Training guide
A hanging leg raise is an ab exercise done hanging from a bar: you curl your pelvis up and lift your knees, or your straight legs, then lower them without swinging. Your hip flexors lift your legs and your abs curl your pelvis, and it ranks among the hardest ab exercises in muscle activity studies.
It doesn't single out your lower abs: the six-pack muscle works as one, and leg raises shift the emphasis only a little. Most people need a few steps to get there, and their grip or a swing usually stops them before their abs do.
This guide takes you from reverse crunches on the floor to the captain's chair, hanging knee raises, straight-leg raises and toes to the bar, on the 3D figure. It covers grip, straps and swinging, how many to do, and when to leave them out, with a progression workout to follow.
Hang from a bar with your shoulders drawn slightly down, curl your pelvis up and draw your knees towards your chest, then lower slowly to a full stop. The curl of the pelvis is where your abs work hardest; the lowering is where you stop the swing.
Reverse crunches on the floor, then knee raises on a captain's chair, then hanging knee raises, then straight legs, then toes to the bar. Coaching bodies teach this order, bent knees before straight legs.
Your hip flexors lift your legs whenever your hips bend, and lifting both legs needs your abs to hold your pelvis. One hip flexor, the iliacus, reached about 86% of its maximum in a both-legs lift.
Hanging knee raises with arm straps were in the top group for the six-pack muscle and the obliques in 21 adults; the captain's chair ranked second of 13 for the six-pack muscle and first for the obliques in 30 adults; straight-leg raises drew more than 130% of maximum in 14 men.
The upper and lower parts of the six-pack muscle worked alike in two muscle activity studies. One ultrasound study found leg raises shifted the emphasis a little towards the lowest part, but crunches worked the muscle more overall.
You have a hernia, have had tummy or bowel surgery or have a stoma, have osteoporosis or a past spinal fracture, have a shoulder that feels unstable when you hang, or are pregnant or recently gave birth. The sections below give the swaps.
From a hang on an overhead bar, your hips bend to lift your knees (the hanging knee raise) or straight legs (the hanging leg raise), while your pelvis curls up towards your ribs. Toes to the bar is the full version, a pike that brings your feet up to the bar. The captain's chair is the same movement held up on your forearms between two pads, with a back pad and no grip to worry about.
The hip flexors (the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris at the front of the thigh) lift your legs. The six-pack muscle (rectus abdominis) and the obliques curl your pelvis and stop your lower back arching under the weight of your legs. Your grip, lats and shoulders hold you on the bar.
Straight legs are a much longer lever than bent knees, so the same lift becomes much harder: in 14 men, the hanging straight-leg raise was the hardest ab challenge of the exercises tested.
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Most ab studies use EMG (electromyography: electrodes measuring how hard a muscle works over a few reps). It isn't a validated predictor of which exercise grows a muscle more, so treat the rankings below as clues, not verdicts.
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In 6 men doing 38 exercises, the hip flexors worked hard only when the hip bent, lifting the legs or the trunk; lifting both legs needed the abs, but lifting one leg didn't. In a review of 9 small studies, the iliacus reached 86% of its maximum when both legs moved, and the iliopsoas worked harder between 30 and 60 degrees of hip bend than below 30. The studies had poor to fair risk of bias.
In 21 adults, the upper and lower six-pack muscle, the internal oblique and the lats worked hardest in rollout-type moves, hanging knee raises with arm straps and a reverse crunch on a 30-degree incline; the external oblique worked hardest in the rollout-type moves and the hanging knee raise. The front-of-thigh hip flexor was highest in other moves, and the lower-back muscles stayed quiet throughout.
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In 30 adults, the captain's chair drew 212% of a crunch's six-pack activity (second of 13 exercises) and 310% of its oblique activity (first). The study was commissioned by ACE and not peer reviewed.
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In 14 men, the hanging straight-leg raise drew more than 130% of maximum in the six-pack muscle and 88% in the external oblique, the highest ab challenge of the exercises tested, with about 3,000 N of compression on the spine.
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In 11 lean, athletic adults and in 8 adults, the upper and lower parts of the six-pack muscle worked alike in curl-ups, leg raises and four other exercises, and ACE's study found they acted as one sheath. But in an ultrasound study of 15 lean students, the segment nearest the moving load changed most: the lowest in a leg raise, the highest in a crunch. Even so, crunches thickened the muscle 36% more than leg raises overall, and sit-ups 32% more.
In 8 adults measured with fine-wire electrodes, sit-ups worked the psoas, a deep hip flexor, at 15 to 35% of maximum, against under 10% for a curl-up; it worked hardest in maximal hip-bending efforts. Exercises that bend the hip use the hip flexors, which is why leg raises always will.
