10 Best Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down Alternatives for Ab Strength

The Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down is done hanging with a machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise, the Leg Pull-in and the Assisted Lying Leg Raise With Lateral Throw Down.

The Assisted Hanging Knee Raise is the closest swap for the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down because it starts from the same hang with your arms extended and lifts your knees toward your chest the same way; the only thing it drops is the explosive throw down at the top. It replaces that fast leg extension with a controlled return, which suits anyone easing off the machine's hardest phase. With no machine free, the Leg Pull-in trains the same knee lift lying on the floor instead.

Updated Ranked by our 12-factor similarity model How it works

Original Exercise: Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down

Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw DownPlay demonstration
Primary muscle
Abs
Equipment
Machine
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound

Secondary muscles: Hip Flexors, Lower Back

How to perform Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
  1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
  2. Engage your core and lift your knees towards your chest, keeping your legs together.
  3. Once your knees are at chest level, explosively throw your legs down towards the ground, extending them fully.
  4. Allow your legs to swing back up and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
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Ranked Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Open "How to perform this exercise" on a card for the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

  1. Best match
    Assisted Hanging Knee RaisePlay demonstration

    1. Assisted Hanging Knee Raise

    89% match
    • Abs
    • Machine
    • Beginner
    • Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the abs.

    How to perform this exercise
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
    2. Engage your core muscles and lift your knees towards your chest, bending at the hips and knees.
    3. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, squeezing your abs.
    4. Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
  2. Leg Pull-in

    2. Leg Pull-in

    79% match
    • Abs
    • Bodyweight
    • Intermediate
    • Compound

    Use this when you have nothing to train with, because it works the abs with bodyweight alone.

    How to perform this exercise
    1. Lie on an exercise mat with your legs extended and your hands either palms facing down next to you or under your glutes. Tip: My preference is with the hands next to me. This will be your starting position.
    2. Bend your knees and pull your upper thighs into your midsection as you breathe out. Continue the motion until your knees are around chest level. Contract your abs as you execute this movement and hold for a second at the top. Tip: As you perform the motion, the lower legs (calves) should always remain parallel to the floor.
    3. Return to the starting position as you inhale.
    4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not a machine
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
  3. Assisted Lying Leg Raise With Lateral Throw DownPlay demonstration

    3. Assisted Lying Leg Raise With Lateral Throw Down

    75% match
    • Abs
    • Machine
    • Beginner
    • Isolation
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms by your sides.
    2. Place your hands under your glutes for support.
    3. Engage your abs and lift your legs off the ground, keeping them straight.
    4. While keeping your legs together, lower them to one side until they are a few inches above the ground.
    5. Pause for a moment, then lift your legs back to the starting position.
    6. Repeat the movement to the other side.
    7. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Body position: lying on your back, not hanging
  4. Assisted Lying Leg Raise With Throw DownPlay demonstration

    4. Assisted Lying Leg Raise With Throw Down

    75% match
    • Abs
    • Machine
    • Beginner
    • Isolation
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your arms by your sides.
    2. Place your hands under your glutes for support.
    3. Engage your core and lift your legs off the ground, keeping them straight.
    4. Raise your legs until they are perpendicular to the ground.
    5. Lower your legs back down to the starting position.
    6. Simultaneously, throw your legs down towards the ground, keeping them straight.
    7. Raise your legs back up to the starting position.
    8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Body position: lying on your back, not hanging
  5. Weighted Hanging Leg-hip RaisePlay demonstration

    5. Weighted Hanging Leg-hip Raise

    74% match
    • Abs
    • Weighted
    • Advanced
    • Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the abs.

    How to perform this exercise
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
    2. Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you, keeping them straight.
    3. Continue lifting until your legs are parallel to the ground or slightly higher.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: free weights, not a machine
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
  6. Knee/hip Raise On Parallel Bars

    6. Knee/hip Raise On Parallel Bars

    74% match
    • Abs
    • Other
    • Intermediate
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Position your body on the vertical leg raise bench so that your forearms are resting on the pads next to the torso and holding on to the handles. Your arms will be bent at a 90 degree angle.
    2. The torso should be straight with the lower back pressed against the pad of the machine and the legs extended pointing towards the floor. This will be your starting position.
    3. Now as you breathe out, lift your legs up as you keep them extended. Continue this movement until your legs are roughly parallel to the floor and then hold the contraction for a second. Tip: Do not use any momentum or swinging as you perform this exercise.
    4. Slowly go back to the starting position as you breathe in.
    5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not a machine
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
  7. Cable Judo FlipPlay demonstration

    7. Cable Judo Flip

    72% match
    • Abs
    • Cable
    • Advanced
    • Compound

    A good swap when you have a cable machine to work with, and it still works the abs.

