Alternating Hanging Knee Raise
Also known as: hanging wind sprint, alternating knee raises, alternating hanging knee raises, hanging alternating knee raise, hanging knee raise alternating legs, hanging bicycle
In SetGrip: Hanging Knee Raise (Alternating)
- Primary muscleAbs
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyIntermediate
- TypeCardio · Locomotion
- Secondary muscles
- Quads, Hamstrings, Calves
- Body part
- Core
- Position
- Seated
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Cardio
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Hanging from a bar and driving one knee up at a time turns the knee raise into a continuous, sprint-like rhythm, sometimes called a hanging wind sprint, that taxes grip, hip flexors, and abs together. Your hands usually give out before your midsection does, so keep the bursts short and the bar chalked or dry.
How to do the Alternating Hanging Knee Raise
- Find an open space or a track to perform the exercise.
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Begin running as fast as you can, pumping your arms and driving your knees up.
- Continue sprinting for a specific distance or time period.
- Rest and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Work in timed rounds of 20 to 40 seconds and rest at least as long as you worked.
Muscles worked
Primary
Abs · Core
The abs brace the trunk throughout, and on hanging or high knee variations they should feel tight through the whole set.
Secondary
Common mistakes
- Rushing the reps — whatever the movement, move at a speed you could stop at any point; if you cannot, you are using momentum rather than muscle.
- Cutting the range short — take each rep through the full range the joint allows, since half reps train half the movement.
- Holding the breath — breathe out on the effort and in on the return, and never let a whole set go by on one breath.
- Training without a purpose — pick the movement for a purpose, whether that is conditioning, skill or a warm-up, and train it that way.
Where it fits in a workout
Movements like these go at the end of a session as conditioning or in the warm-up to raise the heart rate. Alternate a timed round of ropes or shuffles with a bodyweight movement like push-ups for a simple circuit.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.