Leg Tuck: How to Do It, Benefits, and Tips

The leg tuck is a bodyweight exercise that tests your core, grip, and upper body strength. It became well known through military fitness tests, especially the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). In this move, you hang from a bar and lift your knees to touch your elbows.

It may look simple, but it takes real strength and control. This article will cover what the leg tuck is, how to do it right, which muscles it works, and how to get better at it.

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Quick Summary

• What it is: A bodyweight exercise that combines a pull-up with a knee raise to blast your core, arms, and grip strength.
• Benefits: Builds functional strength, improves military fitness test performance (ACFT), and enhances overall athleticism.
• Proper form: Hang from a bar, pull up while lifting knees to elbows, and control the descent to avoid swinging.
• Beginner tips: Start with dead hangs, knee raises, or assisted leg tucks if you’re not strong enough yet.
• The best supplements for enhancing leg tuck performance include Wild Thing, which helps increase energy, strength, endurance, and speeds up recovery, allowing you to train harder and improve faster.

What is a Leg Tuck?

A leg tuck is a powerful bodyweight exercise where you hang from a bar, pull yourself up, and lift your knees to your elbows in one smooth motion. Think of it as a mix between a pull-up and a knee raise—it works your arms, core, and grip all at once.

This exercise works important muscles like the abdominals, hip flexors, and back muscles, making it a great full-body workout for strength and endurance. The leg tuck is often used in military fitness tests, such as the US Army Combat Fitness Test, to measure a person’s strength and ability to perform climbing and obstacle tasks.

Why Is It Called a "Leg Tuck"?

• "Leg" = You lift your knees (legs) up.
• "Tuck" = You squeeze them tight toward your chest (like tucking into a ball).

Muscles Worked: Leg Tuck

The leg tuck is a full-body exercise that hits multiple muscle groups at once. Here’s a simple breakdown of the key muscles it targets:

• Core Muscles (Primary Focus):

  • Rectus Abdominis (Your "Six-Pack" Abs): These are the muscles at the front of your stomach that flex your spine, pulling your rib cage and pelvis closer together as you tuck your knees up.

  • Obliques (Side Abs): Located on the sides of your waist, they help stabilize your torso and assist in the twisting motion if your knees come up slightly to the side.

  • Transverse Abdominis (Deep Core Muscle): This deep muscle acts like a natural weight belt, bracing your spine and creating stability throughout the movement.

• Hip Flexors: These muscles (like the iliopsoas) are crucial for lifting your legs and bringing your knees towards your chest. They work hard to pull your lower body upwards.

• Lats (Latissimus Dorsi - Back Muscles): Even though it's a core exercise, your lats in your upper back play a big role in stabilizing your body as you hang from the bar. They help you stay steady and prevent excessive swinging.

• Forearms & Grip: Holding onto the bar for the entire exercise significantly challenges your grip strength and the muscles in your forearms. A strong grip is essential for performing multiple repetitions.

• Biceps & Shoulders: These muscles assist in stabilizing your upper body and initiating the slight pull needed to bring your chest closer to the bar as you tuck your legs. They support the movement, especially when trying to get your knees high.

Benefits of the Leg Tuck

• Builds core strength: It works your abdominal muscles, which help keep your body stable and balanced.
• Improves upper body strength: It strengthens your arms, shoulders, and back muscles used to pull yourself up.
• Increases endurance: Doing leg tucks regularly helps your muscles work longer without getting tired.
• Enhances grip strength: Holding onto the bar during the exercise makes your hands and forearms stronger.
• Useful for real-life tasks: It trains your body for climbing, pulling, and lifting.
• Helps with posture and balance: A strong core and back help you stand and move better every day.
• Prepares you for fitness tests: The leg tuck is often used in military and fitness tests to measure strength and endurance.
• Improves Athletic Performance: Better for sports, martial arts, and hiking than isolated ab exercises.

How to Do a Leg Tuck

1. Start by hanging from a pull-up bar with your arms straight and your feet off the ground. Use an alternating grip, meaning one hand faces forward and the other faces backward. You can also use an overhand grip (both palms facing away), but it might be harder.
2. Keep your body straight and your feet together without touching the ground or the bar.
3. When you are ready, bend your elbows, hips, and knees to pull your knees or thighs up toward your elbows. Your goal is to bring your thighs at least parallel to the ground, or ideally, get your knees to touch your elbows (or as close as you can get them).
4. Hold this position for a moment, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position with your arms fully extended.
5. Make sure your elbows are straight when you hang; if they stay bent, the leg tuck does not count.
6. Avoid swinging your body or using momentum to lift your legs. Move in a controlled way to get the best results.
7. You can rest while hanging with straight arms, but do not touch the ground or push off with your feet.