    How to perform this exercise
    1. Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    2. Hold the cable handle with both hands at chest level, palms facing down.
    3. Engage your core and rotate your torso to the right, pulling the cable across your body.
    4. As you rotate, pivot your back foot and allow your hips to rotate naturally.
    5. Extend your arms fully and finish the movement by flipping the cable handle over your shoulder.
    6. Return to the starting position by reversing the movement, rotating your torso back to the center.
    7. Repeat the movement on the opposite side.
    8. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: a cable, not a machine
    • Body position: standing, not hanging
  8. Hanging Leg RaisePlay demonstration

    8. Hanging Leg Raise

    71% match
    • Abs
    • Bodyweight
    • Advanced
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
    2. Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you, keeping them straight.
    3. Continue lifting until your legs are parallel to the ground or as high as you can comfortably go.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not a machine
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
  9. Hanging Straight Leg Hip RaisePlay demonstration

    9. Hanging Straight Leg Hip Raise

    71% match
    • Abs
    • Bodyweight
    • Advanced
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
    2. Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you until they are parallel to the ground.
    3. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
    4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not a machine
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
  10. Hanging Straight Leg RaisePlay demonstration

    10. Hanging Straight Leg Raise

    71% match
    • Abs
    • Bodyweight
    • Advanced
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
    2. Engage your core and lift your legs up in front of you, keeping them straight.
    3. Continue lifting until your legs are parallel to the ground or as high as you can comfortably go.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not a machine
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down

Why You Might Need an Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down Alternative

The Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down needs a hang and an assist stack, so a busy station or a gym without one rules it out fast, and the throw down itself asks a lot on a day when the assist alone already feels like plenty. The floor-based Leg Pull-in removes the hang and the grip demand entirely. The Weighted Hanging Leg-hip Raise keeps the hang, swaps the bent knee for a straight leg raised out in front of you, and adds load once the assisted version stops asking enough of you. The Cable Judo Flip drops the hang altogether: you stand at a cable station and rotate your torso to pull the handle across your body, which loads the same abs from a completely different position.

How to Choose the Right Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down Substitute

Start with the Assisted Hanging Knee Raise if you want the same hang and knee lift with the throw down left out, since it is the nearest thing to a like for like swap. If no bar or machine is free, the Leg Pull-in works the same lift on your back on the floor, with nothing to hang from. Once the assisted version feels easy, the Hanging Leg Raise removes the assist entirely and asks your own bodyweight to control the hang, and the Weighted Hanging Leg-hip Raise goes further by adding load to that same hang. With a cable machine open, the Cable Judo Flip gives you a different way to load your abs: instead of lifting your knees, you rotate your torso and pull the handle across your body from a standing start.

Assisted Hanging Knee Raise With Throw Down FAQ

Can I do this exercise at home?

The Assisted Hanging Knee Raise still needs a machine, so it will not help you at home. The Hanging Leg Raise and the Hanging Straight Leg Hip Raise both use a bar and your bodyweight, so either one fits a home setup once you no longer need the assist. With no bar at all, the floor-based Leg Pull-in works instead.

Which alternative works my abs without hanging from a bar?

The Leg Pull-in. You lie on your back and pull your knees toward your chest, which trains the same lift the hanging version does but takes your grip and your shoulders out of the exercise entirely, so it suits a day when hanging is not an option.

How do I progress once the assisted version feels easy?

Drop the assist and move to the Hanging Leg Raise, which keeps the same hang but asks you to lift straight legs under your own bodyweight instead of bent knees. When that stops being enough, the Weighted Hanging Leg-hip Raise adds load to that same straight-leg raise for a harder next step.

Which alternative uses a cable machine?

The Cable Judo Flip. Instead of hanging from a bar, you pull against a cable, which lets you set the resistance yourself rather than relying on your bodyweight or an assist stack, so it suits a gym where the hanging station is busy.

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