hanging straight leg raise: technique and muscles worked

Animated demonstration of hanging straight leg raise

How to do this exercise

Step:1 Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
Step:2 Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you, keeping them straight.
Step:3 Continue lifting until your legs are parallel to the ground or as high as you can comfortably go.
Step:4 Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
Step:5 Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Equipment: Body weight Barbell
Body part: Abdominals
Target muscle: Rectus abdominis Internal obliques External obliques
Secondary muscle: Forearms Latissimus dorsi Transverse abdominis

Hypertrophy grade

Average6 / 10

Nemeo’s take

The suspended leg raise offers a strong engagement of the abdominals with a notable tension at the end of the amplitude, but the grip and core stability often become the limiting factor before the real failure of the rectus abdominis. It is more demanding and technical than classic crunches, but remains less optimal than a controlled rise in suspension on elbows for pure hypertrophy. Excellent amplitude but difficult to load progressively; ideal athletic exercise as a complement, but to be reserved for advanced practitioners.

This catalog score reflects Nemeo’s assessment of the exercise’s muscle-building potential. It is not a standardized scientific rating or a personalized recommendation.

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hanging straight leg raise

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