Tips for Your Leg Tuck

• Build your pulling strength: Practice pull-ups and chin-ups to make your arms and back stronger. This helps you pull your body up during the leg tuck.
• Work on your core: Do exercises like planks and leg raises to strengthen your abdominal muscles, which are important for lifting your legs.
• Use proper form: Keep your arms straight when hanging and avoid swinging your body. Move slowly and with control to get the best results.
• Practice grip strength: Strong hands help you hold the bar longer. Try hanging from the bar or using grip trainers to improve your grip.
• Train regularly and progress: Practice leg tucks often and try easier versions if needed, like assisted leg tucks or negatives (slowly lowering yourself). Gradually increase difficulty over time.
• Warm up before training: Always warm up your muscles before doing leg tucks to avoid injury and improve performance.
• Avoid Swinging: The biggest mistake is using momentum (swinging your body) instead of muscular strength. Try to keep your body as still as possible, focusing on the core doing the work.
• Breathe: Exhale as you tuck your knees up, and inhale as you lower them.
• Focus on the Core: Really think about your abdominal muscles contracting to pull your legs up.
• Start Slow: If you're new, focus on getting just a few good, controlled reps rather than many messy ones.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Not fully extending your arms: Your arms should be straight when you hang. If your elbows stay bent, the leg tuck does not count.
• Using momentum or swinging: Swinging your body to lift your legs makes the exercise easier but less effective. Move slowly and with control.
• Letting your grip slip: If your hands are weak or sweaty, you might lose grip on the bar. Work on grip strength and use chalk if needed.
• Rushing the movement: Doing leg tucks too fast can cause poor form and increase injury risk. Take your time with each rep.
• Holding your breath: Remember to breathe steadily throughout the exercise to keep your muscles working well.
• Not reaching full range of motion: This involves not fully extending your arms at the bottom of the movement, or not bringing your knees high enough (e.g., not touching your elbows or thighs). You're not getting the full benefit of the exercise.

Leg Tuck Progression

If you're finding the full leg tuck challenging, don't worry! Like any exercise, you can build up to it. Progression means starting with easier versions or related exercises to build the necessary strength, then slowly moving towards the full movement. Here’s how you can progress your leg tuck:

Step 1: Build Foundational Strength

Before attempting hanging leg tucks, make sure you have enough grip and core strength.

• Dead Hangs:

  • How to do it: Just grab a pull-up bar with an overhand or alternating grip and hang there for as long as you can.

  • Why it helps: This builds crucial grip strength and gets your shoulders used to the hanging position. Start with 20-30 second holds and aim for longer.

• Planks:

  • How to do it: Hold your body straight like a board, supported on your forearms and toes.

  • Why it helps: This is excellent for building foundational core stability, which is essential for controlling your body during a leg tuck.

Step 2: Develop Core Control While Hanging

Once you can hang comfortably, start working on controlled leg movements.

• Hanging Knee Raises (Half Reps):

  • How to do it: From a dead hang, simply pull your knees up towards your chest as high as you comfortably can. Don't worry about getting them to your elbows yet. Focus on keeping your upper body still and not swinging.

  • Why it helps: This directly targets your lower abs and hip flexors, which are key for the "tuck" part of the exercise, without requiring the full range of motion.

• Hanging L-Sits (or Partial L-Sits):

  • How to do it: From a dead hang, try to raise your straight legs out in front of you until they are parallel to the ground (forming an "L" shape with your body). If you can't go fully straight, try to raise them as high as possible with straight legs.

  • Why it helps: This is an advanced core and hip flexor exercise that directly translates to the strength needed for higher leg tucks.

Step 3: Refine the Full Movement

When you feel stronger from the previous steps, start practicing the full leg tuck with more focus on control.

• Slow & Controlled Leg Tucks:

  • How to do it: Perform the full leg tuck, but focus intensely on doing it as slowly as possible, especially on the way down.

  • Why it helps: This emphasizes muscle engagement over momentum and builds incredible strength and body control. It helps eliminate swinging.

• Aim for Higher Contact:

  • How to do it: As you get stronger, consciously try to get your knees to touch your elbows consistently. This is often the standard for a complete rep.

