Abs
Hanging Oblique Knee Raise
The Hanging Oblique Knee Raise is a strength exercise with no equipment for your abs. Share of the load in the Zulta muscle model: lower abs 29%, obliques 29% and hip flexors 17%.
How to do it
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width.
- Set your shoulders down and let your legs hang still.
- Bend the knees and pull them up and across toward one side of your chest.
- Squeeze the side of the waist at the top, then lower under control.
- Repeat to the other side, alternating each rep.
Tips
- Aim the outside knee toward the armpit on the same side.
- Let the pelvis rotate, but keep the shoulders square to the bar.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the legs from side to side for momentum.
- Turning the whole upper body instead of the hips.
- Dropping the legs between reps.
Muscles worked by the Hanging Oblique Knee Raise
Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.
Bent knees shorten the lever. Swinging the legs side to side loads the obliques. Lifting straight legs is hip flexion, so iliopsoas leads together with the lower abs, which tilt the pelvis back and hold it; hanging adds grip and lats.
Hanging Oblique Knee Raise alternatives
Same equipment
Different equipment
Make it harder
Similar exercises
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Hanging Oblique Knee Raise work?
Mainly the lower abs and obliques. The hip flexors and upper abs assist.
Is the Hanging Oblique Knee Raise good for beginners?
Yes. The Hanging Oblique Knee Raise is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.
What is a good alternative to the Hanging Oblique Knee Raise?
For example the Windshield Wiper, Seated Leg Tuck and Hanging Leg Raise. They train mostly the same muscles.
How do you make the Hanging Oblique Knee Raise harder?
Add weight or reps, or move on to the Captain's Chair Leg Raise and Stability Ball Pike.
Sources
- Escamilla et al. 2006, Phys Ther 86(5):656-671 (hanging knee-up, reverse crunch)
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