What is a good Hanging Knee Raise?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Hanging Knee Raise is about 19 reps. Advanced starts around 35 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.
Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.
A solid (Intermediate) Hanging Knee Raise for a 180 lb male is about 19 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Hanging Knee Raise into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 35 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Hanging Knee Raise? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Hanging Knee Raise Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 19 Hanging Knee Raise in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 35+, and an elite lifter reaches 52 or more.
Hanging Knee Raise rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 19 Hanging Knee Raise at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 28.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 20 Hanging Knee Raise, dropping to about 14 by age 50. See the By Age tab for every band.
What counts as a good number? Anything at or above the Intermediate target puts you past the beginner and novice bands for your bodyweight. Beginners often start with fewer than one and build up; clearing the Advanced number is a strong target for trained gym lifters.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with gym and competition datasets labeled separately
How Strong Is Your Hanging Knee Raise?
That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.
Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your rep count falls, not a measured frequency count.
Reader Data Is Still Building
We do not have enough reader-submitted Hanging Knee Raise entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:
Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.
How Much Should You Hanging Knee Raise?
Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| BW (lbs) | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | < 1 | 6 | 22 | 44 | 68 |
| 120 | < 1 | 6 | 22 | 42 | 65 |
| 130 | < 1 | 6 | 22 | 41 | 63 |
| 140 | < 1 | 7 | 21 | 40 | 60 |
| 150 | < 1 | 7 | 21 | 38 | 58 |
| 160 | < 1 | 7 | 20 | 37 | 56 |
| 170 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 36 | 54 |
| 180 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 52 |
| 190 | < 1 | 6 | 18 | 34 | 50 |
| 200 | < 1 | 6 | 18 | 33 | 49 |
| 210 | < 1 | 6 | 17 | 31 | 47 |
| 220 | < 1 | 6 | 16 | 30 | 46 |
| 230 | < 1 | 5 | 16 | 29 | 44 |
| 240 | < 1 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 43 |
| 250 | < 1 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 41 |
| 260 | < 1 | 5 | 14 | 27 | 40 |
| 270 | < 1 | 4 | 14 | 26 | 39 |
| 280 | < 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 | 38 |
| 290 | < 1 | 4 | 13 | 24 | 37 |
| 300 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 36 |
| 310 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 35 |
| 90 | < 1 | 5 | 24 | 50 | 79 |
| 100 | < 1 | 7 | 26 | 50 | 78 |
| 110 | < 1 | 8 | 27 | 50 | 77 |
| 120 | < 1 | 9 | 28 | 50 | 75 |
| 130 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 49 | 73 |
| 140 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 49 | 72 |
| 150 | < 1 | 11 | 28 | 48 | 70 |
| 160 | < 1 | 11 | 28 | 47 | 68 |
| 170 | < 1 | 12 | 28 | 46 | 67 |
| 180 | < 1 | 12 | 27 | 45 | 65 |
| 190 | < 1 | 12 | 27 | 44 | 63 |
| 200 | 1 | 12 | 27 | 44 | 62 |
| 210 | 1 | 12 | 26 | 43 | 60 |
| 220 | 1 | 12 | 26 | 42 | 59 |
| 230 | 2 | 12 | 25 | 41 | 58 |
| 240 | 2 | 12 | 25 | 40 | 56 |
| 250 | 2 | 11 | 24 | 39 | 55 |
| 260 | 2 | 11 | 24 | 38 | 54 |
Is Your Hanging Knee Raise Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Hanging Knee Raise at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Hanging Knee Raise is about 19 reps. Advanced lifters hit 35 reps, and Elite is 52 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Hanging Knee Raise is about 28 reps. Advanced lifters hit 49 reps, and Elite is 72 reps.
Hanging Knee Raise Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 19 reps at an Intermediate level.
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 28 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 21 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 16 reps at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.
By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male does about 20 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 14 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Hanging Knee Raise Strength?
How Hanging Knee Raise standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | < 1 | < 1 | 12 | 28 | 45 |
| 20 | < 1 | 5 | 18 | 36 | 56 |
| 25 | < 1 | 6 | 20 | 38 | 58 |
| 30 | < 1 | 6 | 20 | 38 | 58 |
| 35 | < 1 | 6 | 20 | 38 | 58 |
| 40 | < 1 | 6 | 20 | 38 | 58 |
| 45 | < 1 | 4 | 17 | 34 | 53 |
| 50 | < 1 | 2 | 14 | 30 | 48 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 26 | 42 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 21 | 36 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 16 | 30 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 1 | 12 | 24 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 18 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 13 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 |
| 15 | < 1 | 4 | 19 | 40 | 62 |
| 20 | < 1 | 8 | 27 | 50 | 76 |
| 25 | < 1 | 9 | 28 | 52 | 78 |
| 30 | < 1 | 9 | 28 | 52 | 78 |
| 35 | < 1 | 9 | 28 | 52 | 78 |
| 40 | < 1 | 9 | 28 | 52 | 78 |
| 45 | < 1 | 7 | 25 | 48 | 73 |
| 50 | < 1 | 5 | 22 | 43 | 67 |
| 55 | < 1 | 3 | 18 | 37 | 59 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 14 | 32 | 52 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 26 | 44 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 20 | 36 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 15 | 29 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 23 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 18 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 13 |
What Do Hanging Knee Raise Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Hanging Knee Raise, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Hanging Knee Raise with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Hanging Knee Raise is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Hanging Knee Raise through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Hanging Knee Raise strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.
How to Progress Your Hanging Knee Raise
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Hanging Knee Raise to the next level.
- Train the Hanging Knee Raise 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
- Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
- Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
- Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
- Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Hanging Knee Raise.
- Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
- Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
- Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
- Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Hanging Knee Raise plateaus.
- Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
- Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
- Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
- Maximize Hanging Knee Raise strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
- Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
- Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
- Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
How to Perform Hanging Knee Raise
- Start by hanging from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, arms fully extended, and your body straight.
- Engage your core muscles and lift your knees towards your chest in a controlled manner, exhaling as you lift.
- Pause briefly at the top of the movement, ensuring your knees are as close to your chest as possible.
- Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position while inhaling, maintaining control and avoiding swinging.
Tips for Hanging Knee Raise
- Keep your movements slow and controlled to maximize muscle engagement and avoid using momentum.
- Engage your core throughout the exercise to protect your lower back.
- Avoid swinging your legs or using your upper body to pull your knees up.
- For a more challenging variation, try holding a dumbbell between your feet.
Where Do These Hanging Knee Raise Standards Come From?
FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.
Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026
Is Your Hanging Knee Raise Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Hanging Knee Raise against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:
- Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
- Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
- Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
- Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.
If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can Hanging Knee Raise 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.
The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