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In 9 volunteers doing 12 ab exercises, none trained all the abdominal muscles hard while keeping the load on the spine low, and the authors advised a mix of exercises.
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In 30 inactive young men on the same 8-week pull-up programme, adding forearm training raised how long they could hang by 55%.
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Six weeks of ab exercise didn't reduce belly fat in 24 adults, and across 13 studies of 1,158 people, training one body part didn't burn the fat over it (effect size about zero). Fat comes off the whole body, as our get abs guide explains.
We found no training trial of hanging leg raises, and no study of toes-to-bar technique, kipping or arm straps. The doses below come from coaching bodies and our own workouts.
From our move pages, ACE's 5-second lowering and NASM's pelvic curl. The breathing cue is from our breathing guide.
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The movement on the figure: Hanging knee raise
Reverse crunches, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 (our ab challenge workout A); captain's chair knee raises, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 (our editorial starting point; ACE suggests 8 to 10 slow reps); hanging knee raises, 2 sets of 8 to 12 (our gym ab workout); straight-leg raises, 3 sets of 6 to 10 with 90 seconds' rest (our advanced core workout); hanging pikes, which are strict toes to the bar, 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 6 (our editorial starting point). Move up when every set reaches the top of its range with a full stop at the bottom and no swing.
Your hip flexors lift your legs, whichever way you do it. Your abs curl your pelvis up and stop your lower back arching, and that's where the cue "lift your hips, not just your knees" comes from.
If the front of your hips aches or cramps, go back to bent knees or the captain's chair and slow down. Our hip flexor pain guide covers pain that lasts.
Leg raises may shift the work a little towards the lowest part of the six-pack muscle, but they don't single it out, and crunches worked the whole muscle more. If a flatter lower belly is the goal, that comes from losing fat overall, not from a particular exercise.
Hanging raises are among the hardest work for it in muscle activity studies, especially with straight legs and a full curl of the pelvis.
Use chalk, arm straps or the captain's chair so your abs, not your hands, end the set: the hanging knee raise in the top group above used arm straps, and ACE's ladder moves from the captain's chair to straps or hanging. Dead hangs and farmer's carries build grip between sessions.
Start each rep from a still hang, pause at the top, and lower over about 5 seconds at first, as ACE suggests; NASM's cue is to move slowly and keep your trunk still. A common coaching cue, untested, is to keep your legs slightly in front of you at the bottom.
Palms facing away, about shoulder-width, is the usual grip. Palms facing each other on parallel handles works too, if your bar has them.
A dip station or captain's chair supports you on your forearms instead of your hands, which takes grip out of it. A pull-up bar needs a grip, and your feet must clear the floor with your legs long.
2 sets of 8 to 12, as in our gym ab workout and lower body gym workout; 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 10 in our full-body calisthenics workout.
Straight-leg raises, 3 sets of 6 to 10 with 90 seconds' rest (our advanced core workout); strict toes to the bar, 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 6 (our editorial starting point).
ACE suggests 8 to 10 slow reps of hanging leg lowers; NASM gives 2 to 3 sets per exercise in the 8 to 15 rep range for its ab exercises.
Stop 2 or 3 reps short, or when the swing starts; the last set can go to 0 to 2 reps short, as our plans allow for small moves. Training to failure added a trivial amount of growth at most across 15 studies, and people underestimate the reps they have left by about 1.
60 to 90 seconds between sets, as our plans advise for smaller moves, and about 90 seconds for straight legs and pikes.
Two or three days a week is plenty: matched for weekly sets, training a muscle more often made little difference to growth, and NASM suggests core work 2 to 3 times a week. Our get abs guide's starting point is 2 or 3 ab moves of 2 or 3 sets, on 2 or 3 days a week.
Once 10 to 12 knee raises are easy on every set, add ankle weights or hold a light dumbbell between your feet rather than adding reps, as our gym ab and mountain biking workouts do.
Momentum does the work your abs should. Start from still, pause at the top and lower slowly.
Without the pelvic curl, your hip flexors do the lifting and your lower back can arch. Finish each rep by curling your hips up.
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Lowering fast starts the next swing. Take the lowering as slowly as the lift, or slower.
Keep your shoulders drawn slightly down rather than hanging loose up by your ears.
Bring your thighs at least level with your hips on knee raises, and come to a full stop at the bottom.
Breathe out as you lift, as our breathing guide advises.
Crunches worked the six-pack muscle more overall in the ultrasound study, and sit-ups use the hip flexors more than curl-ups. Our sit-up guide covers both.
