Side Lying Feet Raise
- Synergist muscles
- Pectineous
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Body part
- Thighs
- Type
- Strength
The side lying feet raise is a bodyweight strength exercise that isolates the inner thigh by lifting the bottom leg upward through hip adduction. It directly targets the adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, and gracilis, with the pectineus acting as a synergist. Because it requires no equipment, it is an accessible option for building adductor strength and hip stability.
How to do the Side Lying Feet Raise
- 1Lie on your side on a mat with your body in a straight line from head to feet. Stack your hips directly on top of each other and rest your head on your lower arm or on your hand with your elbow bent.
- 2Bend your top knee and place that foot flat on the floor in front of your bottom thigh for balance, or rest the top leg directly on the bottom leg if you prefer the harder variation.
- 3Point your bottom foot so the toes face forward, keeping that leg fully straight.
- 4Brace your core to prevent your hips from rolling forward or back.
- 5Exhale and raise your bottom leg upward toward your top leg (or as high as your range of motion allows), keeping it straight and leading with the inner edge of your foot.
- 6Pause briefly at the top, feeling the contraction along the inner thigh.
- 7Inhale and lower your bottom leg back to the mat under control — do not let it drop.
- 8Complete all reps on this side, then switch sides and repeat.
Form tips
- Keep your hips stacked throughout the movement — letting the pelvis tilt forward or backward shifts the load away from the adductors.
- Move slowly on both the raise and the lower; using momentum reduces time under tension and diminishes the training effect.
- If you lack hip stability, press your top foot more firmly into the floor to free up your focus for the working leg.
- Think about driving the inner edge of your foot upward rather than just lifting the whole leg — this cue improves adductor recruitment.
- Keep the working leg fully extended; a bent knee reduces the length of the adductors and decreases their activation.
Common mistakes
- Rolling the hips forward or back to generate momentum — this unloads the adductors and transfers stress to the hip flexors or lower back instead.
- Bending the knee of the bottom leg during the raise, which shortens the adductors and reduces the exercise's effectiveness.
- Raising the leg too high by rotating the pelvis, which gives a false sense of range of motion without additional adductor lengthening.
- Dropping the leg quickly on the way down — the eccentric phase builds strength and skipping it wastes half the exercise.
- Holding your breath through the set, which increases unnecessary tension in the neck and shoulders; breathe out on the raise and in on the lower.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the side lying feet raise work?
It primarily works the inner thigh adductors — the adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, and gracilis — with the pectineus acting as a synergist.
How is the side lying feet raise different from a side lying leg raise?
A standard side lying leg raise raises the top leg outward (hip abduction, targeting the glute medius). The side lying feet raise raises the bottom leg upward (hip adduction), which is the opposite movement and targets the inner thigh instead.
How many sets and reps should I do?
For general strength and toning, 2–4 sets of 12–20 reps per side work well. The adductors respond to moderate-to-high rep ranges because this exercise uses bodyweight only.
Can I make this exercise harder without weights?
Yes. Slow the tempo (3 seconds up, 2-second hold, 3 seconds down), remove the top-leg floor support to increase the balance demand, or add an ankle weight if one is available.
Is this exercise good for beginners?
It is well-suited to beginners because it requires no equipment, uses a controlled range of motion, and is performed lying down, which minimises balance demands. Focus on keeping the hips stacked and moving slowly before adding volume or load.
