10 Best Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs Alternatives for Home Workouts
If you can’t perform Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs, use captain’s chair knee raises, lying bent-knee leg raises, seated V-ups, plank knee-to-elbow, or hollow body rocks. For each, brace your core, posteriorly tilt the pelvis, and exhale as you draw the knees or torso toward the hips to emphasize rectus abdominis activation.
Original Exercise: Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs
How to Perform Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Engage your core and lift your knees towards your chest, bringing them as close to your elbows as possible.
- Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs Alternatives
1. Arm Slingers Hanging Straight Legs
98.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your legs straight down.
- Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you until they are parallel to the ground.
- Hold for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
2. Crab Twist Toe Touch
82.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by sitting on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Place your hands behind you, fingers pointing towards your feet, and lift your hips off the ground.
- Extend one leg straight out in front of you while simultaneously reaching your opposite hand towards your toes.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Bridge - Mountain Climber (cross Body)
77.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
- Engage your core and lift your right foot off the ground, bringing your right knee towards your left elbow.
- Return your right foot to the starting position and repeat the movement with your left foot towards your right elbow.
- Continue alternating sides, moving at a controlled pace.
- Keep your hips level and avoid lifting your hips too high or sagging them too low.
4. Elbow-to-knee
73.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by lying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the ground, bringing your right elbow towards your left knee.
- At the same time, bring your left knee towards your right elbow, creating a twisting motion.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body and extend your legs back to the starting position.
5. Alternate Heel Touchers
69.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Extend your arms straight out to the sides, parallel to the ground.
- Engaging your abs, lift your shoulders off the ground and reach your right hand towards your right heel.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side, reaching your left hand towards your left heel.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Assisted Hanging Knee Raise
68.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
- Engage your core muscles and lift your knees towards your chest, bending at the hips and knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your abs.
- Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. 45° Side Bend
68.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended straight down by your sides.
- Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, slowly bend your torso to one side, lowering your hand towards your knee.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Barbell Side Bend
67.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand up straight while holding a barbell placed on the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck). Your feet should be shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position.
- While keeping your back straight and your head up, bend only at the waist to the right as far as possible. Breathe in as you bend to the side. Then hold for a second and come back up to the starting position as you exhale. Tip: Keep the rest of the body stationary.
- Now repeat the movement but bending to the left instead. Hold for a second and come back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
9. Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
67.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
- Engage your core and lift your knees towards your chest, keeping your legs together.
- Once your knees are at chest level, explosively throw your legs down towards the ground, extending them fully.
- Allow your legs to swing back up and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Barbell Side Bent V. 2
67.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with both hands, palms facing down.
- Keep your back straight and core engaged throughout the exercise.
- Slowly bend your torso to the right side, lowering the barbell towards your right knee.
- Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement on the left side.
Why You Might Need a Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs Alternative
You may substitute this hanging compound for shoulder pain, weak grip, no pull-up bar, or to reduce hip-flexor dominance. Hanging variations load the lats, grip, and scapular stabilizers; alternatives let you isolate the rectus abdominis or limit hip-flexor involvement. For example, lying bent-knee raises reduce grip and scapular demand while preserving spinal flexion cues—keep a posterior pelvic tilt and lead the movement with the ribs to maximize abdominal tension and minimize lumbar strain.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute by matching the primary limitation: if grip or shoulder stress limits you, pick grounded options like lying bent-knee raises or hollow body rocks. If you need a higher challenge, use captain’s chair or weighted seated V-ups to increase lever length. Assess muscle emphasis: cues that tuck the pelvis and exhale on the concentric phase bias rectus abdominis, while hip-flexor-dominant moves will show early hip flexion—stop the rep and re-tuck the pelvis to restore abdominal engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs work?
It primarily targets the rectus abdominis with secondary activation of the hip flexors and obliques, plus scapular stabilizers and forearm grip when hanging. Biomechanically, the movement uses spinal flexion and a hip-knee hinge; maintaining a posterior pelvic tilt increases rectus abdominis recruitment and reduces lumbar shear.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs?
The captain’s chair bent-knee raise is the best bodyweight substitute because it preserves a vertical torso and similar hip-knee flexion without requiring a full pull-up grip. Cue a strong posterior pelvic tilt, lead with the ribs toward the hips, and keep controlled tempo to maximize abdominal loading.
Can I build muscle without doing Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs?
Yes. You can build abdominal muscle with progressive overload using variations like weighted seated V-ups, slow eccentric lying knee raises, or increased time-under-tension hollow holds. Emphasize pelvic tuck and slow, controlled reps to increase rectus abdominis activation and hypertrophic stimulus.
More Exercise Alternatives
Find Alternatives for Any Exercise
Use our free tool to discover the best substitute exercises based on your available equipment and goals.
Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →