Legs · Bodyweight
Abduction Lying Butterfly
How to do the abduction lying 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 toward the floor at the same time, then draw them back up together. Keep your lower back flat throughout.
- 1Feel both outer hips and glutes opening the knees out
- 2Keep your lower back pressed flat to the floor
- 3Open and close both knees together under control
Common mistakes
- Don't arch your lower back as the knees open
- Avoid using momentum to bounce the knees
- Don't let your feet pull apart; keep the soles together
Muscles worked
The abduction lying 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 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
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- 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.