How many reps of the side-lying up and down kick should a beginner do?

Ten to twelve slow lifts per side is a typical starting set, with the lowering phase taking at least as long as the lift. Progress by slowing the descent further or adding a small pause at the top, rather than by lifting the leg higher.

How do you make the side-lying up and down kick easier or harder?

To make it easier, keep the range of the lift small, just a few inches above the bottom leg, until the pelvis can stay level throughout. To make it harder, add a light ankle weight, or hold the top position for two seconds before beginning the slow, resisted lower.

What is the side-lying up and down kick for, and when should you pick a different move?

It is a clean isolation for the lateral hip that builds the frontal-plane strength protecting the knees and pelvis in single-leg tasks. It is a poor choice with a current lateral hip or IT-band flare-up, since repeated abduction under time-under-tension can aggravate irritated tissue on the outside of the hip.

Beginner

Side-Lying Up and Down Kick

A clean isolation for the lateral hip that pairs an abduction lift with a resisted lowering. The up phase drives the gluteus medius, while the slow descent keeps the gluteus medius working as it lengthens to control the leg back to the stack. Great for building the frontal-plane strength that protects the knees and pelvis in single-leg tasks.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Thighs
Type: Pilates, Strength
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Medius
Browse by movement: Hip Abduction

How to do it

1
Lie on your side with the body in one long line and the legs slightly forward of the hips.
2
Flex the top foot and lift the top leg straight up toward the ceiling as high as the pelvis stays still.
3
Exhale as you lift; feel the outer hip do the work.
4
Inhale and lower the leg slowly, resisting as if pressing through water, until it lightly meets the bottom leg.
5
Keep the waist lifted and the torso from rocking forward or back.
6
Finish the set and switch sides.

Tips

Do not swing the leg up with momentum; lead with the heel and control both directions.
Stop the lift the instant the pelvis wants to tilt; height is not the goal.
Keep the outer hip working on the way down so the descent is a slow, resisted lower, not a drop.

Variations

Common mistakes

The top leg drifts forward of the hip as it lifts, sliding into flexion instead of a pure sideways raise from the stacked position.
Rocking the torso backward to help the leg lift higher borrows momentum from the trunk instead of isolating the outer hip.
The foot relaxes out of its flexed position partway through the lift, softening the line of the leg and the muscles working through it.
Once the lowering half of the rep gets rushed to reset for the next lift, it stops matching the slow, resisted pace the descent calls for.
The legs stop stacking evenly at the finish, with the top leg landing ahead of or behind the bottom instead of meeting it in the same line.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the side-lying up and down kick should a beginner do?: Ten to twelve slow lifts per side is a typical starting set, with the lowering phase taking at least as long as the lift. Progress by slowing the descent further or adding a small pause at the top, rather than by lifting the leg higher.
How do you make the side-lying up and down kick easier or harder?: To make it easier, keep the range of the lift small, just a few inches above the bottom leg, until the pelvis can stay level throughout. To make it harder, add a light ankle weight, or hold the top position for two seconds before beginning the slow, resisted lower.
What is the side-lying up and down kick for, and when should you pick a different move?: It is a clean isolation for the lateral hip that builds the frontal-plane strength protecting the knees and pelvis in single-leg tasks. It is a poor choice with a current lateral hip or IT-band flare-up, since repeated abduction under time-under-tension can aggravate irritated tissue on the outside of the hip.

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