Side Lying Leg Raise

Perform the side lying leg raise to strengthen your hip abductors and improve stability.

  1. Lie on your side with your legs straight and stacked on top of each other.
  2. Support your head with your lower arm and place your upper hand on the floor in front of you for balance.
  3. Lift your top leg towards the ceiling while keeping it straight.
  4. Lower your leg back to the starting position without letting it touch the bottom leg.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions before switching sides.

How to perform the Side Lying Leg Raise

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Side Lying Leg Raise using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your glutes.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your glutes rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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Variations of Side Lying Leg Raise

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