Training guide
To do a side-lying leg raise, lie on your side with your hips stacked and your bottom knee bent, then lift your straight top leg towards the ceiling with your toes pointing forward and the leg slightly behind your body, and lower it slowly without rolling back. Start with 2 sets of 10 to 12 each side. It's also called a side leg raise, a side-lying leg lift or side-lying hip abduction.
It works the side glutes, the gluteus medius and minimus, harder than clamshells in most studies, though on pooled data the effort is moderate: side planks with a leg lift and single-leg work go further. It belongs in hip and knee strengthening for kneecap pain, but with pain on the outside of your hip it comes last, on your good side with a pillow between your knees.
This guide shows it on the 3D figure, the position details that change which muscle does the work, the versions, what it can and can't do for knee and hip pain, and how many to do.
Lie on your side in one line, bottom knee bent for balance, hips stacked. Lift your straight top leg to about 30 to 45 degrees, heel leading and toes pointing forward, keeping it in line with or slightly behind your body, then lower slowly. Stop before your pelvis tips or rolls back.
The gluteus medius worked at about 40% of its maximum on pooled data from 8 studies, against 17 to 28% for clamshells. Single studies range from about 25% to 81%, depending on how the exercise was done.
Turning your toes up hands the work to the small muscle at the front of the hip. Rolling your pelvis back or hitching your waist to lift higher does the same, or lets your waist take over. A smaller, cleaner lift works the side glutes better.
Adding hip strengthening to knee exercises eased kneecap pain more than knee work alone (14 trials, 673 people). But a hip-only programme built on side-lying raises and clamshells did no better than free activity when everyone was taught about their pain (112 people).
The programme that helped outer hip tendon pain most used no side-lying raise and taught people not to let the thigh cross the body. When side-lying work comes in, lie on your good side with a pillow between your knees, keep the lift small, and keep the bony point on the side of your hip no sorer that night.
Start with 2 sets of 10 to 12 each side, 2 or 3 times a week, and build to 3 sets of 12 to 15 (our editorial starting point, as our beginner and knee guides use it). Trials used 3 sets of 10 building to 3 sets of 20, or 3 sets of 10 with ankle weights.
Lying on your side, hips stacked and the bottom knee bent for balance, you lift your straight top leg up towards the ceiling (hip abduction: moving the leg out to the side) and lower it slowly, keeping the toes pointing forward and the leg in line with or slightly behind your body. Your own leg is the weight.
It's also called a side leg raise (which also covers the standing version), a side-lying leg lift, a lateral leg raise, side-lying hip abduction (the clinical name), or in Pilates the side kick up and down.
In a clamshell your knees stay bent and together and you open the top knee like a book, turning the hip outwards. In a side-lying leg raise the top leg is straight and lifts as a whole. Some exercise libraries online label a clamshell "side-lying hip abduction", so check the picture.
The leg raise works the gluteus medius harder in most studies; the clamshell keeps the muscle at the front of the hip quieter, which makes it the gentler first step.
The gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, the side glutes, run from the side of the pelvis to the bony point of the hip. They lift the leg out and hold your pelvis level when you stand on one leg. The upper part of the gluteus maximus helps, more with the leg slightly behind you.
The tensor fasciae latae, a small muscle at the front of the hip, also lifts the leg out, and takes over if your toes turn up or the leg drifts forward. The side waist muscle (quadratus lumborum) hitches the hip if you let it.
The hip only moves out to the side to about 45 degrees, as the American Council on Exercise (ACE) explains, so a higher leg means your pelvis or waist is doing the lifting. Most studies lifted to about 30 to 35 degrees.
Being comfortable lying on your side, as our move page says. With a sore outer hip, pad it and lie on your good side (see outer hip pain below).
People with weak side hips hitched the hip more when ankle weights were added and showed less gluteus medius activity in this exercise. In 12 people with kneecap pain, the gluteus medius worked less than in 20 people without it in 3 of 11 side-hip exercises, hip abduction among them. Start with body weight and a small lift.
How high the leg goes varies with your hip shape: stop before the pelvis tips (our editorial cue). Outer hip tendon pain is more common in women: 167 of the 204 people in the main trial were women.
