Looking for an effective and challenging ab workout that targets your core muscles? A hanging ab workout might be just what you need. By incorporating exercises that involve hanging from a pull-up bar, you can engage your abs, obliques, and hip flexors in new and challenging ways.
Whether you're a beginner or an advanced athlete, there are 12 exercises you can try to get a great workout.
Here are the 12 best hanging ab exercises I’ll cover:
- Hanging leg raises
- Hanging knee raises
- Windshield wipers
- Hanging oblique crunches
- Hanging straight leg raises with a twist
- L-sits
- Hanging bicycle crunches
- Hanging oblique raises
- Hanging knee twists
- Hanging pike-ups
- Hanging lateral leg raises
- Hanging tuck-ups
In this guide, I'll cover the benefits of each exercise and provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform them. I'll also include pro tips to help you get the most out of each exercise and make modifications if necessary.
Whether you're looking to improve your athletic performance or just want to strengthen your core, this guide to hanging ab workouts is a must-read.
Table of Contents
What Muscles Make Up the Core?
Your abdominals are part of the area often called the core. Your core is made up of several muscles that work together to support your spine, pelvis, and hips.
By targeting all these muscles with exercises like the hanging abs exercises discussed in this article, you can improve your core strength and stability, leading to better posture, reduced risk of injury, and improved athletic performance.
Here are the main muscles that make up the core:
Rectus Abdominis
The rectus abdominis is the muscle that runs vertically along the front of your abdomen. It's commonly known as the “six-pack” muscle and is responsible for flexing your trunk or bending your spine forward.
Transverse Abdominis
The transverse abdominis is a deep muscle that runs horizontally across your abdomen. It's responsible for stabilizing your spine and pelvis during movement.
Internal and External Obliques
The internal and external obliques are muscles that run diagonally along the sides of your abdomen. They're responsible for rotating and side-bending your trunk.
Hip Flexors
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that run from your pelvis to your thigh bone. They're responsible for flexing your hip and raising your leg.
Erector Spinae
On the other side of your core, the erector spinae is a group of muscles that run along your spine from your pelvis to your head. They're responsible for extending your spine and keeping it stable during movement.
Multifidus
Also on your back is the multifidus — a deep muscle that runs along your spine. It's responsible for stabilizing your spine during movement and helping to maintain proper alignment.
Four Benefits of a Strong Core
A strong core is important for overall health and fitness. Here are four benefits of having a strong core:
Improved Posture
Having a strong core helps to improve your posture. When your core muscles are strong, they can support your spine and keep it in a neutral position. This can help to alleviate pain and discomfort that may be caused by poor posture.
Better Athletic Performance
A strong core can also improve your athletic performance. Many sports require a strong core for stability and balance. A strong core can also help you generate more power and speed in your movements, especially in powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and resistance training.
Reduced Risk of Injury
When your core muscles are strong, they can help to protect your spine and other joints from injury. This is particularly important for athletes or individuals who engage in high-impact activities.
Improved Balance and Stability
A strong core can also improve your balance and stability. Strong core muscles can help to keep your body in proper alignment, reducing the risk of falls.
Hanging crunches and core exercises are also good alternatives if you struggle to do sit-ups without lifting your feet but still want to train your abs.
12 Best Hanging Ab Exercises
With all that said, it’s time to actually dive into the exercises that can help you unlock the hanging abs workout benefits mentioned above and add some variety to your core work.
1. Hanging Leg Raises
How To Do It
- Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Engage your core muscles and lift your legs until they are parallel to the ground.
- Hold for a second or two, then lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To make the hanging leg raise more challenging, try holding a weight between your feet. You can also focus on slowing down the movement and holding the lifted position for longer.
It's important to keep your core engaged throughout the exercise and avoid swinging or using momentum to lift your legs. Beginners can modify the exercise by bending their knees and lifting them towards their chest instead of keeping their legs straight.
2. Hanging Knee Raises
Hanging knee raises are similar to leg raises but target the lower abs and hip flexors in a slightly different way. This bar-hanging exercise is great for beginners.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Engage your core muscles and lift your knees towards your chest.
- Hold for a second or two, then lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To make the hanging knee raise more challenging, try slowing down the movement and holding the lifted position for longer. It's important to keep your core engaged throughout the exercise and avoid swinging or using momentum to lift your legs.
Don’t have access to a pull-up bar? Try ab roller exercises or ab rollout alternatives instead to strengthen your core muscles.
3. Windshield Wipers
Windshield wipers target the obliques and challenge your core stability. This bar-hanging core exercise is great for advanced athletes.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Raise your legs until they are parallel to the ground.
