What muscles do hanging leg raises work?

Mainly the abs, with the hip flexors lifting the legs and the forearms holding you on the bar.

Do hanging leg raises work the lower abs?

They work the whole of the main ab muscle, which runs from your ribs to your pelvis. Curling the pelvis up at the top is what makes the lower part work hard.

Why do I feel hanging leg raises in my hips?

The hip flexors lift your legs. If you only raise them to hip height, they do most of the work. Curl your pelvis at the top to bring in your abs.

Are hanging leg raises better than crunches?

They are harder and also train grip and control. Both work the abs; use whichever you can do with good form and make harder over time.

Hanging Leg Raise: Muscles Worked and How to Do It

Hanging leg raise: muscles worked and how to do it

The hanging leg raise trains your core, mainly your abs, with your forearms working to hold you on the bar. Your hip flexors lift your legs; your abs do their real work at the top, when they curl your pelvis up towards your ribs.

You hang from a pull-up bar and raise your legs without swinging. It is one of the hardest ab exercises you can do without a machine, so most people start with bent knees and work towards straight legs.

At a glance

Main muscles: Core
Also works: Forearms
Movement: Leg raise
Equipment: Pull-up bar
Type: Isolation (one joint)

Front

Back

How to do a hanging leg raise

Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands about shoulder width apart, arms straight.
Pull your shoulders down slightly so you are not hanging loosely, and still any swing.
Brace your abs and lift your legs in front of you, knees bent or straight.
As your legs pass hip height, keep going by curling your pelvis up, so your lower back rounds slightly and your hips tilt towards your chest.
Lower your legs slowly, all the way down, without letting your body swing back.

Cues that help

"Curl, don’t just lift": the last part, tilting the pelvis up, is where the abs work hardest.
"Belt buckle to chin": think of bringing the front of your hips towards your face.
"Slow on the way down": control the lowering and the swing disappears.
"Active shoulders": a slight pull down on the bar keeps you stable.

Common mistakes

Swinging the legs up with momentum. Pause at the bottom to kill the swing.
Lifting the legs only to hip height, which is mostly hip flexors. Curl the pelvis to bring the abs in.
Dropping the legs fast between reps.
Letting grip end the set. Use straps if your hands give out before your abs.

Sets, reps and how to progress

For muscle: 3 sets of 8 to 15 slow reps.
Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets.
Start with knee raises, knees bent to the chest. Then straighten your legs a little more each week.
Strong enough for 15 straight-leg reps? Hold a light dumbbell between your feet or raise your toes to the bar.

Variations and alternatives

Hanging knee raise: knees bent, the place to start.
Captain’s chair leg raise: your forearms rest on pads, so grip is no limit.
Lying leg raise or reverse crunch: on a bench or the floor, easier.
Cable crunch: the abs with a weight you can keep increasing.

Tracking your leg raises

PushBeyond logs the reps of each set, and any added weight, and charts the history of the exercise. Its muscle map counts the hanging leg raise for your core, with your forearms as a helper.