Look Who it Was Random video

Laser-Target Your Lower Abs With Bar-Braced Hanging Knee Raises

1,498 views · Published 25 June 2017 · 3:21 · Indexed 27 October 2026

Channel: Nick Nilsson - the Mad Scientist of Muscle · 2017 · Sports

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It's extremely difficult to preferentially target the lower abs without strongly involving the hip flexors in a standard hanging knee raise or leg raise movement.

This unique setup is going to change that. It'll expose how strong (or not strong) your lower abs truly are because it takes the hip flexors pretty much COMPLETELY out of the exercise.

I'll tell you right up front...this is a very humbling exercise, even if you think you have strong abs (especially if you think you have strong abs). I got 3 1/2 reps the first time I tried it. 

The bar in your back creates a new pivot point that simply isn't physically possible when you're free hanging. This is why the hip flexors HAVE to get involved to perform the normal movement.

Use the bar as the pivot and raise your entire lower body (from that mid-lower-back point down) as one unit...essentially you want to "lock down" the lower body, from your hips to your feet, in position then raise the whole mess up at once, flexing from the lower back. 

This is the KEY to the exercise.

When you watch the video, even though it actually LOOKS like I'm opening up the hips at the bottom, what I'm TRYING to do is get more extension of the spine at the bottom, wrapping my lower back around the bar. It's tough to maintain the same exact hip angle...but it's something you want to strive for.

The movement is truly a lower ab exercise, locking in the upper body and the lower body and using the rectus abdominis to draw the hips and rib cage closer together with ZERO hip flexor assistance.

Aim to get as many reps as you can with good form. Once form breaks, end the set.

You're also going to notice a VERY strong isometric stretch in your lats when you perform this exercise, similar to a Front Lever exercise. It's as though your lats are trying to perform a pullover with the weight of your entire lower body. The abs are the only muscles actually contracting and moving but the lats do contribute isometrically.

Bottom line, this a really challenging, incredibly effective lower-ab exercise. If you've got strong abs and are looking to truly hit the lower abs without the hip flexors, give this one a shot.

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