Leg Lift

A upper legs exercise targeting the glutes, performed with body weight.

Leg Lift demonstration
Leg Lift — demonstration

Body part

Upper Legs

Equipment

Body Weight

Target muscles

Glutes

Secondary muscles

Hamstrings

How to do Leg Lift

  1. While standing up straight with both feet next to each other at around shoulder width, grab a sturdy surface such as the sides of a squat rack or the top of a chair to brace yourself and keep balance.

  2. With or without an ankle weight, lift one leg behind you as if performing a leg curl but standing up while keeping the other leg straight. Breathe out as you perform this movement.

  3. Slowly bring the raised leg back to the floor as you breathe in.

  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

  5. Repeat the movement with the opposite leg.

Muscles worked

Primary (target)

Glutes

Secondary

Hamstrings

Related exercises

All upper legs exercises →

Track Leg Lift in NutriMind

Log your sets and the app does the rest — automatic PR detection, progression charts for every lift, and progressive overload that adjusts your next workout. Paired with AI nutrition coaching so your training and your plate pull in the same direction.

Planning your next heavy session? Estimate your max with the One Rep Max Calculator and build up to it with the Warm-up Calculator. More free tools →