Side-lying leg lift variation will get rid of the pain in your butt.
It’s common that athletes occasionally get pain on the backside of the hip, near the glute. The pain can be quite uncomfortable and harsh to deal with because it often prevents you from doing your traditional training exercises, such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, or jumps. On the tennis court, it can slow you down, and it is hard for you to start and stop, or change directions swiftly. And it is almost impossible to modify the movement and exercises so you would not feel the pain.
Depending on you how severe your pain is, you may have a few strategies:
- adjust the range of motion
- lower the load
- take some time off from training and do isolated work for the area.
The following exercise–the side-lying leg lift variation– is one of the isolation work exercises, and many people with hip or glute pain have had great success with this exercise.
Side-lying Leg Lift Variation
- Lay on the side
- Bring the top leg across in front of you
- Lift the straight leg, as high as you can without twisting your body/pelvis to compensate
Easier variation: bend the knee, or don’t lift as high.
Harder variation: put an ankle weight on, or lay on the bench or edge of the bed so you can bring the leg lower.
Do this exercise every other day, and work yourself up to 3 to 4 sets of 15-20 reps.
When you improve your capacity and can tolerate the exercise, you can do it daily.
Eventually, when you return to your original (painful) activity, you won’t have any more problems. Even then, when you are pain-free, keep this exercise in your regimen at least once a week.
Did you know that “The Simple Guide to a Plant-Based Lifestyle” in on the audio? Listen while walking, driving, or exercising.
More glute strengthening exercises:
Advanced Glute Bridge to Strengthen Gluteus Medius.
Hyper-extensions for strong and shapely glutes
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