How many lateral leg swings should you do before training?

Ten per leg is a solid starting count, though the number matters less than letting the arc build gradually as the adductors warm. Fit one round in before lateral lunges or wide-stance squats, or drop a few extra swings between warm-up sets if the hips still feel tight.

How do you make the lateral leg swing easier or harder?

Make it easier by using both hands on the wall and keeping the arc small and controlled. Make it harder by switching to a single supporting hand, or by letting the arc grow larger once the hips stay square without effort.

What is the lateral leg swing good for, and when is it not worth doing?

It opens the adductors and glute medius through the side plane, which helps prepare for lateral lunges, skating movements, and wide-stance squats. It is not worth forcing through with a current groin or hip strain, since swinging across the midline actively loads exactly the tissue that is already irritated.

Beginner

Lateral Leg Swing

The lateral leg swing takes the hip through the frontal plane, sweeping the leg across the body to load the adductors and out to the side to fire the glute medius. It is an easy way to prepare for lateral lunges, skating movements, and wide-stance squats. Because the swing crosses the midline, it also asks the trunk to resist a little rotation, which is useful groundwork before heavier work.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Thighs
Type: Functional, Stretching
Browse by muscle: Adductor Longus, Gluteus Medius

How to do it

1
Face a wall and place both hands on it at chest height for support.
2
Shift your weight onto one leg and let the other hang freely.
3
Swing the free leg across the front of your body, then out to the side.
4
Keep the swinging leg fairly straight and the foot relaxed.
5
Grow the arc gradually while keeping your hips square to the wall.
6
Complete your reps, then switch to the other leg.

Tips

Keep both hips facing forward so the motion stays in the side plane.
Do not let the torso lean or twist to gain extra range.
Start slow; the inner thigh can feel tight until it warms up.

Variations

Common mistakes

Gripping the foot into a hard point or flex through the whole swing sends tension up the leg that has nothing to do with opening the hip.
One hand presses harder into the wall than the other, tilting the whole body sideways instead of keeping it centered over the standing leg.
The swinging knee bends noticeably at the top of the arc, turning a straight-leg swing into something closer to a kick.
The arc grows faster than the hip actually opens, so the last few degrees get muscled by leaning the trunk rather than earned range.
The standing hip drops or hikes with each swing instead of staying level, which quietly turns a hip drill into a side-bend of the spine.

Frequently asked

How many lateral leg swings should you do before training?: Ten per leg is a solid starting count, though the number matters less than letting the arc build gradually as the adductors warm. Fit one round in before lateral lunges or wide-stance squats, or drop a few extra swings between warm-up sets if the hips still feel tight.
How do you make the lateral leg swing easier or harder?: Make it easier by using both hands on the wall and keeping the arc small and controlled. Make it harder by switching to a single supporting hand, or by letting the arc grow larger once the hips stay square without effort.
What is the lateral leg swing good for, and when is it not worth doing?: It opens the adductors and glute medius through the side plane, which helps prepare for lateral lunges, skating movements, and wide-stance squats. It is not worth forcing through with a current groin or hip strain, since swinging across the midline actively loads exactly the tissue that is already irritated.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Glutes exercises