For your abs

Cable Crunch vs Hanging Leg Raise

For your abs, cable crunch rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, more of the work on the abs.

Both are good choices that train the abs the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

Research score

Target tension

Excellent

Strong

Loaded stretch

Strong

Progression

Excellent

Good

Low cost

Excellent

Strong

See the full abs ranking

What these mean

Target tension.: Whether the muscle you’re training is what gives out first, not your grip, balance or other muscles.
Loaded stretch.: How hard the muscle works while stretched. Training it there is linked to more growth.
Progression.: How easily you can keep adding weight in small steps over months and years.
Low cost.: How easy it is on your joints and recovery, and how quickly you can learn it.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose cable crunch

You want something easy to learn
You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want the abs to do the work, not other muscles

Good reasons to choose hanging leg raise

You train at home

Cable Crunch

Hanging Leg Raise

You need

Cable station

Pull-up bar

Skill

Easy to learn

Takes some practice

Type

Isolation

Why they rank where they do

Cable Crunch. Loadable spinal flexion: the abs finally get progressive overload like any other muscle.

Hanging Leg Raise. Curling the pelvis up trains the abs hard, but grip and hip flexors often end the set first.

Questions

Which is better for your abs, cable crunch or hanging leg raise?

For your abs, cable crunch rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, more of the work on the abs. Both are good choices that train the abs the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

Is cable crunch or hanging leg raise easier to learn?

Cable crunch is easier: it’s easy to learn, while hanging leg raise takes some practice.

Can you do cable crunch or hanging leg raise at home?

Cable crunch needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Hanging leg raise needs a pull-up bar, so a home gym covers it.

Which is easier on the joints, cable crunch or hanging leg raise?

Cable crunch: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for hanging leg raise.

More comparisons

Cable Crunch Hanging Leg Raise All abs exercises

Cable Crunch vs Hanging Leg Raise

For your abs, cable crunch rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, more of the work on the abs.

Both are good choices that train the abs the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.

What these mean

Target tension.: Whether the muscle you’re training is what gives out first, not your grip, balance or other muscles.
Loaded stretch.: How hard the muscle works while stretched. Training it there is linked to more growth.
Progression.: How easily you can keep adding weight in small steps over months and years.
Low cost.: How easy it is on your joints and recovery, and how quickly you can learn it.

The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work

When each one fits

Good reasons to choose cable crunch

You want something easy to learn
You want to keep adding weight in small steps
You want the abs to do the work, not other muscles

Good reasons to choose hanging leg raise

You train at home

Cable Crunch

Hanging Leg Raise

You need

Cable station

Pull-up bar

Skill

Easy to learn

Takes some practice

Type

Isolation

Why they rank where they do

Cable Crunch. Loadable spinal flexion: the abs finally get progressive overload like any other muscle.

Hanging Leg Raise. Curling the pelvis up trains the abs hard, but grip and hip flexors often end the set first.

Questions

Which is better for your abs, cable crunch or hanging leg raise?

Is cable crunch or hanging leg raise easier to learn?

Cable crunch is easier: it’s easy to learn, while hanging leg raise takes some practice.

Can you do cable crunch or hanging leg raise at home?

Cable crunch needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Hanging leg raise needs a pull-up bar, so a home gym covers it.

Which is easier on the joints, cable crunch or hanging leg raise?

Cable crunch: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for hanging leg raise.