Standing hip extension
Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.
Lift one leg straight back while you hold a counter. It works your buttocks and the backs of your thighs, which push you forward when you walk and climb.
- Main focus
- Strength
- Level
- Starting
- Equipment
- Resistance bands, A door or post to anchor a band or trainer
- Load
- Elastic resistance (heavier as it stretches)
- Stability
- Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
- Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
- Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
- Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
- Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.
Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.
What you need
A sturdy counter and a clear floor behind you.
How to do it
- Stand facing the counter and hold it with both hands.
- Keeping your standing knee soft, slowly lift one leg straight back. Keep your back from arching.
- Pause for a second or two, then lower the leg slowly.
- Finish all the lifts on one side, then switch.
How much
To start: 3 lifts on each leg.
As it gets easier: 5 lifts on each leg, holding each up to 5 seconds.
How it should feel: You should feel it in your buttocks and the back of your thigh, not in your lower back.
Make it easier
- Lift only a few inches.
- Keep both hands on the counter and the lift small.
Make it harder
- Hold the lifted leg a little longer.
- Use one hand.
Safety
- Do not lean forward or arch your back to lift higher.
- Keep your standing knee slightly bent, not locked.
- Stay close enough to the counter to hold on.
When to stop
- Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
- Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
- Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
- Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
- After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
- You feel pain in your lower back or hip.
- You feel yourself tipping.
Other ways to do this movement
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Where this comes from
NHS "Leg extension": hold a chair back, raise one leg backwards keeping it straight, do not arch your back, hold up to 5 seconds, 5 times each leg. NIA: avoid locking joints. The catalog entry (which uses a band) supplied the movement name only; this version has no band and the text is original. Steps, counts and support advice follow the NHS page; wording and extra safety notes are Fitafter50's own.
- Strength exercises, NHS (England) (Last reviewed 28 Feb 2024).
- Three Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability, National Institute on Aging, NIH (Content reviewed Jan. 14, 2025).
This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.