How to Do Seated Hip Abductions: Form and Benefits
Master the seated hip abduction to strengthen your glutes and improve hip mobility using only your bodyweight. Ideal for beginners and home workouts.
How to Perform
- Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair or bench with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Maintain an upright posture with your spine neutral, shoulders relaxed, and hands placed lightly on your thighs or the sides of the seat.
- Engage your core and slowly push your knees outward away from the midline of your body while keeping your feet fixed on the floor.
- Continue the outward movement until you feel a firm contraction in the outer glutes and hips.
- Pause for a full second at the peak of the contraction to maximize muscle fiber recruitment.
- Slowly return your knees to the starting position under control, resisting the tension as they move inward.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, ensuring the torso remains stationary throughout the set.
Common Mistakes
- Rounding the lower back or slouching during the movement
- Using momentum or swinging the legs instead of controlled muscle contraction
- Allowing the feet to lift or roll excessively off the floor
- Closing the knees too quickly on the return phase
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Glutes
Stabilizers
- Tensor Fasciae Latae
- Hip Abductors
- Deep Rotators
Related Guides
- 1 Leg Box Squat — Legs
- Abductor Machine — Legs
- Adductor Machine — Legs
Glutes · Legs