You often see fit men and women hanging from the pull-up bar at the gym and lifting their legs up to their chest to train their six-pack. Hanging leg raises ARE an effective abdominal strengthening exercise. And, if you're working out at home, your abdominal exercises do not have to be limited by a lack of equipment options.
If you don't have a pull-up bar to use, find another way to hang with straight arms, a straight torso and lift your feet off the floor. Options may exist inside your house, or right outside your front door.
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The Exercise
Understand how to do a hanging leg raise, so you can find the right place to perform it outside of the gym.
How To: Reach overhead and grasp a bar with an overhand grip. Straighten your arms and hang from the bar. Tighten your stomach. Exhale and lift your bent knees in front of you to approximately the height of your hips. Keep your torso still and avoid swinging. Inhale and lower your knees to start position. Repeat as many times as you're able with good form.
You could also use a mixed grip, or underhand grip, if that works better for your form.
Options for At-Home Leg Raises
With a little creative thought, you've got a myriad of options at home. Look around, just make sure the thing from which you choose to hang is sturdy and able to bear your weight. Not all door frames or basement beams are sturdy enough to support people of a certain weight.
Consider using the following:
- Hang from a sturdy door frame in your home.
- Grab onto an open basement beam.
- Place your hands on the bottom of a high deck or open deck staircase.
- Use a sturdy tree branch in your yard to perform hanging leg raises.
Check out local playgrounds, too. Often these locations have pull-up bars or monkey bars that can be used for hanging leg raises.
Read More: The Best Home Workouts with No Equipment