Hanging Leg Raise

abs waist body weight

Learn how to do the Hanging Leg Raise with proper form and technique. This body weight exercise primarily targets your Abs, with secondary emphasis on Hip Flexors.

Hanging Leg Raise exercise demonstration showing proper form

How to Do the Hanging Leg Raise

Follow these steps to perform the Hanging Leg Raise with correct form:

1Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
2Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you, keeping them straight.
3Continue lifting until your legs are parallel to the ground or as high as you can comfortably go.
4Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
5Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Hanging Leg Raise Muscles Worked

Primary

abs

Secondary

hip flexors

Exercise Details

Equipment: body weight
Body Part: waist
Category: Main

Muscles & Anatomy

The hanging leg raise is performed by gripping an overhead bar and raising the legs from a hanging position, creating hip flexion against gravity. The primary movers are the hip flexors — primarily the iliopsoas (iliacus and psoas major) — and the rectus abdominis, which must perform posterior pelvic tilt to bring the pelvis toward the ribcage during the upper portion of the movement. The external and internal obliques assist with spinal flexion and trunk stabilization throughout. The rectus abdominis is most effectively loaded during the upper range of the movement when the pelvis tilts posteriorly; simply raising the legs to horizontal (90 degrees) primarily works the hip flexors with minimal abdominal activation. To maximally recruit the lower rectus abdominis and obliques, the movement must continue past horizontal — either by curling the pelvis toward the chest or by bringing the knees toward the elbows. The grip muscles, lats, and biceps must work isometrically to maintain the hanging position.

Pro Tips for Better Results

1Curl the pelvis backward toward your chest at the top of the movement — do not simply lift the legs to horizontal. Raising legs to 90 degrees is primarily a hip flexor exercise. The abdominal muscles are maximally recruited only when the lumbar spine rounds slightly and the pelvis rotates posteriorly. Think about bringing your belly button toward the ceiling at the top.
2Control the descent. The eccentric phase of the hanging leg raise — lowering the legs back to the dead hang — is where significant core training occurs. Lowering in three to four seconds keeps the rectus abdominis and hip flexors under tension throughout, rather than simply dropping the legs and letting gravity do the work.
3If your grip fails before your core, use wrist straps or hanging ab straps. Grip and lat fatigue frequently limit hanging leg raise performance before the abdominals are adequately trained. Straps eliminate this limitation and allow you to reach true muscular failure in the target muscles without the set being cut short by grip.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✗ Swinging the body to generate momentum for each rep

Fix: A swinging body uses inertia to lift the legs rather than abdominal and hip flexor contraction. If your body is rocking back and forth, pause at the dead hang position for a full second between each rep. Initiating each rep from a completely still position eliminates momentum and forces the core to generate all the force.

✗ Only raising legs to 90 degrees and calling it a full rep

Fix: Legs at 90 degrees (horizontal) is the midpoint of the movement, not the endpoint. The abdominals are truly engaged in the upper range where the pelvis tilts. Continue past horizontal, aiming to bring the knees toward the chest or the feet toward the bar. If this is not yet achievable, bent-knee raises are the appropriate regression.

✗ Letting the lower back arch aggressively during the descent

Fix: As the legs lower, the natural tendency is for the lumbar spine to extend and the pelvis to anteriorly tilt, arching the lower back away from a neutral position. Maintain active abdominal tension throughout the descent and control the movement so the lower back does not significantly extend at the bottom. Engage the core even in the fully lowered position.

✗ Performing hanging leg raises before developing sufficient core strength

Fix: The hanging leg raise is an advanced core exercise. Beginners attempting it before they have foundational core strength typically compensate with hip flexors exclusively and never develop the abdominal activation the exercise is designed for. Build to hanging leg raises through lying leg raises, then bent-knee hanging raises, before attempting straight-leg variations.

How to Program the Hanging Leg Raise

Sets & Reps

3–4 sets of 8–20 reps depending on ability level. Beginners work with bent-knee versions at 8–12 reps. Intermediate lifters perform straight-leg raises to horizontal for 10–15 reps. Advanced trainees perform full range raises or toes-to-bar variations for 10–20 controlled reps. Add resistance (ankle weights or dumbbell between feet) when bodyweight becomes insufficient.

Frequency

2–3 times per week. The rectus abdominis and hip flexors recover within 48 hours from moderate hanging leg raise volume. Avoid training abs to extreme soreness — delayed onset muscle soreness in the hip flexors significantly impairs subsequent lower body training. Moderate, consistent frequency produces better results than infrequent maximal sessions.

Where to Place It in Your Workout

End of any training session, after all compound work. Core training rarely benefits from being placed first in a session and significantly impairs performance in heavy compound lifts when done beforehand. Hanging leg raises at the end of a training session are efficient and do not interfere with the quality of primary work.

How to Progress

Progress through range of motion before adding resistance. The sequence: bent-knee raises to chest, straight-leg raises to horizontal, straight-leg raises past horizontal with pelvic curl, toes-to-bar. Once toes-to-bar are achievable for multiple clean reps, add an ankle weight or hold a light dumbbell between the feet to add external load.

Variations & Alternatives

Bent-Knee Hanging Raise

Knees bent to 90 degrees throughout the movement. The reduced lever arm makes this significantly easier than straight-leg raises, making it the appropriate starting point for beginners. Focus on curling the pelvis toward the chest at the top even with bent knees — this cue is what develops proper abdominal activation regardless of leg position.

Toes to Bar

Full range hanging leg raise where the feet touch the overhead bar at the peak. Requires strong hip flexors, rectus abdominis, and grip. Common in gymnastics and CrossFit training. Demands excellent hamstring flexibility in addition to core strength. The advanced standard for this exercise category.

Lying Leg Raise

Performed flat on the floor, removing the grip and lat demands of the hanging version. The abdominal and hip flexor mechanics are very similar to the hanging version. An excellent regression for those building toward hanging leg raises and a useful variation when pullup bar access is unavailable.

Related Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does the Hanging Leg Raise work?

The Hanging Leg Raise primarily targets your Abs. Secondary muscles worked include Hip Flexors. This makes it an effective exercise for developing your waist.

Do I need equipment for the Hanging Leg Raise?

No. The Hanging Leg Raise is a bodyweight exercise that requires no equipment. You can perform it anywhere with enough space.

How do I perform the Hanging Leg Raise with proper form?

Start by hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.. Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you, keeping them straight. Continue lifting until your legs are parallel to the ground or as high as you can comfortably go. Focus on controlled movement throughout the entire range of motion. See the full step-by-step instructions above for complete form guidance.

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