Bodyweight Hip Abduction
A side-lying leg raise that targets the glute medius — a small but important glute exercise for hip stability and shape.
How to do it
- Lie on your side on a mat with your legs stacked and your bottom arm extended under your head for support.
- Stack your hips directly on top of each other and bend your bottom leg slightly for stability.
- Keep your top leg straight with your toes pointing slightly forward and your foot flexed.
- Lift your top leg straight up toward the ceiling in a smooth, controlled motion.
- Stop when you feel a strong contraction in the side of your hip — usually around 30–45 degrees.
- Slowly lower the leg back down without touching the bottom leg, then repeat for reps.
Key technique cue
Don't roll the hips back — lift the leg straight up and out, slowly, no swinging.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Rolling the hips back to lift the leg higher, which lets the hip flexors take over from the glute medius.
- ✕ Lifting the leg too fast, which removes the time under tension that builds the glute.
- ✕ Turning the toes up toward the ceiling so the hip rotates outward, which shifts the work away from the side of the hip.
- ✕ Letting the top hip drift forward — it kills the side-glute contraction and turns the movement into a leg swing.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds the glute medius for hip stability and a rounder glute shape.
- ✓ Improves knee tracking in squats and lunges.
- ✓ Activates the side-hip muscles before leg training.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Bodyweight Hip Abduction
- Banded Clamshell
- Fire Hydrants
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Step 2
About the exercise
The Bodyweight Hip Abduction is a side-lying leg raise that isolates the glute medius — the smaller glute muscle on the side of the hip that most squat and deadlift programs undertrain. A strong glute medius pays off in hip stability, knee tracking, and the rounder glute shape that compound lifts alone don't deliver. It's a workhorse for glute-focused programs, women's training and rehab where hip stability matters. It's also useful as a warm-up activator before squat day, in glute finishers and in lower-body activation work.
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