Lateral Hip Raises For Mat Exercises

A simple fitness mat offers the basis for a host of exercises that can be performed to strengthen the muscles surrounding the hip. Lateral raising of the leg, which means bringing it out to the side away from the body, is a versatile motion that acts on the hip joint. Lateral hip raises are a frequently used element in mat exercises from yoga, Pilates and traditional disciplines.

Yoga Poses

Side plank pose in yoga is often thought of as a core exercise that challenges balance. The hips, however, are crucially involved as they are raised up and off the mat while the body is in a side facing position. To increase the work at the hip, side plank can be done with the top leg raised in the air. "Yoga Journal" cautions that raising the leg perpendicular to the floor is beyond the capacity of most beginners, so it is best to first practice the pose with legs stacked and together.
Side crane is a more advanced pose in which the pelvis is lifted along with the legs, and the hips reach around to one side of the body while balancing on only the arms. In side crane, the upper hip is raised laterally, but the knees are bent in the basic version of this pose. To advance the position, the top leg would be extended.

Pilates Matwork

In Pilates, lateral hip raises take place on the mat while the body is posed on the side in one of several positions. The effects of the hip exercises change based on the body positions. Common positions for this work include extending all the way down on the side with the head resting on one arm and the hips stacked vertically; raising the upper body and resting on one forearm; and kneeling on one knee and arm, with the opposite leg extended out to the side.
As pictured in "The Pilates Body" by Brooke Siler, the side-lying leg raises are the beginning version of the exercise series. During these exercises, the raised leg moves through in different directions, such as circling, swinging a straight line through space forward and back, or flexing and the knee and foot and pushing through space as if riding a bicycle wheel on its side.

Exercise Variations

The classic "fire hydrants" are performed on the mat propped up on the hands and knees. The typical fire hydrant lift begins with a 90-degree bend in the knee as the entire leg moves up and out to the side and then down. The exercise progresses by adding an extension at the knee joint when the leg is raised, and then leaving the leg out to the side and raising and lowering it with control. An advanced combination would add a circle of the leg when it extended out to the side.
A stability ball offers several alternatives for hip raising exercises. Draping the body sideways over the ball and balancing on one knee provides a challenging, unstable foundation from which to perform lateral hips raises with the other leg. Many Pilates matwork exercises that include lateral hip raises can also be repeated on the stability ball with the waist and hip pressed firmly into the ball.