Parallel Bar Leg Raise
Done on parallel dip bars, this leg raise removes the back support you would get from a captain's chair, so your abs and shoulder girdle keep the trunk upright while the legs travel. That extra stabilization demand makes it harder than the padded version and a solid choice when a full hang bothers your grip or shoulders. Raise the legs as high as your control allows and resist the swing on the way down.
- Equipment
- Dip Bars
- Body part
- Abs
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Lower Rectus Abdominals
- Browse by movement
- Spinal Flexion
- Target
- Lower Rectus Abdominals
- Secondary
- Upper Rectus Abdominals, Rectus Femoris
- Tertiary
- Abdominal External Oblique
How to do it
- 1
Support your body on parallel dip bars with arms locked and shoulders down.
- 2
Let your legs hang straight below your hips with a slight brace in the core.
- 3
Curl the pelvis and lift straight legs forward and up toward hip height or higher.
- 4
Pause briefly at the top with the abs fully contracted.
- 5
Lower the legs slowly without letting the torso sway backward.
- 6
Exhale as the legs rise and inhale as they descend.
Tips
- Press down into the bars to keep the shoulders stable and the trunk tall.
- Bend the knees to scale the movement down if straight legs are too hard.
- Avoid rocking; let the abs, not momentum, move the legs.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Using bars low enough that the toes brush the floor at the bottom, which gives you something to push off and quietly shortens every rep.
- Letting the elbows soften as the set goes on, so you are half holding a dip while trying to raise the legs.
- Leaning the torso back to counterweight the legs; they go higher, the abs work less, and the shoulders take the difference.
- Stopping the descent at hip height and pumping short reps from there, so the abs never work at their long end.
- Gripping the bars hard enough to cramp the forearms before the abs are finished; the arms lock the position, they do not lift the legs.
Frequently asked
- How many parallel bar leg raises should you do when you are new to the exercise?
- Three sets of 8 to 12 is the target, and there is no shame in starting with knee raises to get there. Because you are holding yourself on locked arms, end the set when the trunk starts to sway rather than when the abs are truly done. Two sessions a week. Once straight-leg reps to hip height are easy, raise the legs higher, pause at the top, or take four seconds to lower them.
- How do I make the parallel bar leg raise easier or harder?
- Easier: bend the knees, or use a dip station with arm pads and a back rest, which takes the trunk stabilization out. Sets of five with a short rest between them also work while you build the support position. Harder: hold the top for two or three seconds, take the legs above hip height toward an L-sit, squeeze a small ball between the feet, or slow the lowering to a four count.
- Why choose the parallel bar leg raise over hanging or a captain's chair?
- It sits between the two: with no back pad, the trunk and shoulder girdle work harder than on a captain's chair, but you are pressing down on the bars rather than hanging from them, so grip does not end the set the way it does hanging. That makes it the choice when grip or a cranky shoulder rules out the bar. It is a poor pick if holding yourself upright on locked arms is uncomfortable, or if the only bars available are too low to hang the legs straight.
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