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Hanging Straight Leg Hip Raise
A hanging raise with locked knees that finishes by curling the hips up toward the ribs, giving the lower abs their longest and hardest lever.
AbsBodyweightHip flexion with pelvic curl
GoLightWeight mediahanging-straight-leg-hip-raise
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Rectus abdominis
Secondary
Hip flexorsObliquesForearmsLatissimus dorsi
Equipment
Bodyweight
Pattern
Hip flexion with pelvic curl
Setup
- 01Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand shoulder-width grip.
- 02Pack the shoulders and set a light full-body brace.
- 03Lock the knees and point the toes.
- 04Start from a motionless dead hang.
Execution
- 01Raise the straight legs to horizontal by flexing at the hips.
- 02Curl the pelvis up and back so the hips lift and the lower back rounds.
- 03Hold the top for a beat with legs above horizontal and hips curled.
- 04Uncurl the pelvis first, then lower the legs slowly to vertical.
Checkpoints
- -Knees stay locked for the entire set.
- -The hip curl at the top is visible; the tailbone tips toward the bar.
- -The two-stage descent stays controlled: hips uncurl, then legs lower.
- -No swing accumulates across reps.
Common mistakes
- -Bending the knees once the legs pass horizontal.
- -Skipping the pelvic curl and doing only a straight leg raise.
- -Letting the legs drop and swing on the descent.
- -Shrugging up with the arms instead of holding a stable hang.
Programming notes
- -Use 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 10 strict reps.
- -Progress from the bent-knee hip raise version before locking the knees.
- -Once 10 reps are strict, move to weighted hanging leg hip raises.
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