What is a good Side Leg Raise?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Side Leg Raise is about 25 reps. Advanced starts around 45 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.
Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.
A solid (Intermediate) Side Leg Raise for a 180 lb male is about 25 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Side Leg Raise into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 45 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Side Leg Raise? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Side Leg Raise Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 25 Side Leg Raise in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 45+, and an elite lifter reaches 67 or more.
Side Leg Raise rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 25 Side Leg Raise at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 21.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 25 Side Leg Raise, dropping to about 19 by age 50. See the By Age tab for every band.
What counts as a good number? Anything at or above the Intermediate target puts you past the beginner and novice bands for your bodyweight. Beginners often start with fewer than one and build up; clearing the Advanced number is a strong target for trained gym lifters.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with gym and competition datasets labeled separately
How Strong Is Your Side Leg Raise?
That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.
Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your rep count falls, not a measured frequency count.
Reader Data Is Still Building
We do not have enough reader-submitted Side Leg Raise entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:
Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.
How Much Should You Side Leg Raise?
Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| BW (lbs) | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | < 1 | 2 | 22 | 47 | 77 |
| 120 | < 1 | 4 | 23 | 48 | 76 |
| 130 | < 1 | 5 | 24 | 47 | 74 |
| 140 | < 1 | 6 | 24 | 47 | 73 |
| 150 | < 1 | 7 | 24 | 47 | 71 |
| 160 | < 1 | 8 | 25 | 46 | 70 |
| 170 | < 1 | 8 | 25 | 45 | 68 |
| 180 | < 1 | 8 | 25 | 45 | 67 |
| 190 | < 1 | 9 | 25 | 44 | 66 |
| 200 | < 1 | 9 | 24 | 43 | 64 |
| 210 | < 1 | 9 | 24 | 43 | 63 |
| 220 | < 1 | 9 | 24 | 42 | 61 |
| 230 | < 1 | 9 | 24 | 41 | 60 |
| 240 | < 1 | 9 | 23 | 40 | 59 |
| 250 | < 1 | 9 | 23 | 40 | 58 |
| 260 | < 1 | 9 | 23 | 39 | 56 |
| 270 | < 1 | 9 | 22 | 38 | 55 |
| 280 | < 1 | 9 | 22 | 37 | 54 |
| 290 | < 1 | 9 | 21 | 37 | 53 |
| 300 | < 1 | 9 | 21 | 36 | 52 |
| 310 | < 1 | 9 | 21 | 35 | 51 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | 15 | 35 | 57 |
| 100 | < 1 | 3 | 17 | 36 | 57 |
| 110 | < 1 | 5 | 19 | 37 | 57 |
| 120 | < 1 | 6 | 20 | 37 | 57 |
| 130 | < 1 | 7 | 21 | 37 | 56 |
| 140 | < 1 | 8 | 21 | 37 | 55 |
| 150 | < 1 | 8 | 21 | 37 | 54 |
| 160 | < 1 | 9 | 22 | 37 | 53 |
| 170 | < 1 | 9 | 22 | 36 | 52 |
| 180 | < 1 | 9 | 22 | 36 | 51 |
| 190 | < 1 | 10 | 22 | 35 | 50 |
| 200 | < 1 | 10 | 21 | 35 | 49 |
| 210 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 34 | 48 |
| 220 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 34 | 47 |
| 230 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 33 | 46 |
| 240 | 1 | 10 | 20 | 33 | 46 |
| 250 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 32 | 45 |
| 260 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 31 | 44 |
Is Your Side Leg Raise Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Side Leg Raise at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Side Leg Raise is about 25 reps. Advanced lifters hit 45 reps, and Elite is 67 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Side Leg Raise is about 21 reps. Advanced lifters hit 37 reps, and Elite is 55 reps.
Side Leg Raise Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 25 reps at an Intermediate level.
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 21 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 24 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 24 reps at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.
By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male does about 25 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 19 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Side Leg Raise Strength?
How Side Leg Raise standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | < 1 | 1 | 17 | 37 | 59 |
| 20 | < 1 | 6 | 23 | 46 | 72 |
| 25 | < 1 | 7 | 25 | 48 | 74 |
| 30 | < 1 | 7 | 25 | 48 | 74 |
| 35 | < 1 | 7 | 25 | 48 | 74 |
| 40 | < 1 | 7 | 25 | 48 | 74 |
| 45 | < 1 | 5 | 22 | 44 | 69 |
| 50 | < 1 | 3 | 19 | 40 | 63 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 15 | 34 | 56 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 29 | 49 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 23 | 41 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 18 | 34 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 1 | 13 | 27 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 21 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 16 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 15 | < 1 | < 1 | 13 | 30 | 48 |
| 20 | < 1 | 5 | 20 | 39 | 59 |
| 25 | < 1 | 6 | 21 | 40 | 62 |
| 30 | < 1 | 6 | 21 | 40 | 62 |
| 35 | < 1 | 6 | 21 | 40 | 62 |
| 40 | < 1 | 6 | 21 | 40 | 62 |
| 45 | < 1 | 4 | 18 | 37 | 57 |
| 50 | < 1 | 2 | 15 | 33 | 52 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 12 | 28 | 46 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 23 | 39 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 18 | 32 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 13 | 26 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 20 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 15 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 |
What Do Side Leg Raise Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Side Leg Raise, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Side Leg Raise with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Side Leg Raise is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Side Leg Raise through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Side Leg Raise strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.
How to Progress Your Side Leg Raise
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Side Leg Raise to the next level.
- Train the Side Leg Raise 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
- Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
- Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
- Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
- Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Side Leg Raise.
- Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
- Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
- Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
- Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Side Leg Raise plateaus.
- Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
- Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
- Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
- Maximize Side Leg Raise strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
- Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
- Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
- Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
How to Perform Side Leg Raise
- Start by lying on your side with your legs extended and stacked on top of each other. Rest your head on your lower arm and place your upper arm's hand on the floor in front of you for support.
- Engage your core to stabilize your body. Slowly lift your top leg upwards as high as you can while keeping it straight. Avoid rotating your hips or torso.
- Hold the position at the top briefly, ensuring you feel the contraction in your hip and glute muscles.
- Slowly lower your leg back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Tips for Side Leg Raise
- Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise to maintain stability.
- Avoid swinging your leg or using momentum; focus on controlled movements.
- Ensure your top leg remains straight and your toes point forward.
- Start with a smaller range of motion if you are a beginner and gradually increase as you gain strength.
- To make the exercise more challenging, you can add ankle weights or resistance bands.
Where Do These Side Leg Raise Standards Come From?
FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.
Standards data last refreshed: March 28, 2026
Is Your Side Leg Raise Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Side Leg Raise against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:
- Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
- Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
- Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
- Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.
If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can Side Leg Raise 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.
The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
