What is the difference between hanging knee raises and hanging leg raises?

Hanging knee raises involve bending your knees and bringing them toward your chest, while hanging leg raises keep the legs straight throughout the movement. Knee raises are easier and more accessible for beginners, while leg raises require greater core strength and hip flexor mobility.

How do I stop swinging during hanging knee raises?

Begin each rep from a dead hang with your core braced and shoulders pulled down, and focus on moving slowly through both the lifting and lowering phases. If swinging persists, reduce your range of motion or pause longer between reps to reset your position.

Can I do hanging knee raises if my grip strength is weak?

Yes, you can use lifting straps to reduce grip demand and allow you to focus on your abs, or perform the exercise on a captain's chair or dip station with arm support. As your grip improves through regular hanging work, you can transition to the unsupported bar version.

Hanging Knee Raise

The hanging knee raise is a bodyweight core exercise performed by hanging from a pull-up bar and lifting your knees toward your chest. It suits lifters looking to build abdominal strength and control without additional equipment.

Muscle group: Core
Primary muscles: abs
Equipment: Bodyweight

How to do the Hanging Knee Raise

Grip a pull-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart and hang with arms fully extended.
Engage your core and tilt your pelvis slightly backward to flatten your lower back.
Raise your knees toward your chest in a controlled motion, aiming to bring your thighs past parallel to the ground.
Pause briefly at the top of the movement while maintaining tension in your abs.
Lower your legs back to the starting position with control, avoiding excessive swinging.

Form tips

Keep your shoulders pulled down and back throughout the movement to prevent swinging and maintain core engagement.
Focus on curling your pelvis upward at the top rather than just lifting your legs to maximize abdominal contraction.
Control the descent to avoid momentum taking over and to maintain constant tension on your abs.

Common mistakes

Swinging the body to generate momentum reduces abdominal engagement and turns the exercise into a momentum-based movement rather than a strength exercise.
Lifting legs with a straight hip angle emphasizes hip flexors over abs and misses the primary training stimulus for the core.
Dropping the legs quickly on the descent wastes the eccentric portion of the rep and increases risk of shoulder strain from sudden loading.

Sets and reps

For strength, perform 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 controlled reps, and for hypertrophy, aim for 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps with focus on time under tension.

Track the Hanging Knee Raise in Gym Track

Log every set in seconds, see your last session's weight and reps as you train, and get a new PR flagged automatically. Free on iPhone and Android.

Get the app

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between hanging knee raises and hanging leg raises?: Hanging knee raises involve bending your knees and bringing them toward your chest, while hanging leg raises keep the legs straight throughout the movement. Knee raises are easier and more accessible for beginners, while leg raises require greater core strength and hip flexor mobility.
How do I stop swinging during hanging knee raises?: Begin each rep from a dead hang with your core braced and shoulders pulled down, and focus on moving slowly through both the lifting and lowering phases. If swinging persists, reduce your range of motion or pause longer between reps to reset your position.
Can I do hanging knee raises if my grip strength is weak?: Yes, you can use lifting straps to reduce grip demand and allow you to focus on your abs, or perform the exercise on a captain's chair or dip station with arm support. As your grip improves through regular hanging work, you can transition to the unsupported bar version.

More core exercises

All core exercises →