Hanging Knee Raises
Having mastered floor Leg Raises, it’s time to work on doing them vertically!
Hanging knee raises may not be as difficult as Plow Raises, but they gradually introduce the grip and arm strength necessary for Hanging Leg Raises. It’s a good idea to follow these with a few sets of Plow Raises.
Standards
LEVEL 1: 2 Sets of 5
LEVEL 2: 2 Sets of 10
LEVEL 3: 2 Sets of 15
Do 2 Sets of as many as you can. The levels above are standards you can use to measure your progress. Rest 2-3 minutes between Sets.
If you struggle to hit Level 1 after a few weeks of trying, try using a few of Regressions shown below.
Once you can do 2 Sets of 15 (Level 3) with GOOD FORM, you are ready to move on to a harder Leg Raise variation.
Form Cues
Maintain a firm grip throughout the exercise. If you do not have the grip strength necessary for this, work just hanging from a bar until you do.
The straighter your legs, the harder this exercise is. Aim to bend your knees at 90 degrees at the top of this exercise.
You may need to bend your arms and keep your shoulders “down” to avoid pain at first. Work towards gradually straightening your arms and relaxing your shoulders for maximal core work.
Try to keep your pelvis tilted back at the bottom of the exercise. This will keep your working muscles braced throughout. While not necessary, this helps some people avoid lower back pain.
It may be tempting to forcefully bring up your knees. While there is a place for this, aim to do this exercise slowly under full control first. Then explore explosive movement as you’d like.
Film yourself and watch back between sets to check your form. A mirror is also useful.
Keeping your thighs pressed together may help you focus on the movement.
Tutorial
Grab an overhead bar or rings with a shoulder width grip.
Engage your core by tilting your pelvis back.
Smoothly bring your legs up, simultaneously bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Pause for 1 Second.
Slowly reverse the movement, straightening your legs and keeping your pelvis rotated back.
Pause for 1 Second.
Repeat 3-5.
Progression & Regression
To make this exercise easier: Keeping your knees bent throughout the exercise will make this easier. Take extra caution not to fall on your knees. This could seriously injure you.
To make this exercise harder: Straightening your legs a bit will make this exercise harder and lead you smoothly into the next step!