How to do a Hanging Leg Raise
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Hanging Leg Raise
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Hanging Leg Raise is a bodyweight core exercise that primarily targets the abdominals and hip flexors. By hanging from a pull-up bar and raising your legs, you add instability, forcing greater muscle engagement. This is a more challenging variation than Vertical Knee Raises, increasing the demand on your core and possibly the quadriceps, providing excellent strength and muscle-conditioning benefits.
- Grab ahold of a chin up bar with either a neutral or pronated grip and allow your elbows to be fully extended.
- Brace your abdomen by breathing into your stomach and flexing your abdominal muscles.
- Flex your hips to 90 degrees while keeping your torso stationary.
- Keep your movement controlled as you extend your hips back to the starting position.
Sets & Reps Calculator
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Alternative Exercises to Hanging Leg Raise
1. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 3,612 TIMESLeg Raise is a simple bodyweight core exercise that involves laying on the ground and suspending your legs in the air. While your core does play a significant role in raising your legs, the real benefit comes from controlling their descent back to the floor.
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2. Vertical Knee Raise
92 mSCORESWAPPED 3,300 TIMESVertical Knee Raise is a bodyweight core exercise that involves suspending yourself, and then engaging your core to raise your knees towards your chest. By keeping your torso upright, and raising your knees, this exercise is a bit better for building functional, real world strength.
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3. Vertical Leg Raise
82.2 mSCORESWAPPED 3,267 TIMESVertical Leg Raise is a more challenging variation of Vertical Knee Raise. By keeping your legs straight as you raise them up and away from you, you add significantly more resistance to this exercise. Keeping your legs extended also forces you to engage your quadriceps. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their Vertical Knee Raises more challenging.
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4. Hanging Knee Raise
73.4 mSCORESWAPPED 2,963 TIMESHanging Knee Raise is a variation of Vertical Knee Raise. Like Vertical Knee Raise, this is a bodyweight core exercise that involves suspending yourself and raising your knees to your chest. By hanging from a pull up bar, you add more instability to the movement, which causes you to further recruit your core for stability.
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