  • Why it helps: Ensures you're getting the full range of motion and maximizing the core workout.

Step 4: Advanced Leg Tuck Variations

Once you've mastered the standard leg tuck, you can make it even harder.

• Weighted Leg Tucks:

  • How to do it: Hold a dumbbell between your feet or wear an ankle weight.

  • Why it helps: Adds resistance, making your core and hip flexors work even harder.

• Toes-to-Bar:

  • How to do it: Instead of just bringing your knees to your elbows, aim to touch your feet to the bar while keeping your legs mostly straight.

  • Why it helps: This is a very advanced core exercise that requires immense flexibility and strength, pushing your leg tuck ability to the next level.

Leg Tuck Variations

1. Straight-Leg Raise: Hang from the bar and lift your legs straight out in front of you, keeping them together. This works your core even more and is harder than the regular leg tuck.
2. Toes-to-Bar: Lift your legs all the way up until your toes touch the bar. This is an advanced move that requires strong core and hip flexibility.
3. Lying Leg Raises: Lie on your back, keep your legs straight (or slightly bent), and lift them towards the ceiling, then slowly lower them without touching the floor
4. Assisted Leg Tuck: Use a resistance band or a chair to support some of your weight while you do the leg tuck. This helps beginners build strength safely.
5. Weighted Leg Tuck: Add a weight vest or hold a dumbbell between your feet while doing leg tucks to increase difficulty and build more strength.
6. L-Sit Hold: Hang from the bar and lift your legs straight out in front of you, then hold that position as long as you can. This helps build endurance in your core and hip flexors.

Leg Tuck: Alternatives

1. Hanging Knee Raises: Hang from a bar and lift your knees toward your chest. It is easier than leg tucks, but still works your core and hip muscles.
2. Plank: Hold your body straight like a push-up position on your elbows or hands. This helps build strong abs and core muscles.
3. Sit-Ups: Lie on your back and lift your upper body toward your knees. Sit-ups strengthen your abdominal muscles.
4. Mountain Climbers: Start in a push-up position and quickly bring your knees toward your chest one at a time. This works your core and improves endurance.
5. Leg Raises on the Floor: Lie flat on your back and slowly lift your legs up and down without touching the floor. This helps strengthen your lower abs.
6. Hollow Body Hold: Lie on your back, extend your arms behind your head, and your legs straight. Lift your head, shoulders, and legs slightly off the ground, flattening your lower back against the floor.
7. Reverse Crunches: Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your feet off the floor. Use your abs to curl your hips off the floor, bringing your knees towards your chest.

Best Supplement to Support Your Leg Tuck

1. Wild Thing by Assault Labs

Wild Thing is a pre-workout formula that includes amino acids, creatine, and nootropic ingredients. It is designed to support muscle endurance, focus, and energy during training.

The formula includes a blend of caffeine sources, such as ZumXR®, Infinergy®, and two additional types, which provide both immediate and sustained energy release.

It also contains ingredients aimed at improving blood flow and muscle pumps. Wild Thing may support mental alertness and physical performance throughout a full workout session.

Key Benefits:

• It helps increase workout energy.
• It helps improve mental focus during training.
• It supports strength during exercise.
• It may enhance muscle pumps.
• It helps improve muscle endurance.
• It may support your mood during workouts.
• It helps speed up muscle recovery.
• It helps reduce muscle fatigue.
• It may support better muscle control.
• It may improve cognitive performance.
• It helps maintain energy throughout the entire workout

Key Ingredients:

• DiCitrulline Malate/Infinergy®
• Beta-Alanine
• Alpha GPC
• Agmatine Sulfate
• Creatine Anhydrous
• L-Glutamine
• Choline Bitartrate
• Caffeine Anhydrous
• L-Tyrosine
• L-Norvaline
• ZumXR®
• Huperzine A
• Infinergy®
• Cocoabuterol®
• Thinkamine®

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Amino-Gro by iSatori is a supplement designed to support muscle growth, recovery, and hydration. It contains a clinically studied 2:1:1 ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—combined with glutamine and Bio-Gro bio-active peptides. These ingredients help improve muscle protein synthesis and speed up recovery after workouts.

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Final Thoughts

The leg tuck is a strong exercise that works the core, arms, and back muscles. It is often used in fitness and military tests to measure strength and endurance.

This move engages several muscle groups at the same time. There are different versions and easier alternatives for all fitness levels.

Proper form is important to get the most from the exercise. Overall, the leg tuck is an effective way to build upper body and core strength.