The floor versions of the same movement, with no grip or swing to manage: the place to start, and a good swap without a bar.
Easier on your grip and supported at your back, and it ranked second for the six-pack muscle and first for the obliques in ACE's study.
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Easy to load and progress; rollouts ranked with hanging raises in the muscle activity studies. Our gym ab workout pairs them.
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Harder holds and lowers for the same muscles: our L-sit and dragon flag guides cover them once straight-leg raises are solid.
Hanging alternating knee raises, 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds (its move page); lying leg raises on a bench, 3 sets of 6 to 10 (our dragon flag progression); the L-sit, 4 holds of 10 to 15 seconds, and dragon flags, 3 sets of 3 to 5 slow lowers (our advanced core workout); rollouts from the knees, 3 sets of 6 to 10 (our gym ab workout); chin-ups with a knee raise, 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 slow reps (its move page); dead bugs, 1 set of 6 each side as a warm-up (our gym ab workout).
3D demoHanging alternating knee raise (wind sprints)Intermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoLying leg raise on a benchBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoTuck L-sitIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoL-sitAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoDragon flagExpert · A bench or box
3D demoAb wheel rollout from the kneesAdvanced · An ab wheel
3D demoChin-up with a knee raise (gorilla chin)Advanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoDead bugBeginner · No equipmentStraight-leg raises put about 3,000 N of compression on the spine in 14 men. If your back arches or aches, bend your knees or use the captain's chair. ACE advises against unsupported leg raises with diagnosed low back pain.
Discomfort up to about 5 out of 10 that settles within an hour and is no worse the next morning is acceptable, as our sit-up guide says; pain that spreads down a leg is not.
The UK consensus on exercise for osteoporosis advises avoiding or modifying sustained, repeated or end-range bending forward, and a hanging raise curls the spine under load. Our gym ab workout swaps the knee raise for dead bugs, and our ab challenge leaves reverse crunches out; do the same.
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Hanging raises work the tummy wall very hard. If you think you have a hernia, see a GP; with a hernia, use the beginner core workout and our exercise with a hernia guide instead, as our gym ab workout advises. After an inguinal hernia repair, the NHS advises no heavy lifting or strenuous activity for at least 4 to 6 weeks. After tummy or bowel surgery or with a stoma, leave hanging knee raises out at first, as our move page says, and follow our exercise with a stoma guide.
After a shoulder dislocation, or if a shoulder feels unstable or slips when you hang, leave hanging out and use the floor steps, as our bar hang and hanging knee raise move pages advise.
We found no study of hanging leg raises in pregnancy. The NHS says strength training is fine if you already do it and to stop if you feel uncomfortable or unwell. Our gym ab workout uses the beginner core workout instead in pregnancy and the first weeks after a birth, and if the middle of your tummy domes (bulges into a ridge), choose an easier move.
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Dead hangs, 2 of 20 to 30 seconds, and scapular pull-ups, 2 sets of 6 to 8 (our front lever progression and first pull-up workout); farmer's carries, 2 walks of 20 to 30 m (our first pull-up workout); hollow body holds, 2 of 20 seconds (our front lever progression); the half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, 30 seconds each side (our bone-strengthening workout).
The hanging leg raise progression is the ladder on this page as a session. Our gym ab and lower body gym workouts use hanging knee raises; the advanced core workout uses straight-leg raises; the full-body calisthenics workout and front lever progression include knee raises.
A 25-minute ladder to hanging leg raises: reverse crunches, the captain's chair, hanging knee and straight-leg raises, then strict toes to the bar.
25 minBeginner10 movesPull-up bar, A stepA 25-minute gym ab workout you can add weight to: cable crunches, hanging knee raises, ab wheel rollouts, Pallof presses and suitcase carries.
25 minIntermediate7 movesA cable machine, Pull-up barHard core training: ab wheel rollouts, hanging leg raises, L-sits, Copenhagen planks, plank walk-ups and dragon flags.
30 minAdvanced6 movesAn ab wheel, Pull-up barA gym lower body workout for legs and glutes: trap bar deadlifts, hip thrusts, reverse lunges, leg curls, hip abduction, calf raises and core.
50 minIntermediate13 movesOther / check instructions, A barbellA full-body calisthenics workout with a ladder for every move: rows to pull-ups, push-ups, split squats to skater squats, dips, hamstring curls and knee raises.
45 minBeginner11 movesPull-up barBuild to a front lever: hangs, shoulder-blade pulls and knee raises, then tuck and advanced tuck holds, inverted tuck rows and pull-ups.
