Hanging Knee Raises

How to do it

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart and arms fully extended overhead.
2. Engage your shoulders by pulling them slightly down and back to keep your body stable.
3. Bend your knees and pull them up toward your chest by curling your hips under, not just lifting the legs.
4. Squeeze your abs hard at the top with your knees pulled high and your pelvis tilted up.
5. Lower your legs slowly back down over 2 to 3 seconds until you reach a dead hang again.
6. Repeat without swinging, letting the bar still completely between reps if needed.

Common mistakes

• Swinging the body for momentum, which removes ab engagement and turns the rep into a leg swing.
• Lifting the knees with the hip flexors only, never tilting the pelvis up to load the abs.
• Dropping the legs fast at the bottom, which trains the descent poorly and adds shoulder strain.
• Hanging completely loose at the shoulders, which stresses the joints and reduces core stability.