MovementsGymnastics
Hanging Knee Raise
Also known as: Knee Raise · Hanging Knee Tuck
A midline movement done hanging from a bar, drawing the knees up toward the chest. It is the step on the way to toes-to-bar and the version most people should be doing first.
Hanging Knee RaiseGymnastics
The standard
A valid rep starts from a full hang with straight arms and finishes with the knees raised above the hip crease, then returns to the hang under control.
How to do it
- 01Hang from the bar with straight arms and the shoulders active.
- 02Squeeze the legs together and press the ribs down to set the midline.
- 03Draw the knees up and in toward the chest, curling the pelvis rather than just folding the hips.
- 04Pause briefly at the top with the knees above the hip crease.
- 05Lower the legs under control to a full hang before the next rep.
Common faults
- · Swinging the body and letting the backswing throw the knees up.
- · Stopping at 90 degrees so the abdominals never actually shorten.
- · Dropping the legs and bouncing out of the bottom.
- · Letting the shoulders go completely passive so the whole thing hangs off the joints.
Scaling & progressions
- · Raise one knee at a time while grip and midline build.
- · Use a lower bar with the toes touching for balance.
- · Do the same movement lying on the floor if the hang is not available yet.
- · Progress to straight legs, then to toes-to-bar, once the knees clear the hips easily.
Coaching tips
- · Think of curling the tailbone up rather than lifting the knees and the abs do the work.
- · Control on the way down is where the strength for toes-to-bar comes from.
- · Grip fails first for most people, so pair these with dead hangs.
Related movements