Core
Hanging leg raise
- Kit
- Pull-up bar
- Works
- lower abs · hip flexors
- Also
- obliques · lats · forearms and grip · front delts
The hanging leg raise is a core movement done from a pull-up bar: you hang at full stretch and lift straight legs up in front of you. It trains the lower abs and hip flexors through a long range while your grip, shoulders and lats work to keep you steady. It suits anyone who already holds a dead hang comfortably and can raise the knees with control.
Form
How to do hanging leg raise
- 1Take an overhand grip on the bar a little wider than your shoulders and hang with arms straight. Pull your shoulders down away from your ears so you are not slumped in the hang.
- 2Brace your middle and tilt your pelvis slightly back so your lower back flattens rather than arching.
- 3Keeping your legs straight and together, lift them in front of you until they are at least parallel to the floor. Breathe out as they rise.
- 4Lower under control back to the hang, breathing in as you go. Resist the urge to drop the legs and let them swing.
- 5Reset the hang for a moment if you start to rotate or sway, then continue raising legs for the rest of the effort.
- 6Step down and shake out your hands when the set ends.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Swinging the body and using momentum to fling the legs up.
Fix: Slow the lowering down and pause for a beat at the bottom so each lift starts from a still hang.
Arching the lower back and lifting with the hips only.
Fix: Tuck the pelvis slightly and think about curling the hips toward your ribs as the legs rise.
Hanging passively with shoulders jammed up by the ears.
Fix: Set the shoulders down and back before the first rep and hold that position throughout.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.