From our move page, ACE, Physitrack and a Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS leaflet ("Lift your top leg up, level with your hip"), in our editorial wording. The pace is from lab protocols, used here as a cue.
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The movement on the figure: Side-lying leg raise
In 20 distance runners, with a light ankle weight and a 35 degree lift, toes forward worked the gluteus medius at about 79% of its maximum and the tensor fasciae latae at 54%. Turning the toes up made the front-of-hip muscle the busiest (71%) and dropped the gluteus medius to 53%. (The study's abstract prints 70.1% for the gluteus medius; its results give 79.1%.) Turning the hip slightly in raised gluteus medius activity, and turning it out raised the front-of-hip muscle, in healthy people and in people with weak side hips.
In 12 men, the leg slightly behind the body and very slightly turned in worked the gluteus medius (59%) and the back part of the gluteus minimus (55%) most, late in the lift, of 9 positions tested. Letting the leg drift forward brings the front-of-hip muscle in.
In 21 people with weak side hips, rolling the pelvis back cut gluteus medius activity from 30% to 20% of maximum and raised the front-of-hip muscle from 25% to 35%. Rolling very slightly forward raised the gluteus medius to 41%.
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In 18 people, holding the lower back steady raised gluteus medius activity from 25% to 46%, cut the side waist muscle's from 60% to 28%, and reduced the side tilt of the pelvis from about 14 degrees to 6. A small rolled towel under the waist didn't change the gluteus medius but quietened the other muscles. Cues to draw the tummy in are mixed: one lowered gluteus medius activity.
In 24 women with weak side hips, ankle weights of 3% and 5% of body weight mostly raised the side waist muscle (from 49% to 82% and 92% of its maximum), so the hip hitched more and the gluteus medius did less of the work. Studies that used weights chose 3 to 5% of body weight.
A review of 56 muscle-activity (EMG, electromyography: the electrical signal of a working muscle) studies pooled 8 studies of this exercise: the gluteus medius worked at about 40% of its maximum (95% CI, the range the true value probably lies in, 33 to 48%), which the authors call moderate. A review of 9 studies (197 people) found 27% to 81% and put the spread down to the angle, the pelvis position and whether the leg was in front of or behind the body. Single studies: 81% in 21 people, 63% in 24, 42% in 11, 43% in 10.
Clamshells pooled at 17 to 28%. In 21 people the side-lying raise drew 81% against 38% and 40% for two clamshells, and in 21 women with weak side hips 54% against 26%. But in 11 men doing 10 maximal reps, the raise, the clamshell and the hip abduction machine worked the gluteus medius alike, and with fine-wire electrodes in 20 people the clamshell had the best balance of glute to front-of-hip activity of 11 exercises.
The back part of the gluteus minimus worked at about 44% in one study. On MRI after 40 reps in 10 adults, a turned-out version changed the gluteus medius more than clamshells (13% against 5%), but the gluteus minimus (18%) and the front-of-hip muscle (18%) most.
In 24 people, side planks with a leg lift drew 103% and 89% against 63% for the side-lying raise, ranked 7th of 18. Single-leg squats, hip hitches and single-leg bridges also work the side glutes harder, and modelled muscle forces in 14 female footballers put the side plank and loaded single-leg squats and Romanian deadlifts in the top tier. In women with weak side hips, the side waist muscle works much harder in side planks too (122% against 80%).
Lying on your side, the hip lifts the leg's weight against gravity, which worked the gluteus medius harder than standing leg raises without a weight in healthy adults.
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These studies measure effort over a few reps, which doesn't predict what a muscle will build over weeks. We found no growth trial of side-lying raises; loaded cable hip abduction grew the side glutes a little over 10 weeks.