30 minIntermediate8 movesPull-up bar, A stepThese plans use our lower body gym or full-body calisthenics workouts, which include hanging knee raises; the 30-day ab challenge builds the floor steps first.
A 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvanced4 days a weekA 4-day upper/lower split: two upper body and two lower body gym days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps and progression.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA 12-week calisthenics plan for beginners: three bodyweight sessions a week with push-up, pull-up, squat and dip ladders, and a bar if you have one.
3 training days40 minBeginner4 days a weekA free 30-day ab challenge: four 12-minute core sessions a week, from dead bugs to hollow holds, with rest days and an honest word on belly fat.
4 training days12 minBeginnerIf you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that feels tight, heavy or squeezing, or spreads to your arms, neck, jaw or back; a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, breathlessness or feeling faint; severe difficulty breathing; or angina pain that doesn't stop after rest and your medicine. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
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If you haven't exercised for some time or have a medical condition, speak to your GP first, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled, or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
See a GP after any faint, and for dizziness that won't go away or keeps coming back.
If you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel sick or are being sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
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If you think you have a hernia: a bulge or lump in your groin, upper thigh or tummy that may get bigger when you cough, sneeze or cry and smaller when you lie down.
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A sudden sharp pain in your tummy wall or groin during a raise may be a strained muscle. Get help from NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre if it's very painful or getting worse, there's a lot of swelling or bruising, it's very stiff, or it isn't getting better with self-care. Our abdominal strain guide covers recovery.
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For sudden or very bad shoulder pain; if you can't move your arm; if the shoulder has changed shape or is badly swollen; for pins and needles that don't go away or no feeling in the arm; if the arm is hot or cold to touch; for pain after an injury or fall; for severe pain in both shoulders; or if you feel feverish or unwell. See a GP if shoulder pain gets worse or doesn't improve after 2 weeks.
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Two muscle activity studies found the upper and lower parts of the six-pack muscle work alike. One ultrasound study found leg raises shifted the emphasis a little towards the lowest part, but crunches worked the muscle more overall. You can shift the emphasis a little; you can't isolate the lower abs.
Your hip flexors lift your legs, but hanging raises drew some of the highest six-pack and oblique activity measured, especially when the pelvis curls up.
Six weeks of ab exercise didn't reduce belly fat, and across 13 studies training one body part didn't burn the fat over it.
Your abs recover like any other muscle. Matched for weekly sets, training more often made little difference to growth, and NASM suggests core work 2 to 3 times a week.
They work the whole six-pack muscle. Its upper and lower parts worked alike in two small studies, and one ultrasound study found leg raises shifted the emphasis only a little towards the lowest part. You can't isolate the lower abs.
Both. Your hip flexors lift your legs, and your abs curl your pelvis up and stop your back arching. Hanging raises drew some of the highest ab activity measured, so curl your pelvis up at the top rather than just swinging your legs.
Start with reverse crunches on the floor, then knee raises on a captain's chair, then hanging knee raises, then straight legs. Our hanging leg raise progression takes you through the steps.
Start each rep from a still hang, pause at the top, and lower slowly, over about 5 seconds at first. Brace, and try keeping your legs slightly in front of you at the bottom, a coaching cue. If you still swing, go back a step.
Use chalk, arm straps or the captain's chair so your abs, not your hands, end the set. Dead hangs and farmer's carries build grip between sessions, and forearm training helped people hang longer in one trial.
2 sets of 8 to 12 knee raises, or 3 sets of 6 to 10 straight-leg raises, is our starting point, resting 60 to 90 seconds. Stop when your form slips or the swing starts.
You can, but you don't need to: 2 or 3 times a week works, because training a muscle more often makes little difference once your weekly sets are the same.
Not for most people, but straight-leg raises load the spine. If your back arches or aches, bend your knees or use the captain's chair. ACE advises against unsupported leg raises with diagnosed low back pain.
The captain's chair supports your back and takes your grip out of it, so it's the easier start; it ranked high for the six-pack muscle and the obliques in ACE's study. Hanging adds grip, shoulder work and swing control.
Master hanging straight-leg raises first, then keep lifting until your feet come up towards the bar, curling your pelvis at the top, and lower slowly to a still hang. Kipping toes to the bar, which swings through the hips, is a different skill that this guide doesn't teach.
Without a bar, do reverse crunches and lying leg raises on a bench or the floor. With a doorway bar fitted as the maker says, hanging knee raises work if your feet clear the floor.
No study has looked at them in pregnancy. The NHS says strength training is fine if you already do it and to stop if you feel uncomfortable or unwell. Our workouts use the beginner core workout in pregnancy and the first weeks after a birth, and say to choose an easier move if the middle of your tummy domes.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
