{"id":2535,"date":"2025-02-25T05:42:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T05:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/how-to-perform-side-leg-raises-a-guide-to-techniques-tips-and-benefits.html"},"modified":"2025-02-25T05:42:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T05:42:54","slug":"how-to-perform-side-leg-raises-a-guide-to-techniques-tips-and-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/how-to-perform-side-leg-raises-a-guide-to-techniques-tips-and-benefits.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Perform Side Leg Raises: A Guide to Techniques, Tips, and Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Although it looks like a simple move, the side leg raise packs a lot of benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Not only is it versatile enough to be performed anywhere \u2014 even during a\u00a0Netflix binge\u00a0\u2014 but it also helps \u201cturn on\u201d your glute muscles (the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus), which assist during other exercises like squats\u00a0and\u00a0lunges.<\/p>\n<p>That can also help with daily activity, especially in preventing\u00a0lower back pain, according to yoga teacher and trainer Samantha Parker, E-RYT, CPT.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActivating and strengthening the glutes provides support to the pelvis, which can help decrease or even prevent back pain (depending on its source),\u201d she says. \u201cAt the same time, this also helps to \u2018lift\u2019 the butt, so you get a stronger backside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do side leg raises with perfect form.<\/p>\n<h2>Lying Side Leg Raises: Step-by-Step Instructions<\/h2>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/players.brightcove.net\/1634697872\/default_default\/index.html?videoId=6351049374112\" width=\"608\" height=\"342\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lie on your right side with your forearm supporting your upper body, your left leg straight, and your head right leg at a 90 degree angle.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping your core engaged, slowly lift your top leg until you feel your hips begin to tilt upward.<\/li>\n<li>Pause, and then lower your top leg to the starting position. Complete all repetitions and then switch sides, performing equal reps on both.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Make it harder:<\/strong> To make side leg raises more challenging, loop a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees, to further challenge your strength. Or you can keep your legs together and lift them both off the mat simultaneously, which will engage the adductors of the bottom leg.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Form tips:<\/strong>\u00a0When lifting and lowering your top leg, the slower you move, the harder your muscles will be working, Parker says. Go too fast, and you\u2019ll be using momentum instead of strength.<\/p>\n<p>She also suggests being mindful of activating your abdominals. This will help engage your core, and also limit the amount of movement in your torso, isolating the muscles more effectively.<\/p>\n<h2>What Muscles Does a Side Leg Raise Work?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Because you\u2019re working against gravity and trying to maintain stability, side leg raises make for a great addition to a bodyweight strength training workout, especially for your hips, glutes, and core, according to Parker.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what muscle groups are firing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Glutes:<\/strong>\u00a0The\u00a0muscles of your butt not only help you during squats and lunges, they\u2019re also leg abductors (meaning they move your legs away from your midline), particularly the gluteus medius\u00a0and gluteus minimus.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inner thighs:<\/strong>\u00a0In the case of the dual lying side leg raise, the adductors (the muscles of your inner thighs) of your bottom leg will get plenty of work lifting it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Alternatives to the Lying Side Leg Raises<\/h2>\n<p>For some people, the lying side leg raise may exacerbate a hip issue, or simply wear out its welcome. With that in mind, Parker suggests a few other ways to get the benefits.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Clamshell<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-102935\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/clam-shell-square.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"484\" height=\"484\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Lie down on your side same as in the standard leg raise, but with your hips and knees bent. Then raise your top knee as far as you can without rotating your hip or lifting your bottom knee.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Standing leg raise<\/h3>\n<p>Stand tall and use a wall, chair, or countertop for balance, maintaining a straight spine as you lift a leg out to the side.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Fire hydrant<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-104296\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/fire-hydrant-exercise.gif\" alt=\"How to Do the Fire Hydrant Exercise With Perfect Form\" width=\"600\" height=\"321\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Get on all fours and raise one bent leg out to the side at a time. Add a resistance band for an additional challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although it looks like a simple move, the side leg raise packs a lot of benefits. Not only is it versatile enough to be performed anywhere \u2014 even during a\u00a0Netflix binge\u00a0\u2014 but it also helps \u201cturn on\u201d your glute muscles (the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus), which assist during other exercises like squats\u00a0and\u00a0lunges. That can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-2535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}