Legs · Bodyweight
Abduction Lying Alternate Butterfly
How to do the abduction lying alternate butterfly, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with knees bent and the soles of your feet together in a butterfly position. Let both knees fall open, then lift and lower one knee toward the ceiling at a time, alternating sides. Keep your lower back flat on the floor.
- 1Feel the outer hips and glutes opening each knee out
- 2Keep your lower back pressed flat to the floor
- 3Move one knee at a time under control
Common mistakes
- Don't arch your lower back as the knees open
- Avoid using momentum to swing the knee up
- Don't let your feet pull apart; keep the soles together
Muscles worked
The abduction lying alternate butterfly mainly works the glutes, with the external rotators, adductors, and hip flexors assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- External RotatorsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the abduction lying alternate butterfly for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
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- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.