10 Best Hanging Pike Alternatives for Home & Gym
If you can't do a Hanging Pike, use exercises that keep hip flexion and spinal flexion while lowering shoulder and grip demand. Try hanging knee raises, lying leg raises, toes-to-bar, V-ups, or dragon flags. Brace your core, exhale as you lift, and tuck the pelvis to preferentially load the rectus abdominis.
Original Exercise: Hanging Pike
How to Perform Hanging Pike
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your palms facing away from you.
- Engage your core and lift your legs up towards the bar, keeping them straight.
- Continue lifting until your body forms a 'V' shape, with your legs parallel to the ground.
- Hold the position for a moment, then slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Hanging Pike Alternatives
1. Ab Roller
85.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Hold the Ab Roller with both hands and kneel on the floor.
- Now place the ab roller on the floor in front of you so that you are on all your hands and knees (as in a kneeling push up position). This will be your starting position.
- Slowly roll the ab roller straight forward, stretching your body into a straight position. Tip: Go down as far as you can without touching the floor with your body. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
- After a pause at the stretched position, start pulling yourself back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Go slowly and keep your abs tight at all times.
2. Decline Sit-up
84% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent.
- Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the bench, curling forward towards your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
3. Exercise Ball Pull-In
82.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place an exercise ball nearby and lay on the floor in front of it with your hands on the floor shoulder width apart in a push-up position.
- Now place your lower shins on top of an exercise ball. Tip: At this point your legs should be fully extended with the shins on top of the ball and the upper body should be in a push-up type of position being supported by your two extended arms in front of you. This will be your starting position.
- While keeping your back completely straight and the upper body stationary, pull your knees in towards your chest as you exhale, allowing the ball to roll forward under your ankles. Squeeze your abs and hold that position for a second.
- Now slowly straighten your legs, rolling the ball back to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
4. Assisted Hanging Knee Raise
80.4% 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.
5. Exercise Ball Crunch
77.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on an exercise ball with your lower back curvature pressed against the spherical surface of the ball. Your feet should be bent at the knee and pressed firmly against the floor. The upper torso should be hanging off the top of the ball. The arms should either be kept alongside the body or crossed on top of your chest as these positions avoid neck strains (as opposed to the hands behind the back of the head position).
- Lower your torso into a stretch position keeping the neck stationary at all times. This will be your starting position.
- With the hips stationary, flex the waist by contracting the abdominals and curl the shoulders and trunk upward until you feel a nice contraction on your abdominals. The arms should simply slide up the side of your legs if you have them at the side or just stay on top of your chest if you have them crossed. The lower back should always stay in contact with the ball. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second.
- As you inhale, go back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
6. Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs
76.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- 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.
7. Arms Overhead Full Sit-up (male)
76.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Extend your arms overhead, keeping them straight.
- Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is upright.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
8. Arm Slingers Hanging Straight Legs
76.7% 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.
9. Barbell Rollerout From Bench
76.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by kneeling on the floor with a barbell placed on a bench in front of you.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your core engaged and your back straight, slowly roll the barbell forward, extending your arms in front of you.
- Continue rolling the barbell forward until your body is fully extended and your arms are overhead.
- Pause for a moment at the fully extended position, then slowly roll the barbell back towards your body, returning to the starting position.
10. Barbell Rollerout
76.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Kneel on the floor and hold a barbell with both hands, shoulder-width apart.
- Roll the barbell forward, extending your arms and keeping your core engaged.
- Continue rolling forward until your body is fully extended and your arms are overhead.
- Pause for a moment, then slowly roll the barbell back towards your knees, maintaining control.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Hanging Pike Alternative
You may substitute Hanging Pike for several practical reasons: no access to a pull-up bar, limited grip strength, shoulder impingement, or insufficient core control. Substitutes let you target the same rectus abdominis and hip flexors with lower scapular and rotator cuff demand. Use technique cues like 'draw ribs to pelvis' and 'posteriorly tilt the pelvis' to avoid lumbar extension and to shift load from the hip flexors into the abdominal wall. For beginners, choose bent-knee or floor-based variations to build motor control; for advanced lifters, increase range of motion or add resistance to match overload.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on equipment, your weak link (grip, hips, or shoulders), and the movement plane you want to train. If shoulder or grip limit you, pick floor-based moves (lying leg raises or V-ups) to remove scapular demand. If you want to train scapular stability and grip, use hanging knee raises or toes-to-bar. Prioritize cues: brace your core, keep a neutral thorax, and posteriorly tilt at the top to emphasize spinal curl. Adjust difficulty by changing knee/leg position, tempo (3–4s eccentrics), or adding load for progressive overload.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Hanging Pike work?
Hanging Pike primarily targets the rectus abdominis via spinal flexion and the hip flexors (iliopsoas) through hip flexion. The lats and scapular stabilizers also engage to maintain the hang—depress your shoulders to increase abdominal isolation.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Hanging Pike?
The best bodyweight alternative is the lying leg raise because it reproduces straight-leg hip flexion without a bar. Lie flat, press your lower back into the floor, and lift legs with a posterior pelvic tilt to emphasize the rectus abdominis and limit hip-flexor dominance.
Can I build muscle without doing Hanging Pike?
Yes—you can build abdominal muscle with other progressions like weighted hanging knee raises, dragon flags, or weighted decline sit-ups. Focus on controlled eccentrics, bracing the core, and increasing load or range of motion to stimulate the rectus abdominis and hip flexors.
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