This exercise involves lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. You then lift one leg up and out to the side, while keeping your hips level and stable. This targets the muscles in your hips and glutes.
Type
Strength
Equipment
Band
Difficulty
Intermediate
Key Benefits
- Strengthens the gluteus medius muscle, which helps with hip stability and balance
- Improves hip mobility and flexibility
- Can help alleviate lower back pain by strengthening the muscles that support the spine
- May improve athletic performance in activities that require hip strength and stability, such as running and jumping
- Can be modified to increase or decrease difficulty based on individual fitness level
How to perform
- Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees.
- Bring your feet together and lift your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes.
- Keeping your feet together, slowly lift your right leg up and out to the side, using the resistance band to add extra resistance.
- Lower your right leg back down to the starting position and repeat on the left side.
- Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.
- Lower your hips back down to the ground and remove the resistance band.
FRONT VIEW
BACK VIEW
Glutes
Primary
Abductors
Primary