Core · Bodyweight
Hanging Half Windmill
How to do the hanging half windmill, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hang from a pull-up bar with a firm grip and legs together. Raise your legs partway up and sweep them to one side in a controlled arc, then bring them back to center. Move only halfway through the windmill range while keeping your shoulders engaged.
- 1Obliques and lower abs controlling the side-to-side sweep
- 2Active shoulders and lats keeping you stable on the bar
- 3A tight grip and braced core throughout
Common mistakes
- Swinging your body with momentum instead of controlling the arc
- Letting your shoulders go loose at the top of the hang
- Pushing past the halfway range and losing control
Muscles worked
The hanging half windmill mainly works the obliques and lower abs, with the forearms, lats, upper abs, hip flexors, and lower back assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- LatsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- BicepsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the hanging half windmill for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.