Leg Lift
Also works: Hamstrings
A standing hip extension done holding a rack or chair: one leg sweeps backwards while the other stays planted. It needs nothing but something to hold, which is its whole appeal, and also its limit — bodyweight offers almost no resistance, so an ankle weight becomes necessary within a few weeks.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Stand facing a squat rack upright, a chair back or a wall bar and hold it at roughly chest height.
- Feet under your hips, weight settled on the supporting leg with a soft, unlocked knee.
- Stand tall, ribs pulled down and abs braced — this position is the reference you must not lose.
- Add a 1-2 kg ankle weight if plain bodyweight already feels like nothing on rep one.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Exhale as the leg travels back, inhale as it returns. Two seconds back, one second pause, three seconds down.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Bodyweight for the first few sessions, then ankle weights in 1 kg steps. Good looks like 20 reps per leg with a one-second pause at the back and a torso that has not moved at all. Once 3 kg ankle weights feel light, this drill has given you what it has — spend the time on hip thrusts or single-leg bridges instead.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Slow to two seconds back and three seconds down, and pause for one second at the end range. If the pause is impossible, you were swinging.
Keep your arms nearly straight and use the hand contact for balance only. Your supporting leg should hold you up, not your grip.
Fix your eyes on a point at head height and keep it there for the whole set. The torso stays vertical; only the femur moves.
Add 1-2 kg ankle weights once you hit 20 clean reps per side, then move on to loaded hip extension such as bridges or hip thrusts.
Why bother
Standing up, the working leg swings through the same arc as a cable kickback but with only its own weight to move — around 15% of your bodyweight, applied through a long lever from the hip. That is a real load for a beginner or someone returning from injury, and close to nothing for a trained lifter.
What it does well is teach the difference between extending your hip and arching your back. Standing upright with a hand on a rack, a pelvis that tips forward is obvious: your ribs flare and your torso pitches. Learn to keep the torso still here and the same control transfers to bridges, hip thrusts and deadlifts.
Where it fits
Warm-up sets before lower-body work, or daily rehab volume if a coach has prescribed it. Two or three sets of 15-20 per side. Do not build a leg session around it: once you can do 20 controlled reps per leg, add ankle weight or graduate to bridges and hip thrusts.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
Asked and answered
Is this enough to build glutes?
No, not by itself. Lifting roughly 15% of your bodyweight through a short arc is a low stimulus. It is genuinely useful as a warm-up, as rehab volume, or as a first exercise for someone with no equipment, but glute growth needs load — bridges, hip thrusts, squats, hinges. Treat this as the on-ramp.
Will this fix a weak glute medius or hip that gives way sideways?
No. This is pure sagittal-plane hip extension — the leg goes backwards, and that is glute maximus and hamstring work. The glute medius abducts and stops the pelvis dropping sideways, so it needs side-lying leg raises, banded lateral walks or single-leg stance work instead. If someone prescribed this for a hip that collapses inward, they gave you the wrong plane.
I feel it in my lower back, not my glute. Why?
Your range is too big and your pelvis is tipping forward at the end of it. Cut the range roughly in half, brace your abs before each rep, and squeeze the glute deliberately at the top. If the back sensation persists at half range, stop and switch to a bridge, where the floor keeps your pelvis honest.
Can I do this every day?
At bodyweight, yes — it is low enough in load to tolerate daily practice, which is why it shows up in rehab programmes. Once you are using meaningful ankle weights, treat it like any other accessory: two or three sessions a week with a day between.