Hanging Leg Hip Raise
Strengthen your core and hip flexors with the Hanging Leg Hip Raise. This challenging exercise targets your lower abs and obliques, building serious
Description
A core exercise that targets the lower abs and obliques, performed by hanging from a bar and lifting the legs towards the chest.
How to Do Hanging Leg Hip Raise
- 1Setup
Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Ensure your body is fully extended and relaxed, with feet off the ground.
- 2Setup
Engage your lats slightly to stabilize your upper body and prevent swinging. Keep your core braced, with a neutral spine, and gaze straight ahead.
- 3
Exhale as you slowly raise your legs by flexing at your hips and engaging your lower abdominals, bringing your knees towards your chest. Aim to lift your hips off the initial hanging position.
- 4
Continue raising until your knees are at or above hip height, or as high as your flexibility allows, feeling a strong contraction in your rectus abdominis. Pause briefly at the top.
- 5
Inhale as you slowly and with control lower your legs back to the starting hanging position, avoiding any momentum or swinging. Maintain core tension throughout the entire movement.
Tips
- Focus on hip flexion and posterior pelvic tilt to truly engage the lower abs and lift the hips, rather than just swinging the legs.
- Control the eccentric (lowering) phase for maximum muscle engagement; resist the urge to let your legs drop quickly.
- If you struggle with swinging, try performing the exercise with a slight bend in your knees from the start to shorten the lever and make it easier to control.
- To increase difficulty, keep your legs straighter (but not locked) as you raise them, increasing the lever arm.
Common Mistakes
- ×Swinging the body to generate momentum instead of using core strength reduces the exercise's effectiveness; maintain a stable upper body by engaging your lats and core throughout the movement.
- ×Not raising the hips high enough primarily works the hip flexors and neglects the rectus abdominis; focus on curling your pelvis upwards to achieve a full abdominal contraction.
- ×Letting the legs drop uncontrollably on the way down negates the eccentric benefits; control the lowering phase by slowly extending your hips and resisting gravity.
Variations
Leg Raise Hip Lift with Head up
Strengthen your core with the Leg Raise Hip Lift. This bodyweight exercise targets your lower abdominals and hip flexors, building strength and control
Incline Leg Hip Raise (leg straight)
A core strengthening exercise that targets the lower abdominal muscles and hip flexors by raising straight legs on an incline bench.
Hanging Straight Twisting Leg Hip Raise
Engage your core and obliques with the Hanging Straight Twisting Leg Hip Raise. This advanced bodyweight exercise builds strength and stability.
Hanging Straight Leg Hip Raise
Hanging from a bar, lift your straight legs to engage your rectus abdominis and hip flexors. Build a strong, defined core with this challenging exercise.
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