Hanging Leg Raise

Take care with

• avoid · Rotator cuff tear — Hanging under full bodyweight with the arm fixed overhead asks the cuff to centre the joint for the entire set, and the moment grip or cuff control fails the shoulder is dumped into end-range flexion. Avoid it while the cuff is healing. Substitute Dead Bug or Suitcase Carry, which train the same brace with the arms doing nothing at all.
• avoid · Herniated disc — Lifting both legs to parallel rounds the pelvis under and puts the lumbar spine into flexion while a heavy load hangs off it, and the hamstrings and hip flexors are usually what finish the rep rather than the abdominals. This is the direction a symptomatic disc dislikes most. Avoid it. Substitute Dead Bug, which trains the same brace one limb at a time with the spine supported on the floor, or Wall Hip Hinge to relearn pelvic movement with a flat back. Numbness, tingling or weakness down a leg is a clinician's question, not a range adjustment.
• avoid · Pregnancy — Hanging stretches the already-lengthened abdominal wall under the load of both legs, and the midline control this exercise depends on is exactly what changes through pregnancy. Avoid the full range. Instead, use Bird Dog, which trains the same anti-extension brace on all fours, or a Suitcase Carry for the brace with the arm simply at the side. Stop and raise it with your midwife or obstetric team if you feel coning along the midline, pelvic heaviness, or any leaking.
• caution · Uncontrolled hypertension — This pulls hard on a grip while the head sits below the shoulders and the legs come up, and the natural instinct is to hold the breath on the way up, which spikes pressure. Avoid it until your pressure is controlled and cleared. Instead, use Bodyweight Squat or a Glute Bridge at moderate effort with the head level and the breath moving continuously. Stop the set on headache, spots in your vision, or unusual breathlessness.
• caution · Shoulder impingement — This is a full hanging shoulder with the arm in overhead flexion, and a shoulder that catches at end range often catches here — especially when people shrug up into the joint instead of packing the blades down as step 2 says. Do not drop into a dead hang at the bottom of each rep; keep a light bend in the elbows and stay in a range where the shoulder stays settled. Instead, use Table Inverted Row or Cable Row, which train the same core brace with the arms in front of the chest rather than locked overhead. Stop if the shoulder goes weak or pain runs down the arm.
• modify · Acute lower back injury — The moment the abdominals fatigue, the pelvis tips and the lower back arches hard to hold the legs up — which is the pattern that aggravates a reactive back, and it happens in the last few reps of every set. Stop the set while you can still keep the ribs stacked and the pelvis controlled. Take the legs only as high as you can hold without swinging, and bend the knees rather than keeping them straight. If the arch appears every set, substitute Dead Bug on the floor, where a loss of control costs nothing.