Side Leg Raises

What are Side Leg Raises? 

Side leg raises is a core and leg exercise that involves you lying on the floor on your side, and abducting your leg (pushing them) away from the midline. You can also perform this whilst standing up. This exercise is great to develop strength and endurance in the core, thighs, and hip abductors.

Side Leg Raises Muscles Worked

The side leg raise is great for developing strength in the outer thighs and hip abductors, with the primary muscles being targeted being the abdominals and obliques. The secondary muscles targeted are the hip adductors, glutes, and quadriceps. Strengthening these muscles through this exercise can also help avoid injury to the knees, hips, and lower back. You can perform this whilst lying down on your side or standing on your feet using only your body weight, which will reap the same benefits.

What level is the Side Leg Raises?

This exercise is great for beginners as they are simple to do, and is very effective in targeting the midsection and lower body. When this exercise gets too easy, you will need to increase the volume of your sets to feel the burn on the targeted muscles. 

You can also superset this with another exercise such as the jumping jacks to increase the time under tension on muscles. I have written a superset article that will guide you on how to utilize this training concept to increase the intensity of your workouts.

2.Lift Your Legs

Exhale as you lift your top leg vertically upwards until it reaches 45 degrees or above. Count 2 seconds as you do this. Keep your legs straight and core engaged. Pause for a second at the top position. Ensure your hips are squared and facing forward.

3. Lower Your Leg

Inhale as you return back to the starting position, counting 2 seconds as you do this.

4.Repeat

Repeat this movement between 8-20 reps for 4 sets. Practice on both sides in a single set.

Side Leg Raises Workout

Beginners should perform between 10-12 reps for 4 sets, 3 times a week.

The intermediate level should perform between 12-20  reps for 4 sets, 3 times a week.

The advanced level should perform between 20+ reps for 4 sets, 3 times a week.

Curtsey Lunge

The curtsey lunge is a beneficial, functional, and compound exercise that targets the glutes, quadriceps, hip abductors, and core. This exercise will fire your core away as they act as a stabilizer for your body.

The lunge is a compound movement that targets both your core and lower body muscles, check out this lunges tutorial to learn six different variations and create a new stimulus, which will help you to progress over time. To perform this, you will:

1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and arms down by your sides.
2. Inhale as you draw an anti-clockwise semi-circle with your left foot back and around your right foot. Lower into a lunge until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Bring your arms in front to help with balance. Engage your core to keep your torso straight.
3. Exhale as you return back to the starting position, and repeat this movement on the opposite side.
4. Repeat this movement between 8-20 reps for 4 sets.

Side leg kicks

This variation automatically recruits your core muscles to execute the movement, which is called reactive core training. Instead of raising your leg up, you will kick your leg forward in front of your to until it’s at a 90 degrees angle in relation to the torso. To perform this, you will:

1. Lie on your right side with your head resting on your right hand. You can place your left hand on your side or in front of your stomach for support. Keep your body straight, and your feet stacked on top of each other. This is your starting position.
2. Lift your top leg up at hip height and sweep the left leg in front until it forms a 90 degrees angle with your torso. Keep your leg straight and core engaged throughout this movement.
3. Inhale as you return back to the starting position.
4. Repeat this movement between 8-20 reps for 4 sets.

Side Leg Circles

Single leg circles target your core, hip abductors, and hip adductors. From a side-lying position, you will draw circles with your top leg either clockwise, anti-clockwise, or both! To perform this, you will:

1. Lie on your right side with your head resting on your right hand. Your left hand is either on your side or placed in front of your stomach for support. Keep your body straight with legs stacked and toes pointed. This is your starting position.
2. Lift your top leg up and draw circles with this leg. Count 2-3 seconds to complete a single circle.
3. Repeat on the opposite side, and perform this movement between 8-18 reps for 4 sets.

The Takeaways: Side Leg Raises

Side leg raises are great for working your upper legs and core, and there are many variations to create a new stimulus to keep on building functional strength. Doing this exercise will help to develop balance and hinder your hip joints from encountering strains or other injuries.

Having strong hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip abductors will guard your knees as well as hips, therefore, combining side leg raises with other lower-body and core exercises will prepare you for daily activities like walking and running. Whether you have time for the gym or not, if you want to get a quick workout in, side leg raises are great as you can do them anywhere and anytime with little space needed.

Use the tips and tricks in this tutorial to develop the strength and endurance of your body for a mountain of strength and health benefits. If you enjoy reading this article, I recommend you to check out this mountain climber guide as this exercise is similar to the side leg raises.

About the Author

My name is Pat Chadwick, I am a calisthenics coach with over 4 years of experience in helping people from all backgrounds to achieve their calisthenics goals. My goal is to become the number one calisthenics coach in the world as it is my passion to help people change their lives through inspiring bodyweight movements. I believe everyone deserves the right to feel good about their health, body, and be delighted inside and out.