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Hanging Leg Raise

The hanging leg raise demands serious lower-ab strength plus the grip and shoulder stability to control a long lever. Lifting straight legs to horizontal or higher, then adding a pelvic curl, hammers the lower rectus abdominis while the hip flexors assist. It is a benchmark of real core strength and a favorite for building a powerful midsection.

Equipment
Pull-Up Bar
Body part
Abs
Type
Strength
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Lower Rectus Abdominals
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Spinal Flexion
Muscles worked
Target
Lower Rectus Abdominals
Secondary
Rectus Femoris
Tertiary
Abdominal External Oblique

How to do it

  1. 1

    Hang from a pull-up bar with straight arms and an overhand grip.

  2. 2

    Brace your abs and stop any swinging.

  3. 3

    Keep your legs straight and raise them until they are at least parallel to the floor.

  4. 4

    Curl your pelvis up at the top to fully shorten the abs.

  5. 5

    Inhale and lower your legs slowly all the way back to a straight hang.

  6. 6

    Control every rep so the movement never turns into a swing.

Tips

  • Add a pelvic curl at the top; simply raising the legs to parallel leaves reps on the table.
  • If you cannot keep the legs straight, regress to knee raises until you can.
  • Engage your lats to lock the shoulders and keep your body from swinging.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Kicking into the first rep from a swing and then riding the rebound at the bottom; if the bar is creaking, the abs are not the ones lifting.
  • Letting the grip decide when the set ends, so you drop off at six reps with the abs still fresh; straps or a captain's chair put the limit back where it belongs.
  • Dropping the legs at the end of the rep so the body snaps straight at the bottom, which yanks the shoulders and the low back at full stretch.
  • Letting the pelvis tip forward at the bottom so the ribs flare and the abs go slack between reps; keep a light brace through the hang.
  • Holding your breath for the whole set, which is why rep five feels like a wall; breathe out as the legs rise.

Frequently asked

How many hanging leg raises should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Strict sets are short: three sets of 5 to 10, ending the set the moment a rep needs a swing. If five strict reps are out of reach, spend a few weeks on hanging knee raises, three sets of 10, adding range as the pelvic curl gets easier. Two sessions a week is enough. Once 10 clean straight-leg reps with a pelvic curl are routine, add a light medicine ball between the feet rather than more reps.
How do I make the hanging leg raise easier if I cannot do it yet?
Bend the knees; that alone roughly halves the lever and turns it into the hanging knee raise. From there, straighten the legs a little at a time, or move to a captain's chair, where your back is supported and grip is out of the picture. Lying leg raises build the same pelvic curl with none of the hang. To make it harder later, pause at the top, lower over five seconds, or take the feet all the way to the bar.
What is the hanging leg raise good for?
It is a strength benchmark for the front of the trunk, and it trains the lower abs, hip flexors, grip and shoulder stability at once, which is why gymnasts and lifters keep it in the rotation. It is a poor first ab exercise: if you are new to training, or if your grip or shoulders end the set before your abs do, you are paying a hanging tax for very little ab work. Start with lying raises or a captain's chair and come back to this one.

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