The Hanging Knee Raises is a beginner-friendly bodyweight strength exercise that targets the abdominals. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesAbs
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentBodyweight
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Hanging Knee Raises
Hang from a pull-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart and arms fully extended overhead.
Engage your shoulders by pulling them slightly down and back to keep your body stable.
Bend your knees and pull them up toward your chest by curling your hips under, not just lifting the legs.
Squeeze your abs hard at the top with your knees pulled high and your pelvis tilted up.
Lower your legs slowly back down over 2 to 3 seconds until you reach a dead hang again.
Repeat without swinging, letting the bar still completely between reps if needed.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds lower-ab strength through a full bar-hung range.
Strengthens the grip and shoulders as a stability bonus.
Lays the foundation for harder hanging core progressions.
03 Don't do this
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.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Hanging Knee Raises, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
