Captain's Chair Leg Raise
The captain's chair leg raise trains the lower abs without the grip and swing demands of bar hanging, since your forearms rest on the pads and your back stays against the support. That stability lets most trainees curl the pelvis harder and feel the rectus abdominis do the work. It is a reliable middle rung between reverse crunches and true hanging leg raises.
- Equipment
- Machine, Pull-Up Bar
- Body part
- Abs
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Lower Rectus Abdominals
- Browse by movement
- Spinal Flexion
- Target
- Lower Rectus Abdominals
- Secondary
- Rectus Femoris, Abdominal External Oblique
- Tertiary
- Upper Rectus Abdominals
How to do it
- 1
Set your forearms on the pads and grip the handles, letting your legs hang below you.
- 2
Press your lower back gently into the pad and brace your abs.
- 3
Exhale and raise your knees or straight legs toward your chest while curling your pelvis up.
- 4
Pause at the top where the hips have rolled slightly toward the ribs.
- 5
Inhale and lower the legs slowly until they hang straight again.
- 6
Keep the torso still so the abs, not momentum, drive each rep.
Tips
- Finish each rep by tucking the pelvis up, not just lifting the thighs from the hip flexors.
- Bend the knees to reduce the lever if straight legs pull your back off the pad.
- Avoid kicking or swinging; a brief pause at the bottom kills momentum.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Letting the shoulders ride up toward the ears while the arms hold your weight, which turns a core exercise into a long shrug.
- Arching away from the back pad as the legs swing down, so the hip flexors pull on the lumbar spine at the bottom of every rep.
- Kicking the feet forward at the top and calling it a rep; the legs travel, the pelvis does not, and the abs barely fire.
- Sliding down in the pads across the set until the elbows are up near your ears; reset the position rather than finishing there.
- Letting the knees fall apart on the way up, which lets the hips do the work in a range the abs are not covering.
- Free-falling the legs back to the hang, which trades the lowering, the part most people are weakest at, for gravity.
Frequently asked
- How many reps of the captain's chair leg raise should you do when you are new to the exercise?
- Start with bent knees: three sets of 10 to 15 knee raises where the pelvis visibly curls at the top. When that is easy, straighten the legs and expect the numbers to drop to 8 or 10, which is normal. After straight legs are solid, hold a light medicine ball between the feet or pause two seconds at the top. Two ab sessions a week, placed at the end of the workout, is plenty.
- What can I use instead of a captain's chair for leg raises?
- Parallel dip bars give you the same hanging position without the back pad, so the trunk has to hold itself upright, and a pull-up bar gives the full hanging version if your grip can take it. At home, lying leg raises and reverse crunches train the same pelvic curl from the floor. A dip station with straps, or a bench with your hands tucked under your hips, both cover it when the machine is busy.
- Who is the captain's chair leg raise best for?
- It suits anyone who wants direct lower-ab work without grip or shoulders deciding when the set ends, which makes it the practical middle rung between floor reverse crunches and true hanging leg raises. The back pad also makes the pelvic curl easier to feel. It is a poor pick if your low back lifts off the pad as soon as the legs hang, and it gives up the grip and shoulder stability that make the hanging version worth doing.
Related exercises
Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.