How many reps of the 90/90 external rotation lift-off should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Start with two sets of five to six lift-offs per side, holding each for two to three seconds before lowering. Once you can hold five seconds with a quiet torso, add a third set or extend the hold rather than rushing the reps.

How do I make the 90/90 external rotation lift-off easier or harder?

If the lift-off feels impossible, start by holding the pre-tensioned position without lifting, or shorten the range you ask the foot to travel. To progress, add a slow three-count on the way up, extend the hold past five seconds, or add a light ankle weight to the front ankle for extra resistance to rotate against.

What is the 90/90 external rotation lift-off good for and who should skip it?

It builds active control of external hip rotation, the end-range position squats, kicks, and lateral cuts ask your hip to own. It's a good fit for lifters and athletes prepping hips before heavier work, but if you have current hip impingement pain or a recent labral repair, check with a clinician before loading this range.

Intermediate

90/90 External Rotation Lift-Off

This is a Kinstretch-style control drill that trains the front hip at its externally rotated end range, the exact position most people can only reach passively. Lifting the shin under your own power teaches the glutes and deep rotators to own that range, which pays off in squats, kicks, and lateral movement. Use it as a hip-prep piece or as active recovery between heavier days.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes
Type: Strength, Stretching
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius

How to do it

1
Sit on the floor with your front leg bent to 90 degrees in front of you, shin roughly parallel to your hips.
2
Set the back leg to 90 degrees out to the side, keeping both sit bones as heavy on the floor as you can.
3
Sit tall through the spine and gently press the front foot and knee into the ground to pre-tension the hip.
4
Keeping the front knee pinned to the floor, turn the hip outward to lift the front foot and ankle a few inches off the floor.
5
Hold the lift-off for two to five seconds without letting the torso collapse or the pelvis roll back.
6
Lower under control and repeat, breathing steadily throughout.

Tips

Keep the chest tall; if you round back to cheat height, you have left the target range.
Height is not the goal. A controlled one-inch lift-off beats a jerky heave.
Keep the opposite sit bone pinned so the work stays in the front hip.

Variations

Common mistakes

The front foot creeps past the knee until the shin angle opens beyond 90 degrees, which shifts strain onto the knee instead of the hip you're targeting.
Holding the breath through the two-to-five-second hold makes the contraction shake instead of staying smooth, so breathe out as you lift the foot.
Once the front hip fatigues, the lift turns into a quick bounce rather than a held contraction, training momentum instead of end-range strength.
The back leg's foot slides out of its 90-degree line as the front shin lifts, which drains the counter-tension the back hip is supposed to provide.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the 90/90 external rotation lift-off should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Start with two sets of five to six lift-offs per side, holding each for two to three seconds before lowering. Once you can hold five seconds with a quiet torso, add a third set or extend the hold rather than rushing the reps.
How do I make the 90/90 external rotation lift-off easier or harder?: If the lift-off feels impossible, start by holding the pre-tensioned position without lifting, or shorten the range you ask the foot to travel. To progress, add a slow three-count on the way up, extend the hold past five seconds, or add a light ankle weight to the front ankle for extra resistance to rotate against.
What is the 90/90 external rotation lift-off good for and who should skip it?: It builds active control of external hip rotation, the end-range position squats, kicks, and lateral cuts ask your hip to own. It's a good fit for lifters and athletes prepping hips before heavier work, but if you have current hip impingement pain or a recent labral repair, check with a clinician before loading this range.

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