Gorilla Chin/Crunch
This exercise combines two movements into one continuous rep: you pull yourself up toward a bar like a chin-up, and while you're up there you simultaneously draw your knees up toward your chest in a crunch. The result trains your lats and biceps through the pull and your abdominals through the knee raise, all in the same set, which makes it a demanding, time-efficient combination move.
Why it works
A chin-up and a hanging knee raise train different muscle groups through different joint actions, one at the shoulder and elbow, the other at the hip and spine. Combining them into a single rep means your upper body has to keep pulling while your core simultaneously flexes to bring the knees up, which asks for real coordination between the two efforts rather than one after the other. Because the abdominal flexion happens while you're already under tension from the pull, your abs get very little help from momentum, which makes the crunch portion more demanding than a standing or floor-based version of the same movement. That combination also builds a kind of full-body tension that carries over to other compound lifts requiring the upper and lower body to work together.
Set up
- Grip a pull-up bar with an overhand or underhand grip, hands roughly shoulder width apart.
- Hang with your arms fully extended and your legs relaxed before the first rep.
- Brace your core lightly so the knee raise starts under control rather than with a swing.
How to do it
- Begin pulling yourself up toward the bar as you would for a chin-up.
- As you rise, simultaneously draw your knees up toward your chest, contracting your abs.
- Reach the top of both movements together, chin near the bar and knees drawn high.
- Lower your knees back down as you lower your body, keeping both movements controlled and synced.
- Reach a full hang with legs relaxed at the bottom before starting the next rep.
Form cues
- Pull and knee raise happen together, not one then the other.
- Knees come up under control, no kicking or swinging.
- Full hang at the bottom, every rep.
- Chin and knees reach the top at the same time.
Breathing: Exhale as you pull up and draw your knees in, inhale as you lower back down to a full hang.
Common mistakes
Swinging the legs to generate momentum for the knee raise instead of lifting them with the abs.
Fix: Slow the whole rep down and brace your core before you start pulling, so the knee raise comes from abdominal contraction rather than a kick.
Completing the pull-up first and only then raising the knees as a separate motion.
Fix: Practice starting the knee raise from the very first inch of the pull, so both movements build together instead of happening one after the other.
Cutting the pull-up short to make the combined movement feel easier.
Fix: If the full combination is too demanding right now, reduce the reps rather than shortening the pull; a full range on fewer reps builds more than a partial range on more.
How to program it
- As a demanding combination of two bodyweight movements, once or twice a week with good recovery between sessions is appropriate.
- Three sets of five to eight reps is a reasonable starting point, since the combined coordination demand makes this harder than either movement alone at the same rep count.
- If the full combination is too much at first, alternate sessions between plain pull-ups and hanging leg raises to build both qualities separately before combining them.
- This works well as one of the last exercises in a back or core session, since it's demanding enough that form tends to suffer if attempted after heavy fatigue elsewhere.
Safety notes
- Stop the set if your grip gives out before your abs or lats do; grip fatigue is common with this combined movement and pushing through it risks a dropped rep.
- Keep the knee raise controlled rather than explosive to avoid straining your hip flexors or lower back.
- If you can't yet complete a full pull-up, build that strength first with an assisted version before adding the knee raise on top.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many reps of gorilla chin/crunch should I do?
Three sets of five to eight reps is a good starting range. The combined demand of pulling and crunching at once makes this harder than either movement alone, so lower reps with full range are the priority.
What if I can't do a full pull-up yet?
Build your pull-up strength first with an assisted version, then add hanging leg raises separately to build the abdominal side. Combine the two into the full gorilla chin/crunch once both pieces feel solid on their own.
Is gorilla chin/crunch mainly a back exercise or an abs exercise?
Both. The pulling portion trains your lats and biceps the same way a chin-up does, while the simultaneous knee raise trains your abdominals. It's designed to work both in the same rep rather than favoring one.
Why do my legs swing during the knee raise?
This usually means momentum is doing the work instead of your abs. Slow the movement down and brace your core before pulling, so the knees rise from a controlled contraction rather than a kick.