Lying belt-press holds, 3 to 5 of 5 to 10 seconds, and standing wall-press holds, 3 to 5 of 5 to 15 seconds each side, twice a day (the move pages' doses, from the outer hip pain trial). Clamshells, 2 or 3 sets of 12 to 15 each side (our clamshell guide). Side-lying leg raises, 2 sets of 10 to 12 each side, building to 3 sets of 12 to 15 (our editorial starting point; the move page gives no dose). Pilates side kicks, 8 to 10 each side, and leg circles, 8 each direction (the move pages' doses). Standing band hip abduction, 1 to 2 sets of 12 to 15 (our glute challenge workout B). Hip hitches, 2 sets of 10, building to 3 sets of 15 slow reps each side (the move page's dose). Side planks with a leg lift, 2 sets of 8 to 10 each side once side planks are steady (our strength workout for runners at home). The hip abduction machine, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 (our glute workouts).
3D demoSupine isometric hip abduction (belt press)Beginner · A band
3D demoStanding wall-press hip abductionBeginner · A wall
3D demoClamshellBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide-lying leg raiseBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide kick (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSide-lying leg circles (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoStanding band hip abductionBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoHip hitch (pelvic drop)Beginner · A step
3D demoSide plank with leg liftAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoHip abduction machineBeginner · Strength machineThe same move as the demo, lying on your good side with a pillow (or two) between your knees, the top leg level with your body or slightly behind it. NHS inform starts with 2 to 3 lifts at a time, building to 8, up to 2 sets of 15. Royal Berkshire starts with a hold, the top leg "no higher than 1cm off the pillow", using two pillows; St George's holds 1 cm off the pillow for 15 to 45 seconds, toes "pointing forwards, NOT towards the ceiling".
A knee arthritis trial used ankle cuff weights at a load people could lift about 10 times, 3 sets of 10. Add one only once 3 sets of 15 are easy and your waist stays still.
A loop band above the knees or round the ankles adds resistance at the top of the lift. We found no study of a band in this exercise; it's our editorial option once body weight is easy.
If lying on your side isn't comfortable, the NHS's sideways leg lift is done standing, holding a chair: 5 each leg, at least twice a week. Arthritis UK's version holds for 5 seconds, 5 each side, and notes it can be done lying sideways. Our wall side leg lift is the closest demo.
Hip and knee strengthening together eased kneecap (patellofemoral) pain by about 1.5 points out of 10 more than knee strengthening alone (14 trials, 673 people), even without a measurable change in strength. The 2018 international consensus recommends combining hip- and knee-focused exercise, and a 2024 best-practice guide recommends knee exercise, with or without hip exercise, alongside education.
Starting with hip work eased pain sooner in two trials (33 women; 199 people), hip and knee exercise beat knee exercise at a year in 54 women, and hip strengthening beat no exercise in 28 women. We didn't confirm which exercises these trials used.
In 112 people aged 16 to 40 with kneecap pain, a 6-week hip programme of side-lying hip abduction, clamshells and face-down hip extension (3 sets of 10 building to 3 sets of 20, one supervised and two home sessions a week) did no better than knee exercise or free physical activity when everyone had the same education.
In 89 people with knee osteoarthritis, 12 weeks of hip strengthening that included weighted side-lying raises (3 sets of 10, 5 times a week at home) eased pain and improved function against no exercise, without changing the load on the knee. Across 8 trials, adding hip work to thigh exercise improved walking but not pain.
Runners with iliotibial band pain had weaker hip abductors, and 22 of 24 were back running pain-free after a 6-week gluteus medius programme. There was no comparison group, so this is weak evidence.
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Pain from 0 to 2 out of 10 is fine, and up to 5 is acceptable if your knee is back to its usual level by the next morning; for tendon pain just below or above the kneecap, keep it to 3 or less. Sharp, catching or giving-way pain, or new swelling, means stop. That's our knee guides' rule.
In the LEAP trial (204 people aged 35 to 70 with outer hip tendon pain, or gluteal tendinopathy), education plus exercise succeeded at 8 weeks in 51 of 66 people, against 38 of 65 after a steroid injection and 20 of 68 with wait and see. Its programme began with holds lying on your back and standing, then moved to bridges, squats and side steps. It had no side-lying leg raise, and used side-lying with pillows only as a test, "to avoid compressive loading" of the tendons.
