Performing side-lying hip abductions (or leg raises) on the floor is an effective way to train your lateral glute muscles, which are important knee stabilizers and help round out your overall butt development. But doing them off of a bench allows you to extend the range of motion to make the move more difficult and stimulate more muscle growth.
"This extended range of motion off of a bench allows for a greater stretch on the hips at the bottom of the movement," says Bret "The Glute Guy" Contreras, our host for the #MHGluteProject. "The more a muscle is stretched under load the greater the potential hypertrophy (or muscle gain) stimulus."
In terms of technique, make sure that the toes of the working leg are pointing downwards. This ensures that the hips, not the thighs, are doing most of the work.
Bret recommends 2 sets of 20 to 30 reps on each side with minimal rest between sides. Once you master these, consider adding an ankle weight to give your glutes another reason to hate you.
You can add this move into your routine in any of the following ways:
- Use it as a warmup move on leg day (or glute day)
- Perform it as an accessory exercise after heavy hip thrusts, squats, or deadlifts
- Use it an an active recovery exercise on "off days"
- Do it as a "filler" between sets of non-competitive upper body exercise
