How many reps of the Garhammer raise should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps is a good starting range, since the short range of motion means quality reps add up fast. Add a set before you add reps, and keep the range short at both ends rather than chasing a bigger swing.

What can I do instead of the Garhammer raise without a bar or captain's chair?

A floor reverse crunch trains the same lower-ab curl without any hanging equipment, though it removes the shortened-range emphasis. A sturdy table edge or low bar you can brace your forearms against is a reasonable stand-in for a captain's chair.

What is the Garhammer raise good for?

It builds lower-ab thickness by keeping the rectus abdominis loaded through a short range instead of letting it rest at the bottom, which makes it a strong finisher after bigger lifts. It is a poor choice for a beginner who cannot yet do a controlled hanging or captain's-chair knee raise, since the shortened range is harder to feel without that base.

Intermediate

Garhammer Raise

The Garhammer raise attacks the lower rectus abdominis with a deliberately shortened range: you curl the pelvis up and only lower until the abs are stretched, never to a dead hang. That keeps the target muscle loaded the entire set, which makes it a favorite finisher for building lower-ab thickness. Use it when you want quality burn over big range, either hanging from a bar or supported on a captain's chair.

Equipment: Pull-Up Bar
Body part: Abs
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Lower Rectus Abdominals
Browse by movement: Spinal Flexion

How to do it

1
Hang from a bar or brace your forearms in a captain's chair with legs bent to about ninety degrees.
2
Curl your pelvis up and drive your knees toward your chest, rolling the hips off neutral.
3
Pause at the top when your thighs pass your hips and the abs are fully shortened.
4
Lower under control only until your thighs return near parallel, keeping tension on the abs.
5
Reverse immediately without letting the legs hang or the pelvis reset.
6
Exhale as you raise, inhale as you lower, and keep the movement smooth.

Tips

Think about rolling the hips up, not just lifting the knees, to bias the lower abs.
Keep the range short at both ends so the abs never unload.
Avoid swinging; if you build momentum, slow the tempo down.

Variations

Common mistakes

Letting the legs drop all the way back to a dead hang between reps unloads the abs completely and turns a shortened-range finisher into a full hanging leg raise.
The knees do all the traveling while the pelvis stays still, which trains hip flexion instead of the lower-ab curl the short range is built for.
Swinging the body to build momentum on a captain's chair loads the shoulders and lats instead of the abs doing the lifting.
Grip fatigue on a hanging set gets treated as the stopping point, cutting the ab work short well before the abs themselves are the limiting factor.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the Garhammer raise should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps is a good starting range, since the short range of motion means quality reps add up fast. Add a set before you add reps, and keep the range short at both ends rather than chasing a bigger swing.
What can I do instead of the Garhammer raise without a bar or captain's chair?: A floor reverse crunch trains the same lower-ab curl without any hanging equipment, though it removes the shortened-range emphasis. A sturdy table edge or low bar you can brace your forearms against is a reasonable stand-in for a captain's chair.
What is the Garhammer raise good for?: It builds lower-ab thickness by keeping the rectus abdominis loaded through a short range instead of letting it rest at the bottom, which makes it a strong finisher after bigger lifts. It is a poor choice for a beginner who cannot yet do a controlled hanging or captain's-chair knee raise, since the shortened range is harder to feel without that base.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Abs exercises