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Side Boat Hold Leg Raise

The side boat hold leg raise combines a side-lying balance position with a controlled lift of the top leg, hammering the obliques while the hip abductors steer the moving limb. It is an advanced floor drill for athletes who have outgrown standard side planks and want lateral core strength with a moving target. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Obliques Abs · rectus abdominis Deep core · transverse abdominis

Sets & reps by goal

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 × 4–6 raises per side, slow	90 s–2 min
Muscle	3 × 8–12 raises per side	60–90 s
Endurance	3 × 15–20 raises per side	45–60 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Advanced

Advanced — earn it with a solid 45-second side plank per side first.

Proper form — 5 cues

Lie on your side, prop onto the forearm, and stack shoulders, hips and ankles
Lift into the side boat: hips off the floor, body one rigid diagonal
Raise the top leg slowly to roughly 45 degrees
Lower the leg without letting the hips drop even a centimetre
Keep the top hip stacked — do not let it roll backward as the leg rises

Breathing: Steady breathing throughout the hold; exhale as the leg floats up.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Hips sagging toward the floor as the leg lifts. The sag means the obliques have surrendered the hold, converting the exercise into a leg swing with no core benefit. Fix: Shrink the leg raise to a few centimetres and rebuild — the hold owns priority over the lift.

Rolling the top hip backward to make the leg raise easier. Rotating opens the pelvis so the leg swings forward of the body line, shifting work from the gluteus medius to the hip flexors. Fix: Keep the body in one plane, as if pressed between two walls, and raise the leg slightly behind the midline if anything.

Rushing the leg up and down. Fast swings use momentum, spike the balance demand unpredictably, and cut time under tension for both the obliques and the hip. Fix: Use a two-count up, two-count down cadence and stop the set once the tempo breaks.

Common questions

Is the side boat hold leg raise harder than a side plank?

Yes, meaningfully. A static side plank asks the obliques to hold one fixed position; adding the leg raise constantly changes the load the trunk must balance while removing the top leg's help as a stabilizer. Own a 45-second standard side plank per side before attempting this version.

What muscles does this exercise work?

The obliques on the bottom side do the anchoring work, supported by the deep abdominal wall, while the top leg's gluteus medius and surrounding hip abductors control the raise. The bottom hip's lateral muscles work isometrically at the same time — both sides of the pelvis are active in different jobs.

How can I make this easier without losing the benefit?

Two clean regressions exist: bend the bottom knee and support from the knee rather than the foot, which shortens the lever, or keep the full side plank but shrink the leg raise to ten centimetres. Both keep the anti-collapse challenge that makes the drill valuable while trimming the difficulty.

Related exercises

Side Boat Knee to Elbow TouchObliques Star Crunches (Advanced)Obliques Bicycle KicksObliques Bicycle Kicks (Modified)Obliques Cross Knee to Elbow PulseObliques

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