Hanging Leg Raise
What Hanging Leg Raise really gives you is bracing strength that carries over, driven by pure bodyweight leverage.
How to do Hanging Leg Raise
- Hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended at arms length in top of you using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position.
- Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so.
- Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Hanging Leg Raise Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 6-8 reps at your hardest clean leverage, resting 2-3 minutes. Add reps first, then slow the lowering phase.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Change leverage or elevation before you add load.
Endurance
3 sets of 25-30 reps with 30-45 seconds of rest. Hold the end position for a beat once reps come easily.
The other half of the week
First plan free
Training is half the prescription
A session tells your abs to adapt. The week you eat decides whether they can. FitFocus writes that week against your own calorie and macro numbers, in about a minute, for free.
- Included: Seven days solved against your calorie and macro targets
- Included: Diet type and allergies applied before the plan is written
- Included: Built from the same profile as your workout plan, on one account
- Days
- 7
- Meals / day
- 3-6
- Diet types
- 5
- Exclusions
- 6
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Common Hanging Leg Raise Mistakes
Rushing reps so gravity does most of the work
Take two to three counts on the lowering phase of every rep.
Pulling with the hip flexors while the abs stay slack
Start every rep by flattening the lower back down, then move.
Easier and Harder Than Hanging Leg Raise
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Hanging Leg Raise — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Hanging Leg Raise?
Hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended at arms length in top of you using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position. Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so. Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in. Use your bodyweight only and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Hanging Leg Raise work?
The Hanging Leg Raise primarily targets the abs. It is classified as a core exercise and is performed with your bodyweight only.
How many sets and reps of the Hanging Leg Raise should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Change leverage or elevation before you add load. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Hanging Leg Raise good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic core patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Hanging Leg Raise?
Try the Assisted Motion Russian Twist, Band Push Sit-up or the Weighted Side Bend (on Stability Ball). Each trains the abs with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
Routines that program Hanging Leg Raise
Push Pull Legs (PPL)
The highest-frequency split that still gives each muscle group two sessions a week. Push days train chest, shoulders and triceps. Pull days train back and biceps. Leg days train everything below the waist.
6 days / week
Upper Lower Split
Four sessions a week, each muscle group trained twice. It is the split most intermediate lifters should run: enough frequency to grow, enough rest days to recover, and it survives a missed session better than a six-day plan.
4 days / week
