Legs · Bodyweight
Hanging Pike
How to do the hanging pike, 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
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip and your shoulders engaged. Keeping your legs straight, contract your core to raise your feet up toward the bar until your body folds into a pike, then lower your legs slowly back to a dead hang under control.
- 1Feel your lower abs and hip flexors lift your straight legs toward the
- 2bar
- 3Keep your legs straight and your shoulders packed down throughout
- 4Control the descent so your body doesn't swing
Common mistakes
- Don't swing or kip to throw your legs up with momentum
- Avoid bending your knees to cheat the range of motion
- Don't let your shoulders shrug up or your grip go slack
Muscles worked
The hanging pike mainly works the hip flexors and lower abs, with the upper abs, forearms, and obliques assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- BicepsMinor
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the hanging pike 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 hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed June 2026.