- Slowly move your legs from side to side in a controlled manner.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
Once you have mastered the basic movement of windshield wipers, try slowing down the movement or increasing the range of motion. You can also try holding a weight between your feet, as with other hanging leg raise variations. Focus on engaging your obliques and keeping your core stable throughout the exercise.
4. Hanging Oblique Crunches
Hanging oblique crunches target the obliques. This exercise can be part of any hanging ab workout for a beginner or an advanced athlete.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Bring your knees towards your chest while twisting your torso to one side.
- Lower your legs back down to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To make hanging oblique crunches more challenging, try holding a weight between your feet or twisting your torso further. Focus on engaging your obliques and avoiding swinging or using momentum to lift your legs.
Hanging oblique crunches are a good ab exercise to add to your routine if you normally struggle to do regular sit-ups.
5. Hanging Straight Leg Raises With a Twist
Hanging straight leg raises with a twist target the obliques and lower abs. This exercise is great for advanced athletes.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Lift your legs to a 90-degree angle.
- Twist your hips to one side.
- Lower your legs back down to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To engage your obliques and lower abs even more, focus on exhaling and squeezing your abs as you twist your hips to one side. This will help you get the most out of the exercise and improve your mind-muscle connection.
As with all the hanging core exercises on this list, make sure to avoid swinging your legs or using momentum, as this can take away from the effectiveness of the exercise.
6. L-Sits
The L-sit is a challenging exercise that targets the abs, hip flexors, and triceps. This exercise is great for advanced athletes.
How To Do It
- Sit on the ground with your legs extended and your hands placed next to your hips.
- Lift your body off the ground by pressing down on your hands and squeezing your abs.
- Hold your legs straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground.
- Hold for desired time.
Pro Tip
To make L-sits more challenging, try lifting your legs higher or holding for longer periods of time. You can also try lifting one leg at a time to engage your obliques. Focus on keeping your shoulders down and engaging your core muscles throughout the exercise.
7. Hanging Bicycle Crunches
Hanging bicycle crunches target the obliques and lower abs. This exercise can be done by both beginners and advanced athletes.
How To Do It
- Bring your knees towards your chest and twist your torso to one side.
- Straighten your right leg while twisting your torso to the opposite side and bring your left knee towards your chest.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To make hanging bicycle crunches more challenging, try adding ankle weights to your feet or twisting your torso further. A dumbbell between your feet won’t work here, as your feet need to separate during the lift.
As always, focus on engaging your obliques and avoid swinging or using momentum to lift your legs.
8. Hanging Oblique Raises
Hanging oblique raises target the obliques and can be done by both beginners and advanced athletes.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Lift your legs to a 90-degree angle.
- Rotate your hips to one side, keeping your legs together.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To make hanging oblique raises more challenging, try lifting your legs higher or holding for longer periods of time. Leave the momentum out of it, so you get the most out of this exercise without swinging or flailing.
9. Hanging Knee Twists
Hanging knee twists also target the obliques and can be done by both beginners and advanced lifters.
How to Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Bring your knees towards your chest.
- Twist your hips to one side while keeping your knees together.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To make hanging knee twists more challenging, try holding the twist for longer periods of time or adding weight between your feet. Keep your core and legs stable without generating extra momentum to help you complete the movement.
10. Hanging Pike-Ups
Hanging pike-ups target the lower abs and hip flexors. This exercise is great for advanced athletes.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Lift your legs to a 90-degree angle.
- Lift your hips towards the bar while keeping your legs straight.
- Hold for a second or two, then lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
To get the most out of hanging pike-ups, make sure to exhale and squeeze your abs as you lift your hips towards the bar, and inhale as you lower your legs back down to the starting position. This will help improve your mind-muscle connection and make the exercise more effective.
11. Hanging Lateral Leg Raises
Hanging lateral leg raises target the hip abductors and obliques. This exercise can be done by both beginners and advanced athletes.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Lift your legs to a 90-degree angle.
- Keeping your legs straight, raise them to the side as high as you can.
- Hold for a second or two, then lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise to improve stability and form, and avoid extra swinging or momentum to generate the movement. For beginners, it may be helpful to start with bent knees or lifting one leg at a time before progressing to lifting both legs straight out to the side.
12. Hanging Tuck-Ups
Hanging tuck-ups are a beginner-friendly exercise that targets the lower abs and hip flexors.
How To Do It
- Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
- Lift your legs to a 90-degree angle.
- Bring your knees towards your chest, curling your hips upwards.
- Hold for a second or two, then lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tip
As with any of these exercises, the best tips are to keep your core engaged and avoid extra swinging or momentum. You can always make hanging tuck-ups more challenging by holding a dumbbell between your feet or exaggerating the tempo of the movement.
