Hanging Pike

Hang from the bar like a curious bear on a branch, then lift your straight legs up into a tidy pike. Keep your belly braced so you do not swing like a clumsy cub. Slow, controlled reps make your core growl with strength while your shoulders and grip get tougher too.

Instructions

1. Grip a pull-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart and hang with arms straight.
2. Set your shoulders by pulling them slightly down and back, bracing your core.
3. With legs straight and together, exhale and lift your legs upward in front of you.
4. Raise until your feet approach bar height or as high as you can without swinging.
5. Pause briefly at the top while keeping control.
6. Lower your legs slowly to the start position and repeat.

Benefits

• Builds strong rectus abdominis and overall anterior core control
• Improves hip flexor strength and active hamstring flexibility demands
• Develops grip endurance and shoulder stability in a hang
• Enhances body control for calisthenics skills like toes-to-bar and L-sit work

Key Points

• Initiate with a posterior pelvic tilt and abdominal brace, not a big swing.
• Keep legs straight and together; point toes to maintain tension.
• Depress and stabilize the shoulder blades to protect the shoulders.
• Control the eccentric lowering to build strength and reduce momentum.
• If you start swinging, reset and shorten the range of motion.

Common Mistakes

• Using excessive kipping or swinging to drive the legs up
• Bending knees and turning it into a hanging knee raise unintentionally
• Arching the lower back instead of curling the pelvis under
• Shrugging shoulders up into the ears during the hang
• Dropping the legs too fast and losing control on the way down