Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Side Hip Abduction: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

Side hip abduction is a bodyweight exercise that targets the hip abductors, helping to strengthen the outer thighs and hips. It also engages the glutes and quadriceps as secondary muscles. This movement is commonly used for strengthening, mobility, and rehabilitation purposes.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Quads
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the side hip abduction
Front view: muscles worked by the side hip abduction. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads.
Back view: muscles worked by the side hip abduction. Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads.
Primary Secondary

How to do the side hip abduction

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips.
  2. Step 2: Shift your weight to one leg and lift the opposite leg out to the side, keeping it straight.
  3. Step 3: Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your leg back down to the starting position.
  4. Step 4: Repeat on the other side.
  5. Step 5: Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the side 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 Hip Abduction 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.