Ring Hanging Leg Hip Raise

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Adjust the rings to a height where your feet clear the floor when hanging with straight arms.
2. Grip the rings firmly with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and hang with full extension.
3. Engage your lats and pull your shoulder blades down into an 'active hang' to stabilize the rings.
4. Squeeze your legs together and point your toes to create full-body tension.

How to do it

1. Exhale and lift your legs toward the ceiling, keeping them straight and squeezed together.
2. As your legs reach hip height, continue the movement by curling your pelvis upward toward your chest to lift your hips off the vertical plane.
3. At the peak of the movement, your lower back should be rounded and your hips tucked toward your ribs.
4. Inhale as you slowly lower your legs back to the starting position over a 3-second count, resisting the urge to swing.

Form checklist

• Keep shoulders depressed and away from ears throughout the entire set.
• Avoid using momentum or swinging the legs to initiate the lift.
• Ensure the hips actually rotate upward at the top, rather than just lifting the legs to 90 degrees.
• Maintain a slight forward pressure on the rings to keep them from drifting outward.

Pro tips

• Focus on 'curling' your spine one vertebra at a time to maximize abdominal shortening rather than relying on hip flexors.
• Press down into the rings as you lift to engage the serratus anterior and lats, which provides a more stable base for the core to pull against.

Make it harder

• Add a 2-second pause at the peak of the hip raise to eliminate all momentum and maximize time under tension.
• Slow the eccentric (lowering) phase to 5 seconds to increase the mechanical load on the abdominal wall.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the ring hanging leg hip raise work?

The ring hanging leg hip raise primarily targets the abs and obliques, and also works the erector spinae, hip flexors, and lats as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the ring hanging leg hip raise?

The ring hanging leg hip raise uses suspension trainer.

Is the ring hanging leg hip raise good for beginners?

The ring hanging leg hip raise is rated advanced. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

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