Trial protocols, reviews and NHS pages agree: avoid crossing your legs, lying on the painful side and letting the top leg drop across your body, and start with holds. NHS inform: "lie on your good side with a pillow between your legs to keep them in line with your hip joints".
NHS inform's "Side Lying Leg Lift with Pillow" keeps the top leg in line with your body, with pain no more than 5 out of 10 and no worse the morning after. Royal Berkshire and St George's start with a 1 cm hold off the pillow, then reps keeping "the leg behind the bodyline". Other services leave it out and use lying and standing holds, bridges, squats and side steps. No trial has tested the cushioned version.
In two trials, sham exercise did as well as gluteal loading when both groups had education, and motor control exercise was no better than general exercise in 60 women. Almost all UK physiotherapists (94%) use hip abductor strengthening for this pain.
No extra pain over the bony point on the side of your hip during or after, and the hip no worse that night or the next morning, as our outer hip pain guide says.
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Holds and bridges first, then standing side-hip work, and side-lying leg raises last, on your good side with a pillow between your knees, as our outer hip pain guide's stages set out. If side-lying work makes the bony point sorer that night, go back a step.
The clamshell is easier and keeps the front of the hip quietest; the side-lying raise works the gluteus medius harder in most studies. Start with clams, move on to the raise.
Band walks train both hips standing and add balance; the raise isolates one side lying down. Use both, as our glute workout at home does in one circuit.
In 11 men doing 10 maximal reps, the machine, the clam and the raise worked the gluteus medius alike, and the raise worked the front-of-hip muscle most. The machine is easier to load in steps.
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Lying is harder without a weight; standing adds balance and suits anyone who can't lie on their side.
2 sets of 10 to 12 each side, 2 or 3 times a week (our editorial starting point: our beginner home workout uses 10 to 12 and our glute workout at home 12; the move page gives no dose). Alternate sides so each rests while the other works.
Towards 3 sets of 12 to 15 each side, as our knee and runner's knee guides use (editorial). Trials used 3 sets of 10 building to 3 sets of 20, three times a week for 6 weeks; 3 sets of 10 at a weight people could lift about 10 times, 5 times a week for 12 weeks; and 3 sets of 10 at rising loads, three times a week for 12 weeks in older adults.
About 2 seconds up and 2 down, as lab studies used; we use it as a cue.
You don't need to go to failure. Let the last set go to within 0 to 2 reps of it, as our plans allow for small moves, and end the set when the hip starts to hitch or roll (editorial).
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Add reps first, then a 2 to 3 second hold at the top, then a light ankle weight (about 3 to 5% of your body weight, as studies used) once 3 sets of 15 are easy and only if your waist stays still. A mini band is another option (editorial). Then move on to side planks with a leg lift and standing band work.
Follow our outer hip pain guide's order, lie on your good side with a pillow between your knees, and build to NHS inform's maximum of 2 sets of 15.
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The trials ran 6 to 12 weeks. Judge progress by how your hip and knee feel and what you can do, not by how your hips look.
The front-of-hip muscle takes over. Keep your toes and kneecap facing forward.
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The same problem, as our move page warns. Keep the leg in line with your body or slightly behind it.
Your glutes do less. Physitrack's cue: "making sure you do not roll your body forwards or backwards".
The side waist muscle does the lifting. Lift only as high as your pelvis stays still: the hip itself only moves out to about 45 degrees.
Lift and lower slowly, with a pause at the top (editorial).
They mostly raised hip hitching in people with weak side hips. Master body weight first.
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Or letting the top knee drop across your body between reps. Switch sides, use a pillow between your knees, and see outer hip pain above.
Wall side leg lifts, 10 to 12 each side, and side-stepping, 10 steps each way next to a counter (the move pages' doses). Glute bridges, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 (our beginner lower body workout), and staggered-stance bridges, 5 slow reps each side once a day, building to 2 sets of 5 to 10 (the move page's dose). Knee side planks, 3 holds of 15 to 30 seconds each side (our hip bursitis guide). Lateral band walks, 10 steps each way as a warm-up (our lateral band walk guide). Single-leg stands, 2 holds of 30 seconds each leg (our lateral pelvic tilt routine).
