Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Side Bridge Hip Abduction: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The side bridge hip abduction is a bodyweight exercise that targets the hip abductors, glutes, and obliques. It involves holding a side plank position while lifting the top leg, challenging both strength and stability.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Obliques
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the side bridge hip abduction
Front view: muscles worked by the side bridge hip abduction. Primary: glutes. Secondary: obliques.
Back view: muscles worked by the side bridge hip abduction. Primary: glutes. Secondary: obliques.
Primary Secondary

How to do the side bridge hip abduction

  1. Step 1: Lie on your side with your legs extended and stacked on top of each other.
  2. Step 2: Prop yourself up on your forearm, keeping your elbow directly below your shoulder.
  3. Step 3: Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your head to your feet.
  4. Step 4: While keeping your core engaged, lift your top leg as high as possible without rotating your hips.
  5. Step 5: Pause for a moment at the top, then lower your leg back down.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the side bridge hip abduction 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.

Side Bridge Hip Abduction alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

More glutes exercises

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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.