How to Tone the Stomach With Hanging Knee Raises

Hanging knee raises are an excellent way to tone the stomach as they specifically target the lower abs. They can be done at any gym that has a chin-up bar or other bar that supports your weight and from which you can safely hang without falling and injuring yourself. Chin-up bars are also available for home use--they're sold at many stores that carry sporting goods and gym equipment. There are a few important aspects of this exercise routine to keep in mind in order to make sure your hanging knee raises are fully effective in toning your stomach.

Things You'll Need

• Chin-up bar

Instructions

1. Begin with stretching out your legs. Be sure to fully stretch your hamstrings as they will be very involved in this exercise routine. If your leg muscles are too stiff or have difficulty flexing, you may be unable to lift your legs to the correct position while doing hanging knee raises.

2. Hold on to the chin-up bar with both of your hands, gripped about shoulder width apart. Make sure that you have a good grip on the bar before you begin. Cross your legs at the ankles when you are ready to start your first set of hanging knee raises.

3. Lift your knees up to your chest, bringing them up as close as possible to touching. Hold this position for a few seconds before lowering your knees. Relax your abdominal muscles for a few seconds without fully lowering your legs and then repeat this movement to tone your abdominal muscles.

4. Straighten out your legs and hang in this position for a few seconds to fully work your abdominal muscles. Hanging knee raises are also a great workout for your hip muscles due to the amount of tension placed on them during this movement.

5. Try to avoid allowing your body to start swinging as you do each knee raise. Often the momentum of each repetition will cause your pelvis, hips and legs to swing, which may take some of the tension off your abdominals and technically make the movement easier to complete. This is not ideal because you want your stomach muscles to be doing the work in order to tone them.

6. Make sure that you have the appropriate upper-body strength, flexibility and endurance before trying hanging knee raises. This is an intense exercise method that requires you to be in good athletic shape. It is best to learn the proper technique from a licensed professional before attempting it on your own.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider doing knee raises seated on a chair as an alternative to hanging knee raises if you have lower back problems. Hanging leg raises put more emphasis on your lower back and may cause pain if you have an existing back condition.