How is Hanging Knees to Elbows different from a hanging knee raise?

A Hanging Knee Raise finishes with the knees near the chest. Knees to elbows keeps the pelvis curling and presses the bar down with straight arms so the body tips back and the knees reach arm level, which adds trunk flexion and more work for the abs and lats.

Is it easier than toes-to-bar?

Yes. The bent knees make a much shorter lever and need less hamstring flexibility, so it is usually learned before Toes to Bar and is a common scaled option for it in conditioning workouts.

Should I do it strict or kipping?

Start strict, from a still hang, because that builds the trunk strength the movement depends on. A kip links reps faster in conditioning workouts but puts more of the load on the shoulders, so add it only once strict reps are solid.

Why can't my knees reach my elbows?

Usually the pelvis stops curling or the arms bend. Press the bar down with straight arms so the body tips back, roll the hips up toward the ribs, and build the curl with the Reverse Crunch if the knees still stall at chest height.

Why do I feel it mostly in my hip flexors?

The knees are probably rising without the pelvis rolling up, so the hips are doing the lifting. Slow down and think of curling the tailbone up toward the bar, even if the knees rise less at first.

How many reps should I do?

Start with sets of 5 to 10 strict reps where every rep touches. Once the movement is efficient, conditioning workouts often use sets of 10 to 30 or more.

Hanging Knees to Elbows

What Are Hanging Knees to Elbows?

Hanging Knees to Elbows is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core and also engages the lats, the hip flexors and the grip. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you hang from a pull-up bar and draw the bent knees all the way up until they touch the elbows.

It picks up where the Hanging Knee Raise stops. In a knee raise the thighs pass hip height and the pelvis curls so the knees finish near the chest. Knees to elbows keeps going: the pelvis rolls up further, the lower back rounds, and the straight arms press the bar down toward the hips so the body tips back behind the bar. That shoulder action, driven by the lats, is what lets the knees reach arm level, and it is the same action that finishes a Toes to Bar. Because the knees stay bent, the lever is far shorter than in a toes-to-bar or a Hanging Straight Leg Raise, so it needs less hamstring flexibility and less hip flexor strength.

In CrossFit-style training it is a common scaled option for toes-to-bar and also appears in conditioning workouts on its own, where a rep usually counts only when the knees actually touch the elbows. Done strictly from a still hang, it is a solid next step for anyone who has outgrown the knee raise, because the extra trunk curl at the top asks more of the abdominals than lifting the thighs alone.

It suits trainees who can already hang with active shoulders and perform about 10 slow, swing-free hanging knee raises with a clear pelvic curl. If the knees stall at chest height, keep building the curl with the Hanging Knee Raise and the Reverse Crunch, and the hang with the Dead Hang and Hanging Scapular Shrug. The effort should sit in the abdomen rather than the front of the hips; if the hips cramp first, the knees are being lifted without the pelvis rolling up.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Rectus Abdominis: Primary
Rectus Abdominis (Lower): Primary
External Oblique: High
Latissimus Dorsi: High
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Medium
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Medium
Rectus Femoris: Medium
Sartorius: Low
Tensor Fasciae Latae: Low
Teres Major: Low

Instructions

Stand under a pull-up bar, using a box if you cannot reach it, and grip the bar overhand with the hands about shoulder-width apart and the thumbs wrapped.
Lift the feet and hang with the arms straight and the legs together. Wait until the body stops swinging.
Pull the shoulders slightly down away from the ears, draw the ribs down and brace the abs.
Bend the knees and lift them in front of you until the thighs pass hip height.
Without pausing, curl the pelvis up toward the ribs and press the bar down toward the hips with straight arms, so the body tips back behind the bar. Breathe out as the knees rise.
Keep the knees bent and together and bring them up until they touch the elbows.
Lower the knees under control, uncurling the pelvis and letting the body come back under the bar, until the legs hang straight below the hips.
Let any swing settle before the next rep. After the last rep, lower the feet onto the box or the floor before letting go of the bar.

Common Mistakes

Stopping at chest height
Lifting the knees only to the chest turns the rep into a hanging knee raise, so keep curling until the knees touch the elbows.
Lifting without curling the pelvis
Bending only at the hips leaves the hip flexors doing most of the work, when the pelvis should roll up toward the ribs as the knees rise.
Swinging into the rep
Using a backswing to throw the knees up hands the work to momentum and loads the shoulders, so start each rep from a still hang.
Bending the elbows
Pulling up with the arms instead of pressing the bar down with straight arms keeps the body under the bar and stops the knees short of the elbows.
Dropping the legs
Letting the knees fall after the touch arches the lower back and starts a swing, so lower them under control.
Settling for a touch on the triceps
Brushing the back of the upper arms instead of the elbows is a partial rep, and it usually means the pelvis has stopped curling.

Injuries

Hanging Knees to Elbows is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The shoulders carry the whole body weight while the arms press the bar down, the lower back rounds at the top of every rep, and a tired grip can drop you off the bar.

The shoulders take most of the strain, especially when reps are swung or kipped and the momentum has to be caught at the end of the hang. Keep them active, pulled slightly away from the ears, and start every rep from a still hang. The lower back is most exposed on the way down: dropping the legs lets the pelvis tip forward and the back arch as the legs swing behind the body, so lower the knees under control. People with current shoulder or lower back pain, or a history of shoulder dislocation, should get clearance before hanging work. Step up to the bar from a box rather than jumping, and use chalk if the grip slips.

If the knees cannot reach the elbows yet, stay with the Hanging Knee Raise and take the knees as high as they will go, or train the trunk curl on the floor with the Reverse Crunch and Lying Knee Raise. The Parallel Bar Knee Raise takes the grip out of the movement. Once 10 strict reps feel controlled, progress to the Hanging Straight Leg Raise or Toes to Bar.

End the set when the swing takes over or the lower back arches as the legs come down. Stop the session if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the front or top of the shoulder, a pinch at the front of the hip, pain in the lower back, or numbness or tingling in the hands.

Overview

Primary Focus: Core
Equipment: Pull-up bar and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is Hanging Knees to Elbows different from a hanging knee raise?: A Hanging Knee Raise finishes with the knees near the chest. Knees to elbows keeps the pelvis curling and presses the bar down with straight arms so the body tips back and the knees reach arm level, which adds trunk flexion and more work for the abs and lats.
Q: Is it easier than toes-to-bar?: Yes. The bent knees make a much shorter lever and need less hamstring flexibility, so it is usually learned before Toes to Bar and is a common scaled option for it in conditioning workouts.
Q: Should I do it strict or kipping?: Start strict, from a still hang, because that builds the trunk strength the movement depends on. A kip links reps faster in conditioning workouts but puts more of the load on the shoulders, so add it only once strict reps are solid.
Q: Why can't my knees reach my elbows?: Usually the pelvis stops curling or the arms bend. Press the bar down with straight arms so the body tips back, roll the hips up toward the ribs, and build the curl with the Reverse Crunch if the knees still stall at chest height.
Q: Why do I feel it mostly in my hip flexors?: The knees are probably rising without the pelvis rolling up, so the hips are doing the lifting. Slow down and think of curling the tailbone up toward the bar, even if the knees rise less at first.
Q: How many reps should I do?: Start with sets of 5 to 10 strict reps where every rep touches. Once the movement is efficient, conditioning workouts often use sets of 10 to 30 or more.