Captain's Chair Knee Raise
A supported hanging knee raise from a captain's chair station, curling the pelvis to load the abdominals directly.
How to do it
- Step into a captain's chair station and place your forearms on the pads with your back against the rest.
- Grip the handles, let your legs hang straight down and take the weight off your feet.
- Brace your abdominals and press your lower back lightly into the pad.
- Raise both knees toward your chest, finishing the rep by curling the pelvis upward.
- Pause at the top with the abdominals fully shortened.
- Lower the legs slowly back to a straight hang and repeat without swinging.
Key technique cue
Curl the pelvis at the top and lower the legs slowly — no dropping.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Swinging the legs up with momentum, which lets the hip flexors do the work the abdominals should do.
- ✕ Stopping at hip height without tilting the pelvis, which leaves the rectus abdominis barely loaded.
- ✕ Dropping the legs at the end of the rep, which throws away the eccentric and stresses the low back.
- ✕ Shrugging into the shoulder pads, which loads the neck and traps instead of the trunk.
Benefits
- ✓ Ranked first for oblique activation and second for rectus abdominis activation in electromyography testing across thirteen abdominal movements.
- ✓ Supports the back and forearms, so grip strength does not limit the set the way it does when hanging from a bar.
- ✓ Progresses simply by moving from bent knees to straight legs without changing the setup.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 2 You are here - Captain's Chair Knee Raise
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About the exercise
The captain's chair knee raise is performed in a padded upright station with the forearms on the pads and the back against the rest, so the trunk is supported and the legs hang free. Raising the knees toward the chest flexes the hips, and finishing the rep by curling the pelvis is what shifts the work from the hip flexors onto the abdominals. Electromyography testing across thirteen abdominal exercises ranked the captain's chair first for oblique activation and second for rectus abdominis activation.
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