3D demoWall side leg lift (standing side kick at the wall)Beginner · A wall
3D demoSide-stepping (sideways walking)Beginner · A wall
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoStaggered-stance bridge (offset bridge)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoLateral band walkBeginner · A band
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wallThe glute workout at home uses 12 each side in a circuit with clamshells and band walks; the lateral pelvic tilt routine 12 each side after the wall-press hold; the beginner home workout 10 to 12 each side; the others 8 to 15 each side.
A 25-minute glute workout with bodyweight and a mini band: bridges, clamshells, band walks, kickbacks and lunges.
25 minBeginner9 movesA wall, A bandA 25-minute routine for uneven hips: side-hip holds, leg raises, single-leg bridges, step-ups, side planks and balance, for hip strength and pelvic control.
25 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A stepA 25-minute routine for a pelvis that feels twisted or uneven: gentle holds, bridges, bird dogs, side planks and single-leg balance, the same on both sides.
25 minBeginner11 movesA band, Other / check instructionsSession A of the 30-day glute challenge: a bridge-to-hip-thrust ladder, a split squat ladder and side-hip work, at home or in the gym.
20 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A bandA gentle 20-minute beginner home workout with a chair, a wall and a band: sit-to-stands, wall push-ups, band rows, step-ups and dead bugs.
20 minBeginner11 movesA bench or box, A wallRoll the thighs and calves, stretch the front of the thigh, then the hip and knee strength work that helps knee pain. About 15 minutes.
15 minBeginner10 movesA foam roller, A bench or boxA 25-minute Pilates class for sore knees and knee arthritis: lying and side-lying leg work, shallow squats and balance, with no kneeling at all.
25 minBeginner15 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA 25-minute Pilates class for your glutes: bridges, the side kick series, face-down kicks and standing work at a wall, with a band to make it harder.
25 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A bandThese plans use our glute workout at home, glute challenge workout A or beginner home workout, all of which include side-lying leg raises.
An 8-week glute workout plan: two glute days and two upper-body days a week, with hip thrusts, squats, hinges and side-hip work, plus a home option.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA free 30-day glute challenge for home or the gym: three 20-minute sessions a week with bridges, split squats, hinges and side-hip work, and rest days.
3 training days20 minBeginner2 days a weekYour first four weeks: two, then three short strength sessions a week at home plus walks, building gently to a full routine.
2 training days20 minBeginnerHolds and bridges first; side-lying work last, on your good side with a pillow between your knees, within the outer hip rule (see above).
Follow your surgical team's precautions and timeline for side-lying work.
Lying on your side with pillows under your head and bump and between your knees is usually comfortable. With pelvic girdle pain, keep the range small: the NHS says moving your legs apart can make it worse.
After an LCL (lateral collateral ligament) sprain, leave out lying on your good side with the injured leg on top for now, as our LCL guide says.
No ankle weights yet: build body-weight reps with a still waist first.
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If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; arm pain that comes on suddenly with pressure, heaviness or squeezing across your chest; severe difficulty breathing, or a chest that feels tight or heavy; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising.
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Call 999 or go to A&E for severe hip pain after a fall or injury, if you can't walk or put weight on your leg, or for tingling or loss of feeling in your hip or leg after an injury. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for severe hip pain that started suddenly without a fall, a hip that's swollen and feels hot, skin around it that has changed colour, or hip pain with feeling generally unwell and a high temperature.
See a GP if hip pain stops you doing normal activities or affects your sleep, is getting worse or keeps coming back, hasn't improved after 2 weeks of treating it at home, or you have hip stiffness for more than 30 minutes after waking up.
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Outer hip pain that hasn't improved within 6 weeks of following our outer hip pain guide's advice, or that gets worse: talk to a GP or physiotherapist. In many areas you can refer yourself.
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Pain, tingling or numbness spreading below the knee that isn't settling after a few weeks, is getting worse or stops your normal activities: see a GP, as our outer hip pain guide says.
