How to do it
You need: Exercise mat.
Lie on your side on a mat with both legs straight and in line with your body. Rest your head on your lower arm and place your top hand on the floor in front of you for balance.
- Keep your top leg straight and in line with your body, not forward of it.
- Lift the top leg towards the ceiling to about hip-width apart.
- Turn the toes very slightly down towards the floor as you lift.
- Lower the leg slowly back down, stopping just before it rests on the bottom leg.
Form cues
- The leg lifts straight up in line with your trunk, not drifting forwards.
- You feel the work in the side of your buttock, not the front of the hip or the lower back.
- Your waist stays long - do not let it sink towards the floor.
Common mistakes
- Lifting the leg too high or swinging it forwards, which uses the hip flexors instead.
- Letting your top hip roll backwards.
- Resting the leg all the way down between reps, which lets the load spike on each lift.
Safety: Stop and message your physio if you get sharp pain on the bony point at the side of the hip, or pain lying on that side at night gets worse.