Legs · Bodyweight
Side Hip Abduction
How to do the side hip abduction, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your side with legs stacked and your body in a straight line, propping your head on your lower arm. Keeping the top leg straight, raise it toward the ceiling using your glute, then lower under control. Finish your reps, then switch sides.
- 1The side of your glute lifting the top leg
- 2A straight leg and a steady, upright hip
- 3Control on the way up and the way down
Common mistakes
- Rolling your hips backward to gain height
- Swinging the leg with momentum
- Letting your toes turn up and shift to hip flexors
Muscles worked
The side hip abduction mainly works the glutes, with the lower abs and obliques assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the side hip abduction 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.