Hanging Side Pull

The hanging side pull is a lateral pulling and core exercise performed from a pull-up bar. Instead of pulling your chin vertically over the bar, you keep your arms straight and use one side of your back and core to lift your hips toward one hand while keeping your legs straight and together.

The movement begins from an active hang. You depress the shoulder on the working side, engage the corresponding lat and contract your obliques to move your hips sideways. Although the legs rise during the exercise, the goal is not simply to perform a sideways hanging leg raise. The shoulders, torso, hips and legs should move together without swinging.

The hanging side pull can support your Human Flag training because it develops the lateral pulling action associated with the top arm and strengthens the obliques in a hanging position. It does not train the bottom arm’s pushing action, so it should be combined with exercises such as the Human Flag Plank and other drills from our human flag progression guide.

The exercise can also improve unilateral scapular control, grip endurance and the ability to maintain straight-leg tension. These qualities carry over to more advanced flag variations, including the Tuck Human Flag and Straddle Human Flag.

The hanging side pull is also identified as a human flag preparation exercise in this external human flag technique and progression guide.

The hanging side pull combines unilateral straight-arm pulling with dynamic lateral core work. The lat and scapular muscles on the working side help shift the upper body, while the obliques lift the hip and control the sideways movement of the straight legs.

Primary Muscles

• Latissimus dorsi: The lat on the working side contributes to shoulder adduction and scapular depression as the body moves toward that hand.
• Obliques: The internal and external obliques produce and control lateral trunk flexion while helping lift the hip toward the side.
• Rectus abdominis: Braces the torso and helps prevent excessive spinal extension as the lower body rises.

Secondary Muscles

• Lower trapezius: Assists with scapular depression and shoulder stability.
• Rhomboids and other scapular stabilizers: Control the position of the shoulder blades during the lateral pull.
• Teres major: Assists the latissimus dorsi in controlling the upper arm.
• Quadratus lumborum: Supports lateral flexion and stabilization of the trunk.
• Hip flexors: Help lift and control the straight legs as the hips move upward.
• Quadriceps: Maintain knee extension throughout the exercise.
• Glutes: Help stabilize the pelvis and maintain lower-body tension.
• Forearms and hand muscles: Maintain the grip throughout each repetition.
• Biceps and triceps: Contract isometrically to stabilize the straight elbows.

The hanging side pull develops the lateral pulling component used by the top arm during the Human Flag. Because it does not include the bottom-arm pushing action, combine it with the Human Flag Plank or another exercise that specifically trains that part of the skill.