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Exercise library · Abs

Hanging knee raise

Hip flexion for the abs with your bodyweight.

How to do it

1 of 3

Hang with straight arms

  1. Starting position

    Hang from a bar with your hands just wider than shoulder-width, arms straight, and legs still.

  2. The movement

    Bend your knees and raise them toward your chest, curl your pelvis up, then lower with control.

Most common mistake

Don't swing your body, keep your torso still and raise your knees without momentum.

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Muscle group
Abs
Equipment
Bodyweight
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

The hanging knee raise is the easier version of the hanging leg raise: with bent knees, your legs make a shorter, lighter lever. Your hip flexors raise your thighs, and your abs come in properly when your pelvis tilts up at the end of the lift. The obliques stop your body twisting. Your hands, forearms and shoulders carry your bodyweight throughout, and for many people the grip gives out before the abs are done.

Common mistakes

  • You start from an arched hang. Legs behind you and an arched lower back mean every rep starts stretched out and prone to swinging. Brace lightly before the first rep so your legs hang straight below you or slightly in front.
  • Your elbows bend when it gets hard. Late in a set, many people start pulling with their arms. Keep your arms straight and end the set when that is no longer possible.
  • Your knees drift apart. When your legs separate, your body tends to twist and the lift goes crooked. Keep your knees and feet together, ideally with a light squeeze.

Variations and alternatives

  • The hanging leg raise is the next step, with a longer lever.
  • The reverse crunch gives your abs the same task lying on the floor, where your grip never runs out first.
  • The dead hang trains your grip and shoulders if your hands let go before your abs.

Sets and reps

Three sets of 8 to 15 reps suit most people. Every rep starts from a still hang, so pause briefly at the bottom if your body starts to sway. Rest one to two minutes so your grip can recover. The basics of setting up your sets are in the guide to sets and reps.

Once you manage 15 controlled reps in every set, make it harder in steps: hold for a second with your knees up, lower more slowly, then straighten your legs a little more at a time until you are doing hanging leg raises. Each of those steps is progressive overload. If your shoulders or lower back hurt, and they are not merely tired, stop and have a doctor or physiotherapist look at it.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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