If the lower back starts swinging, the set is over.
Where It Fits in a Program
The hardest bodyweight ab movement most people can progress to. It finishes a session well and costs almost nothing the next day.
Progressing and Regressing It
To progress the hanging leg raise: pause at the top, or raise the feet toward the bar. To regress it: bend the knees, or reduce the range.
Who It's For
Anyone who owns the knee-raise version. Straight legs are a big jump — do not rush it, and never let the swing become the exercise.
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 Knee Raise — Abs, Hip Flexors, Grip
- Reverse Crunch — Abs, Hip Flexors
- Ab Wheel Rollout — Abs, Lats, Shoulders
- V-Up — Abs, Hip Flexors
- Kneeling Cable Crunch — Abs
- Bicycle Crunch — Abs, Obliques
- Toes-to-Bar — Abs, Lats, Grip
- Hollow Rock — Abs, Deep Core
Common Questions
What muscles does the hanging leg raise work?
The hanging leg raise primarily trains the abs, hip flexors.
How many sets and reps should I do?
Three sets of 5-12, strict.
What are the most common hanging leg raise mistakes?
Most often: bending the knees, which makes it a knee raise; swinging into the next rep instead of stopping the pendulum.
Do I need a pull-up bar to do this?
This version uses a pull-up bar, and it trains the abs, hip flexors. 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.
Is this safe if I have an existing injury?
The hanging leg 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.