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Hanging Leg Raise: How to Do It and Muscles Worked

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Equipment
Bodyweight
Muscle group
Core
Main muscles
rectus abdominis, hip flexors
Also working
obliques, forearms
Mechanics
Compound
Pattern
Hip flexion
Level
Advanced

The hanging leg raise is an advanced bodyweight movement that challenges your entire midsection through active hip flexion. You perform this exercise suspended from a pull-up bar, lifting your legs from a dead hang until they reach a horizontal position or higher.

This compound exercise primarily targets the rectus abdominis and hip flexors. Because you must support your own bodyweight throughout the movement, it also heavily recruits your forearms for grip strength and your obliques to stabilize your torso and prevent excessive swaying.

How to do it

Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and let your body hang freely. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down away from your ears to establish a stable starting position.

  1. Squeeze your legs together and point your toes slightly forward.
  2. Contract your abdominals to initiate the movement, lifting your straight legs upward.
  3. Continue raising your legs until they are at least parallel to the floor.
  4. Pause for a brief second at the top of the movement to establish control.
  5. Lower your legs back to the starting position at a slow and controlled pace.
  6. Stop completely at the bottom to prevent momentum before starting the next repetition.

Sets, reps and load

Aim for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions. If your form breaks down or you start swinging, end the set early.

Since this is a bodyweight exercise, you can increase the difficulty by holding a light dumbbell between your feet or wearing ankle weights.

Common mistakes

  • Swinging your body. Perform the movement strictly and pause at the bottom of each rep to kill momentum.
  • Bending the knees. Keep your legs completely straight to ensure the hip flexors and rectus abdominis do the work.
  • Dropping the legs too fast. Lower your legs slowly to maintain tension on your core and protect your lower back.
  • Losing shoulder tension. Keep your shoulders pulled down rather than letting your neck sink into your collarbones.
  • Arching the lower back. Keep your ribs tucked down and maintain a slight hollow body position at the bottom of the hang.

Make it easier or harder

Easier

  • Hanging knee raises
  • Lying flat straight leg raises

Before you load it up

  • Grip often gives out before the target muscle; straps or a lighter load are reasonable while grip strength catches up.
  • This is an advanced variation. Build strength with the easier versions first.

Swaps and related core exercises

Same muscle group with different equipment:

More bodyweight options:

Browse all bodyweight exercises or every core exercise.

When to see a doctor or physio

  • Sharp pain in your lower back during the leg lift.
  • Pinching sensations in the front of your hips or groin.
  • Severe shoulder joint pain while hanging from the bar.

This page is general training information, not medical advice. If you are new to strength training, managing a health condition, pregnant or coming back from an injury, check with a doctor or physio first.

How this page was made. Exercise data (equipment, muscles, mechanics, level) compiled by the Unite Journal Crew as a general anatomy guide, cross-checked against the public-domain free-exercise-db list. Text drafted with AI assistance and edited by the crew; see our house rules. Last checked October 2026.