Abductors exercise
Side Plank with Leg RaiseHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Obliques
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Side Plank with Leg Raise?
- Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and your legs stacked.
- Lift your hips until your body is straight from head to heels.
- Keeping your hips up, raise your top leg straight up.
- Lower it slowly until your feet touch.
- Finish the set, then switch sides.
Cues
- Hips high and still.
- Toes forward, heel leads.
- Push the floor away with your forearm.
Common mistakes
- Letting the bottom hip sag.
- Rolling the hips back and lifting the leg forward.
- Raising the leg too high so the trunk bends.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Forearm side plank on the right side, facing the camera, with the top (left) leg lifted straight up and lowered each rep.
Starting position
Lie on your right side, right elbow under the right shoulder, forearm on the floor pointing forward, palm down. Legs straight and stacked, the outer edge of the right foot on the floor. Left hand on the left hip. Lift the hips so the head, shoulders, hips and heels make one straight line (about 15–17° above the floor).
The movement
Holding the hips up and square, lift the top leg straight up away from the bottom one, knee straight and toes pointing forward (not up to the ceiling), then lower it until the feet just meet. The hips don't sag, roll back or move.
Breathing
Breathe out as the leg lifts; breathe in as it lowers. Keep breathing; don't hold it for the whole set.
Tempo
1.2 s up, 0.4 s hold, 1.4 s down, 1.0 s with the legs stacked.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body line above the floor | 16–17° | head to heels straight, bend ≤ 5° | |
| Elbow | under the shoulder (0 cm) | ≤ 3 cm | |
| Top leg raise from stacked | 40° (32° between the legs: stacked legs already close in about 8°) | 25–45° between the legs | |
| Top knee | 7° (straight) | ≤ 10° | |
| Bottom knee | 4° | ≤ 10° | |
| Pelvis movement | 0 cm | ≤ 1 cm, no rolling | |
| Toes of the raised leg | forward, in line with the bottom foot | not turned up |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Side Plank with Leg Raise is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- ExRx.net, "Side Bridge Hip Abduction" (side bridge on the forearm, raise the upper leg, lower, hips stay up)
- ACE Exercise Library, "Side Plank" (elbow under the shoulder, straight line head to heels) and side-lying hip abduction (toes forward, avoid rolling back)
- Boren et al. (2011), "Electromyographic analysis of gluteus medius and gluteus maximus during rehabilitation exercises", Int J Sports Phys Ther 6(3)
