Hanging Knee Raise

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Check the bar and overhead clearance and place a safe step below. Choose a grip that can remain secure for the entire set.
2. 2Starting position. Hang with extended elbows and a quiet body, then actively control the shoulder girdle without forcing a painful overhead range.
3. 3Concentric phase. Posteriorly control the pelvis and raise the knees toward the torso without initiating a swing. Keep the movement driven by hip flexion and trunk control rather than momentum.
4. 4Top position. Reach the same knee or pelvic marker on each rep while keeping the shoulders and grip stable.
5. 5Eccentric phase. Lower the legs under control to the defined start without letting them swing behind the body.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Exhale through the raise as appropriate and inhale during the controlled lowering; reset any swing before the next rep.
7. 7Valid rep. A rep starts from a quiet defined hang, reaches the fixed top marker, and returns without kipping, grip change, or shortened range.

Common mistakes

• Replacing trunk control with momentum

  Fix: Slow the rep and shorten the lever or range until the pelvis and ribcage stay controlled.

• Pulling the neck

  Fix: Keep the neck long and let the trunk and hips perform the prescribed motion.

• Forcing end range

  Fix: Stop at the longest range that preserves breathing and spinal/pelvic control.

• Rushing the return

  Fix: Own the eccentric to the same start marker before the next rep.

Safety

• Use a controlled, pain-free range and a load that preserves the defined setup; stop rather than training through sharp or progressively worsening symptoms.
• Choose a load, range, and setup that permit a controlled return or exit; stop the set rather than compensating through sharp or progressively worsening symptoms.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionLying Reverse Crunch— Reduce strength, balance, or coordination demand while rehearsing the key pattern before returning to Hanging Knee Raise.
• progressionHanging Straight-leg Raise— Increase load, range, instability, or skill demand after Hanging Knee Raise is repeatable through the planned volume with reserve and no technique drift.
• alternativeCaptain's-chair Knee Raise— Train a similar primary pattern with a different stability, equipment, or joint-loading profile when Hanging Knee Raise is impractical or poorly tolerated.