Hanging ab exercises like the ones on this list are excellent cable crunch alternatives if you don’t have access to a cable machine.
Three Sample Hanging Ab Workouts
I’ve drafted three programs for you below — one for beginners, one for intermediate lifters, and one for advanced lifters.
The beginner and intermediate programs include the same four exercises but adjust the sets, reps, and intensity for your level. The advanced program includes more difficult exercise variations and has added dumbbells to increase the load and difficulty.
Hanging Abs Workout for Beginners
This workout is designed to introduce beginners to hanging ab exercises and build a foundation of strength. It targets your abs, obliques, and hip abductor muscles while improving grip strength.
Remember to engage your core muscles throughout each exercise and use proper form to avoid injury. As you progress and feel comfortable with the exercises, you can gradually increase the number of reps or sets to make the workout more challenging.
- Hanging knee raises – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
- Hanging oblique crunches – 3 sets of 8-10 reps on each side
- Hanging bicycle crunches – 3 sets of 12-15 reps (6-8 reps on each side)
- Hanging lateral leg raises – 3 sets of 8-10 reps on each side
Rest for 60-90 seconds between sets.
Hanging Abs Workout for Intermediates
This workout targets your abs and obliques while also engaging your hip abductor muscles but includes more reps per set for more developed lifters. The same guidelines apply here about keeping your core engaged and progressing to something more difficult as you feel confident performing this workout over time.
- Hanging leg raises – 3 sets of 12 reps
- Hanging oblique crunches – 3 sets of 12 reps on each side
- Hanging bicycle crunches – 3 sets of 20 reps (10 reps on each side)
- Hanging lateral leg raises – 3 sets of 15 reps on each side
Rest for 30-60 seconds between sets.
Hanging Abs Workout for Advanced Athletes
This workout increases the intensity by adding weights to the hanging leg raises, performing more challenging exercises like the windshield wipers and pike-ups, and combining the L-sit hold with pull-ups. It targets your abs, obliques, hip abductors, and back muscles.
Remember to warm up properly and use proper form to avoid injury. This workout is designed for advanced lifters who have already developed a strong core and can handle the added weight and intensity.
- Weighted hanging leg raises – 4 sets of 15 reps with a weight plate or dumbbell held between your feet
- Hanging windshield wipers – 4 sets of 12 reps (6 reps on each side)
- Hanging pike-ups – 4 sets of 10 reps, focusing on controlled movement and maximal contraction
- Hanging L-sit pull-ups – 4 sets of 8 reps, combining a pull-up with an L-sit hold
Rest for 45-60 seconds between sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Hanging Ab Exercises Effective for Building Core Strength?
Yes, hanging abs exercises are great for targeting the core muscles, such as the abs, obliques, and hip abductors. These exercises can also improve grip strength and overall athletic performance.
Is Hanging Good for Your Core?
Yes, hanging exercises engage the core muscles and improve grip strength and posture. Hanging is a great foundation for other exercises, but proper form and gradual progression are important for avoiding injury.
Are Hanging Ab Exercises Safe?
Hanging ab exercises can be dangerous if not performed properly or if you have pre-existing injuries or conditions. It's important to start with simpler exercises, progress gradually, and use proper equipment and techniques to avoid injury.
How Often Should You Do Hanging Ab Exercises?
Frequency depends on your fitness level and goals. For beginners, one to two times per week is a good starting point. As you progress, you can increase the frequency up to three to four times per week. Proper rest and recovery are important.
How Can I Progress My Hanging Ab Exercises?
To progress hanging ab exercises, increase reps, sets, or weight (for weighted exercises), or try more challenging exercises. Progress gradually and avoid overexertion or injury.
What Are Common Mistakes To Avoid During Hanging Ab Exercises?
Mistakes to avoid include using momentum instead of controlled movements, arching your back or swinging your legs, and not engaging your core muscles properly. Use proper form and technique to avoid injury and get the most out of your workout.
Final Thoughts
Incorporating hanging ab exercises into your workout routine is a great way to target your core muscles and improve your athletic performance. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced athlete, there are plenty of exercises you can try to get a challenging workout.
By strengthening your core with exercises such as hanging leg raises, pike-ups, and oblique crunches, you can improve your posture, reduce your risk of injury, and enhance your athletic performance. In addition to the physical benefits, having a strong core can also improve your overall health and well-being. So why not add some hanging ab exercises to your next workout and see the difference it can make?
About The Author
Adam Gardner is a proud resident of Utah, where he lives with his wife and two kids. He has been competing in powerlifting since 2016 in both the USPA and the APF. For the past three years, he and his wife, Merrili, have coached beginning lifters to learn the fundamentals of powerlifting and compete in their first powerlifting competitions.
