Quadruped Hip Abduction and Extension
activatehipintermediateGluteus maximus strength
3 × 10 reps per side
How to do it
- Set up on hands and knees — hands under shoulders, knees under hips, spine neutral.
- Brace gently and keep the spine in a comfortable neutral position.
- Lift one knee out to the side and slightly back without turning the toes or pelvis upward.
- Stop the lift as soon as the pelvis begins to tilt or the lower back moves.
- Pause briefly, then lower under control.
Form cues
- Keep the pelvis level and square to the floor.
- Lift only as high as you can maintain spinal and pelvic control.
- Stop for hip pinching or lower-back discomfort.
- Actively squeeze the outer hip and glute as you lift.
Muscles worked
Strengthens: gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, core stabilizers
Part of a program
Part of Front Splits
This exercise is one move. Front Splits puts it in a plan — so you know what to do, in what order, and how much, week by week.
- Sequenced & dosed — the right exercises, in the right order, at the right volume.
- Progresses with you — difficulty ramps as you get stronger, not on a fixed calendar.
- Personalized — built around the specific limiter actually holding you back.
- Tracks your progress — see what's working and adjust over time.
See the program →
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