Hanging Leg Raise
You hang from the bar with straight arms and lift your straight legs — in the full version, all the way up to the bar. Your pelvis curls under as you go. Then lower them slowly until you are hanging still again.
The hanging leg raise is core work done hanging from a bar with your legs straight. In the full version you lift them all the way to the bar.
Your hip flexors and rectus femoris lift your legs. At the same time, your rectus abdominis and obliques curl your pelvis under and round your lower back.
Straight legs give you a longer lever than tucked knees do. That asks more of your abdominal wall and puts more load on your lower back, so the tucked-knee version comes first.
Your forearms, lats and chest keep you on the bar — your grip is part of the exercise.
Starting position
Hang from the bar with your arms straight and your hands about shoulder-width apart, and let your body settle.
Lift your straight legs. In the half-range version, lift them until they are roughly level with the floor; in the full version, take them all the way to the bar. Your pelvis curls under on every rep — that is what brings your lower back into the movement at the top. With the pelvis curling, your abs work through their own range; with the pelvis still, your hip flexors drive the movement and your abs hold the position.
Then lower them slowly until your legs are hanging still beneath you again, and start the next rep from there without swinging.
Straight legs give you a longer lever than tucked knees do. So start with the half range and build up to the full range.
The three cues
- Legs long, pelvis curling under
- Only as high as your pelvis keeps curling
- Slow on the lowering, no swing on the lift
Common faults
| Fault | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Your legs come up but your pelvis stays where it is | Curl your pelvis under at the top and mean it. If it stops following your legs, you are going too high — shorten the range. |
| Your body swings and the swing does the next rep for you | Lower slowly, hang still for a moment at the bottom, then lift again from a dead hang. |
| Your knees bend as you lift | Keep your legs long. If you cannot hold them straight yet, stick to the half range or go back to hanging knee raises. |
| Your lower back arches as you hang | Brace your abs and tuck your pelvis slightly before you lift, so every rep starts from a steady position. |
Variations
| Variation | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Hanging knee raises | Several sets with your knees tucked and your pelvis curling on every rep. Straighten your legs only once that looks the same every time. |
| Half range, legs straight | Your straight legs come up until they are roughly level with the floor, and your pelvis curls with them every time. Stay here for as long as going all the way to the bar means losing that curl. |
| All the way to the bar | Your straight legs reach the bar and your pelvis curls under at the top. Slow on the lowering, no swing on the lift. |
| Lower more slowly | Once every rep looks the same, take longer over the lowering — as long as you keep the pelvic curl. |
Reps and load
Andreas uses this tempo: lift briskly, curl your pelvis under at the top, lower slowly, then hang still at the bottom before the next rep.
Put it with your core work at the end of the session — it asks a lot of your grip as well. How high you go sets the difficulty: lift as high as your pelvis keeps curling.
Which muscles do the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| Rectus abdominis M. rectus abdominis | Prime mover | Curls your pelvis under and rounds your lower back |
| External oblique M. obliquus externus abdominis | Prime mover | Helps curl your pelvis under and keeps your trunk steady |
| Internal oblique M. obliquus internus abdominis | Synergist | Draws your pelvis under and tightens your midsection from the inside |
| Hip flexors M. iliopsoas | Synergist | Pulls your straight legs up towards your trunk |
| Rectus femoris M. rectus femoris | Synergist | Helps flex your hip and keeps your knee straight |
| Pectoralis major M. pectoralis major | Stabiliser | Keeps your upper body steady under the bar |
| Lats M. latissimus dorsi | Stabiliser | Keeps your shoulders down while you hang |
| Forearms Mm. antebrachii | Stabiliser | Keep you on the bar for the whole set |
Your hip flexors and rectus femoris lift your straight legs. Your rectus abdominis and obliques curl your pelvis under and round your lower back. Your forearms, lats and chest keep you steady on the bar.
Ways to do it — on video
The equipment changes, the movement pattern stays the same. What you learn on the cable applies to the band just as much — only the resistance differs.
All the way to the barStandard
The full version: legs straight all the way to the bar, with your pelvis curling under at the top. Shorten the range to make it easier, lower more slowly to make it harder.
Half range, up to horizontal
The entry version with straight legs: your legs come up until they are roughly level with the floor and your pelvis curls with them every time. This is the step between hanging knee raises and the full range.
Explained in full
Andreas shows the straight-leg version at half range first, then all the way to the bar, and explains why your pelvis curls under on every rep. · 1:00
Seeing it done right is not the same as doing it right
Video, cues and variations take you a long way. What they cannot give you is an outside eye at the moment the movement isn't quite there yet. That is what training with me is for — in the studio or in a workshop.
