Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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For your abs

Dragon Flag vs Hanging Knee Raise

For your abs, hanging knee raise rates higher on our research criteria: easier on the joints.

Dragon flag gives more stretch.

Both are good choices, and they train the abs differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)

B
#9
of 23
Dragon Flag
Bodyweight
B
#8
of 23
Hanging Knee Raise
Bodyweight
Research score
55
64
Target tension
Strong
Strong
Loaded stretch
Strong
Good
Progression
Fair
Fair
Low cost
Fair
Excellent
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 dragon flag

  • You want more load on the abs while they’re stretched

Good reasons to choose hanging knee raise

  • You want something easy to learn
  • You want something easier on your joints
Dragon Flag
Hanging Knee Raise
You need
Bench
Pull-up bar
Skill
Needs coaching
Easy to learn
Type
Isolation
Isolation

Questions

Which is better for your abs, dragon flag or hanging knee raise?

For your abs, hanging knee raise rates higher on our research criteria: easier on the joints. Dragon flag gives more stretch. Both are good choices, and they train the abs differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.

Is dragon flag or hanging knee raise easier to learn?

Hanging knee raise is easier: it’s easy to learn, while dragon flag needs coaching.

Can you do dragon flag or hanging knee raise at home?

Dragon flag needs a bench, so a home gym covers it. Hanging knee raise needs a pull-up bar, so a home gym covers it.

Which is easier on the joints, dragon flag or hanging knee raise?

Hanging knee raise: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Fair for dragon flag.

More comparisons

  • Ab Wheel Rollout vs Dragon Flag
  • Dragon Flag vs Toes-to-Bar
  • Crunch vs Dragon Flag
  • Decline Sit-Up vs Hanging Knee Raise
  • Hanging Knee Raise vs Hanging Leg Raise
  • Hanging Knee Raise vs Toes-to-Bar
Dragon FlagHanging Knee RaiseAll abs exercises