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Exercise guide
Side Plank Leg Lift Hold
A side plank held with the top leg raised: the hips stay lifted and square while the top leg is abducted, adding a glute medius demand to the lateral trunk hold.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- gluteus medius · obliques · gluteus maximus · rectus abdominis · transverse abdominis
- Goals
- endurance · strength · hypertrophy
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
How to perform the movement
- Set up in a side plank on the forearm with the elbow under the shoulder and the feet stacked.
- Lift the hips until the body forms a straight line from the ankles to the head.
- Raise the top leg to roughly hip height, keeping the toes pointing forward.
- Hold the position for the prescribed time, keeping the hips high and the shoulder stacked.
- Lower the leg and the hips under control and repeat on the other side.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Push the supporting shoulder away from the ear so the chest does not collapse towards the floor.
- Stop the set when the hips start to drop, not when the leg gets tired.
Make the movement easier or harder
- Bend the bottom knee to the floor for an easier version that keeps the leg lift intact.