Obliques · Isolation movement
Hanging Oblique Raise
A isolation exercise that targets the obliques with secondary work in abs. Performed with pull-up bar.
Primary muscle
Obliques
Secondary muscles
Abs
Equipment
Machine
Difficulty
Beginner
What is the Hanging Oblique Raise?
The hanging oblique raise is an advanced bodyweight movement: hanging from a bar, you raise your knees or legs up and off to one side, combining a leg raise with a twist to load the lower obliques. It demands real grip and trunk strength and is a progression from floor oblique work.
Muscles worked
- Primary — Obliques
- The obliques are the prime mover, contracting to rotate the pelvis and side-flex the trunk as the legs curl up and across to one side — the twisting, angled path is what shifts the load onto them and the lower abdominal wall.
- Secondary — Abs
- The abs — the rectus abdominis, especially the lower portion — assist by flexing the trunk and lifting the legs so the obliques can drive the rotation to the side.
How to perform the Hanging Oblique Raise
- Hang from a pull-up bar with a firm overhand grip and the body relaxed and straight below the bar.
- Engage the shoulders slightly to stop the body from swinging freely before the first rep.
- Bend the knees and raise them up and out to one side, driving the movement with the obliques.
- Curl the hips toward the same-side ribs at the top rather than just lifting with the hip flexors.
- Lower the legs back down under control without swinging, then alternate or complete reps per side.
Suggested working range: 8–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.
Mechanics
A single-joint trunk isolation done hanging: the pelvis posteriorly tilts and rotates as the knees or legs travel up and to one side, then lowers under control. Suspended from the bar there is no floor to cheat against, so the obliques and lower abs must curl the pelvis rather than just swinging the legs from the hip.
Form cues
- •Raise with the pelvis, curling the hips up and toward one armpit rather than just kicking the legs sideways.
- •Control the descent and kill any swing between reps so the obliques, not momentum, move you.
- •Bend the knees to shorten the lever if straight legs make you swing or lose the twist.
Common mistakes
- •Swinging the whole body for momentum instead of raising the knees with the obliques.
- •Lifting purely with the hip flexors without curling the hips toward the ribs.
- •Dropping the legs back down uncontrolled, letting the body swing into the next rep.
Variations & alternatives
- •Hanging knee raise — the straight-up, non-rotational version to build the base strength this movement needs.
- •Oblique crunch — a floor regression that trains the same twist without the grip and hanging demand.
- •Russian twist — a seated rotational movement to keep loading the obliques when grip fails before the abs do.
Programming: sets, reps & when to use it
Treat it as an advanced move and work 8–15 clean reps per side, bending the knees to regress and straightening the legs to progress. Stop the set when you start swinging or your grip fails, since sloppy reps stop training the obliques.
Frequently asked questions
My grip fails before my abs — how do I fix it?
Use straps or hanging ab slings to take grip out of the equation, or build grip endurance separately with hangs and holds. That lets the obliques and lower abs be the limiting factor, which is the point of the exercise.
Knees or straight legs?
Bent knees shorten the lever and make the raise easier and easier to control, so start there. Progress toward straighter legs only once you can do bent-knee reps to the side without swinging.
Use this exercise in a program
The Hanging Oblique Raise fits naturally into hypertrophy and strength splits that prioritize obliques volume.
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