Side Hip Abduction

Setup

1. 01Lie on one side with the bottom arm supporting the head.
2. 02Stack the hips and shoulders vertically, legs straight and together.
3. 03Shift the top leg slightly behind the body line and rotate the toes slightly down.
4. 04Brace the trunk lightly so the pelvis cannot roll.

Execution

1. 01Raise the top leg toward the ceiling in a smooth arc.
2. 02Stop around 30 to 45 degrees, before the pelvis starts to hike.
3. 03Pause for a second at the top.
4. 04Lower over 2 seconds without letting the legs touch down fully between reps.

Checkpoints

• -Pelvis stays stacked and still; only the leg moves.
• -The heel leads the lift with toes angled slightly toward the floor.
• -The burn lands in the side of the hip, not the front of the thigh.
• -Tempo stays slow and deliberate in both directions.

Common mistakes

• -Rolling the pelvis backward to lift higher.
• -Letting the leg drift forward, which shifts work to the TFL and hip flexors.
• -Swinging the leg with momentum.
• -Lifting far past 45 degrees by hiking the hip.