Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Side Plank Hip Adduction: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The side plank hip adduction is a bodyweight exercise that targets the adductors while also engaging the obliques and glutes. It requires maintaining a side plank position while lifting the top leg, challenging both strength and balance.

Primary muscles
Not recorded
Secondary muscles
Obliques , Glutes
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the side plank hip adduction
Front view: muscles worked by the side plank hip adduction. Secondary: obliques and glutes.
Back view: muscles worked by the side plank hip adduction. Secondary: obliques and glutes.
Primary Secondary

How to do the side plank hip adduction

  1. Step 1: Start by lying 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 maintaining the side plank position, lift your top leg towards the ceiling, keeping it straight.
  5. Step 5: Slowly lower your leg back down to the starting position.
  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 plank hip adduction 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.

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.