Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Band Lying Hip Internal Rotation: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The band lying hip internal rotation is an exercise that targets the glutes and helps improve hip mobility and strength. It is performed lying on your back with a resistance band looped around your feet, focusing on rotating the knees outward while keeping the feet together.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Quads , Hamstrings
Equipment
Band
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the band lying hip internal rotation
Front view: muscles worked by the band lying hip internal rotation. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads and hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the band lying hip internal rotation. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads and hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the band lying hip internal rotation

  1. Step 1: Lie on your back with your legs straight and a resistance band looped around your feet.
  2. Step 2: Bend your knees and bring them towards your chest, keeping your feet together.
  3. Step 3: Slowly rotate your knees outwards, away from each other, while keeping your feet together.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the end of the rotation, then slowly return to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the band lying hip internal rotation by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Band Lying Hip Internal Rotation alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

More glutes exercises

See the best glute exercises, ranked →

Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.