Hanging Leg Raise
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
Curl the pelvis, don't swing the legs — the abs lift, not the hip flexors.
Coaching profile
advanced bodyweight option. This page is the practical coaching layer: use it for setup, cues, programming, pain-free adjustments, and substitutions. The complete biomechanics tier list lives on the muscle page.
How the rankings are built →Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeHow to do it
Setup
- Dead hang from a bar (or elbow straps), shoulders engaged, legs straight.
Execution
- Curl the pelvis up and raise the legs, leading by tucking the tailbone (posterior pelvic tilt) rather than just bending at the hips (hip flexion); control down and do not swing.
Common Errors
- Swinging from the hips with no pelvic curl
- Using momentum to kip the legs up
- Half reps (legs barely rise)
- Losing the shoulder/scapular engagement at the hang
Cues That Work
- Curl the pelvis, not just the hips; keep the body quiet; lower without swinging
No-Fly Zone
under 5 reps (you'll swing instead of curling the pelvis)
Programming
Sequence priority
Late
Bodyweight core work — a finisher; grip and control fade when fatigued, so keep it strict.
Progression
Model — Double
Fallback model — Triple
Build reps strict (knees tucked, then straight legs), then add a dumbbell between the feet (double progression).
Best program fit
Full body
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Knees tucked (easier) vs straight legs (harder); straps vs bar grip.
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Pause at the top; slow eccentric; emphasize the pelvic curl, not the hip swing.
Step 3
Implement swap
Captain's chair leg raise, lying leg raise, or reverse crunch.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
Captain's chair leg raise, lying leg raise, or reverse crunch.
Compare all core optionsThe Evidence
Builds the abs through a big range with a stretch. Does NOT train rotation/anti-rotation — add oblique work.
SFR — 2.3
Put the exercise inside a system.
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