See the workshopsNew exercise pages are added all the time — the newsletter keeps you posted.
Sources
McGill S, Andersen J, Cannon J. (2015). Muscle activity and spine load during anterior chain whole body linkage exercises: the body saw, hanging leg raise and walkout from a push-up. J Sports Sci 33(4):419–426. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2014.946437 — Measures muscle activity and calculated lumbar spine loading in 14 healthy young men (21.1 ± 2.0 years) during hanging leg raises with straight legs against tucked knees. With straight legs rectus abdominis reached 130.9% and external oblique 87.9% of maximum effort, against 70.2% and 41.6% with tucked knees, and compression at the lumbar spine was 3058 against 2530 newtons. The basis for the order on this page: knees first, straight legs afterwards. Latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major also work considerably in the hang and more so with straight legs, the basis for listing them as stabilisers. Both versions were performed with a neutral-spine instruction; a version with a deliberate pelvic curl was not tested. Young trained men, no women, no measurement in people aged 40 to 60. (Evidence type: EMG mit Belastungsmodell)
Escamilla RF, Babb E, DeWitt R, Jew P, Kelleher P, Burnham T, Busch J, D'Anna K, Mowbray R, Imamura RT. (2006). Electromyographic analysis of traditional and nontraditional abdominal exercises: implications for rehabilitation and training. Phys Ther 86(5):656–671. DOI: 10.1093/ptj/86.5.656 — Compares abdominal activity across traditional and less common abdominal exercises in 21 healthy men and women aged 23 to 43. Raising the legs in a hang was among the exercises with the highest activity in upper and lower rectus abdominis and in both obliques, and latissimus dorsi was highest there too. The paper with the widest age range in this block. It was performed hanging in straps rather than from a bar, so without the grip demand. (Evidence type: EMG)
Juker D, McGill S, Kropf P, Steffen T. (1998). Quantitative intramuscular myoelectric activity of lumbar portions of psoas and the abdominal wall during a wide variety of tasks. Med Sci Sports Exerc 30(2):301–310. DOI: 10.1097/00005768-199802000-00020 — Measures activity in the lumbar portion of psoas and in the abdominal wall in eight people (five men, three women) using fine-wire electrodes. Psoas follows hip flexion and stays low during pure curling of the trunk. The basis for the division of labour on this page: the hip flexors lift the legs, the abdominal wall moves the pelvis. A very small sample, age and training status not reported, and hanging leg raises were not among the tasks. (Evidence type: EMG mit Drahtelektroden)
Urquhart DM, Hodges PW, Allen TJ, Story IH. (2005). Abdominal muscle recruitment during a range of voluntary exercises. Man Ther 10(2):144–153. DOI: 10.1016/j.math.2004.08.011 — Measures abdominal recruitment across a range of voluntary exercises, including curling the pelvis backwards, where the middle portion of the internal oblique led. The basis for describing the pelvic curl on this page as work done by the abdominal wall. Measured lying supine and unloaded rather than in a hang; the sample size is not reported in the retrievable record. (Evidence type: EMG mit Draht- und Oberflächenelektroden)
Bogduk N, Pearcy M, Hadfield G. (1992). Anatomy and biomechanics of psoas major. Clin Biomech 7(2):109–119. DOI: 10.1016/0268-0033(92)90024-X — Measures the course of psoas major in three anatomical specimens and calculates, in ten adult men, the forces it exerts on the lumbar spine. Its turning effect on the spine is very small, while compression and shear at strong contraction are large. The basis for the emphasis on this page on the difference between hip flexion and pelvic movement. A model of static positions, not a leg raise, and no measurement in people training. (Evidence type: Anatomie und Modell)
Exel J, Deimel D, Koller W, Werner I, Baca A, Kösters A. (2023). Neuromechanics of finger hangs with arm lock-offs: an analysis of maximum weight-bearing capabilities. Front Sports Act Living 5:1251089. DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1251089 — Measures muscle work during hangs in 17 recreational climbers, with a straight arm and at various elbow angles. The finger and forearm flexors worked equally hard regardless of arm angle, and the straight arm produced the smallest moments at shoulder and elbow. The basis for describing the straight-arm hang as the starting position and for listing the forearm muscles as stabilisers. Climbers on a training edge, with no leg movement and no measurement of the abdominal muscles. (Evidence type: EMG und Modellrechnung)
A note on context: EMG studies show which muscles an exercise recruits — that is a good reason to pick it, but it does not replace adjusting things to the person in front of you. See a doctor for persistent or severe pain.