Get advice from NHS 111 if your knee is very painful, you can't move it or put weight on it, it's badly swollen or has changed shape, or it locks, gives way or clicks painfully; painless clicking is normal. In the US, use urgent care. See a GP if knee pain doesn't improve within a few weeks.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
See a GP if pain spreading down a leg hasn't improved after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new or harder session is common and fades. Sharp pain, or pain that builds during a set or lingers into the next day, isn't: swap to an easier version, and see a clinician if it persists, as our plans advise. The NHS says to stop exercising straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, and to get help from 111 if symptoms worry you or don't go away.
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Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard or straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled (140/90 or higher at a clinic, or 135/85 at home), or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
With controlled high blood pressure, the American Heart Association considers low- to moderate-intensity strength training with proper breathing safe. Breathe out as you lift, as our breathing guide advises.
They work the gluteus medius at a moderate level, more than clamshells in most studies, and were part of programmes that eased knee arthritis pain and, with weights, cut falls in one small trial in older adults (falls rate ratio 0.30 in a group of about 25). They're a middle step, not the top.
One study of 12 exercises ranked them top (81%), another ranked them 7th of 18, and pooled data put them at a moderate 40%. Side planks with a leg lift and single-leg work go further.
Turning the toes up made the muscle at the front of the hip the busiest and cut gluteus medius activity. One MRI study found the turned-out version worked the deeper glutes well, but the front-of-hip muscle most. Toes forward, or very slightly in.
The best-tested programme for outer hip tendon pain left them out. Some NHS services bring in a cushioned version later; others leave it out. Never first, never on the sore side, and never with the top knee dropping across your body.
Training one area didn't take more fat off it across 13 studies and 1,158 people. Hip dips are a normal part of many people's shape, and no exercise plan can promise a look.
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They work the outer hip, the muscles that move your leg out. Lifting the bottom leg towards the ceiling is a different exercise for the inner thigh.
In women with weak side hips, ankle weights mostly raised hip hitching. Master body weight first.
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Lie on your side with your hips stacked and your bottom knee bent for balance. Lift your straight top leg to about hip height or a little higher, toes pointing forward and the leg slightly behind your body, then lower it slowly without rolling back.
The side glutes, the gluteus medius and minimus, at a moderate level: the gluteus medius at about 40% of its maximum on pooled data, with some help from the upper gluteus maximus. They work your outer hip, not your inner thigh.
Forward, or very slightly down. Turning your toes up made the muscle at the front of the hip the busiest and cut the gluteus medius's share in a study of 20 runners.
Start with 2 sets of 10 to 12 each side, 2 or 3 times a week, and build to 3 sets of 12 to 15; that's our editorial starting point. Trials used 3 sets of 10 building to 3 sets of 20.
Side-lying raises worked the gluteus medius harder in most studies, about 40% against 17 to 28% for clamshells on pooled data, though one study of maximal reps found them alike. Clamshells are the gentle start; side-lying raises come next.
Lying makes your hip lift your leg's weight against gravity, which made it harder than standing versions without a weight. Standing versions train balance too and suit anyone who can't lie on their side, like the NHS's sideways leg lift holding a chair.
Only once 3 sets of 15 are easy and your waist stays still. In women with weak side hips, ankle weights mostly made them hitch the hip; a knee arthritis trial used ankle weights at a load people could lift about 10 times.
As part of hip and knee strengthening, yes: adding hip work eased kneecap pain more than knee work alone. On their own they aren't a fix, because a hip-only programme with them did no better than free activity when everyone had education. Our runner's knee guide has the full plan.
Not as a first step. The best-tested programme used holds, bridges, squats and side steps instead; when side-lying work comes in, lie on your good side with a pillow between your knees and keep the bony point no sorer that night. Our outer hip pain guide has the stages.
Lying on a sore outer hip presses on it, and letting the top knee drop across your body squeezes the tendons. Switch sides, put a pillow between your knees and keep the lift small. See a GP if hip pain hasn't improved after 2 weeks.
No. Training one area doesn't burn the fat over it, and hip dips are a normal part of many people's shape. Side-hip work can build the muscle there a little, but no plan can promise a look.
Usually yes, with pillows under your head and bump and between your knees. With pelvic girdle pain, keep the range small, because moving your legs apart can make it worse.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
