Strengthen one of the biggest and most important joints in your body with this effective hip workout, demonstrated here by Chrissy King, an ISSA-certified fitness coach and creator of the Body Liberation Project. Not only will these exercises target and work out hip muscles, building strong and injury-proof hips, but they’ll also strengthen your entire lower body and core. Win, win!
The Best Hip Workout Moves
How to do it: Incorporate a few of these exercises into your existing strength routine three or four days per week, or put them all together for a hips-focused workout routine.
You’ll need: A set of dumbbells (5 to 15 pounds, depending on your fitness level) and a resistance loop (or resistance band tied in a small loop)
Balancing Squat
Peter Ardito
Adding a balance challenge to a standard squat will keep your hips, glutes, and abs firing the entire time.
A. Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Then, keeping chest lifted and maintaining a neutral spine, lower into a deep squat, reaching both arms to the floor (try to tap the ground if possible).
B. Press up and shift weight into left leg while bending right knee, then grab onto right shin with right hand.
C. Hold for 1 count, release leg, and return to starting position. Switch sides; repeat.
Do 10 reps on each side.
Standing Slow Side Kick
Peter Ardito
This move is all about control, adding a bit of core activation while you work out your hip muscles. Try not to swing your leg — use hip and core strength to lift and lower.
A. Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands on hips, then slowly extend right leg to the side at hip height, taking 3 full counts to raise leg. Keep inner thigh parallel to the floor.
B. Hold for 1 count, then take 3 counts to lower foot back to the floor. Switch sides; repeat.
Do 15 reps on each side.
Side-Stepping Curtsy
Peter Ardito
This traveling lunge targets your thighs and glutes, plus the reaching motion adds an extra core challenge to your hip workout.
A. Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, hands clasped behind head.
B. Cross left leg behind right and lower into a curtsy lunge, reaching left hand to the floor.
C. Quickly stand back up and return to starting position. Switch sides; repeat.
Do 10 reps on each side.
Alternating Side Jump
Peter Ardito
A little plyometrics goes a long way to challenge your entire lower body and get your heart pumping.
A. Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands on hips to start.
B. Hop 3 feet to the left, landing on left foot with left knee slightly bent. Keep right foot off the floor when landing.
C. Bring right foot down to the floor to return to starting position. Switch sides; repeat.
Do 15 reps on each side.
Hinging Deadlift
Peter Ardito
To keep your lower-body strength balanced, it’s super important to strengthen your whole posterior chain, aka the muscles on the back of your body. Deadlifts, one of the most effective hip workout moves, recruit the muscles in your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back as well.
A. Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold the weights in front of thighs, palms facing inward.
B. Maintaining a neutral spine, hinge forward from hips and reach the dumbbells to the ground until torso is almost parallel with the floor.
C. Focus on using glutes to raise body halfway back up, and then return to full forward hinge again.
Do 20 reps.
Hip Raise
Peter Ardito
For a challenge, try this hip workout move with your foot on a slightly unstable surface, such as a Bosu balance trainer.
A. Lie face up with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Slowly lift hips and extend right leg, pointing toes toward the ceiling.
B. Hold for 1 count, then move right leg out to the right side at 90 degrees.
C. Hold for 1 count and return to center before lowering to starting position.
Do 10 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
Shifting Side Lunge
Peter Ardito
What happens when you combine a sumo squat with a side lunge? You get triple the hip workout in one fluid motion.
A. Stand with feet together, holding dumbbells by sides. Take a wide step out to the right and lower into a side lunge on the right side, reaching dumbbells toward the floor on either side of right leg.
B. Bend left knee and shift weight into both legs, coming into a wide squat position. Reach the dumbbells to the floor in front of body. Then, extend right leg and shift weight to the left, moving into a side lunge on the left side.
C. Push off left foot to bring legs together and return to starting position. That’s one rep.
Do 10 reps, alternating which leg steps out first.
Traveling Squat-Kick
Peter Ardito
Channel your inner martial artist for this move that will strengthen and work out hip, quad, and butt muscles.
A. Stand with hands on hips and kick right leg in an arc across front of body before bringing foot to the floor into a squat.
B. Step left foot next to the right and come to stand. Switch sides; repeat.
Do 15 reps on each side.
External Hip Raise
Peter Ardito
Build strength on the outside of your hip muscles with this pulse. (And if you love resistance band workouts, try these resistance band ab moves.)
A. Loop a mini resistance band around ankles. Lie on left side, supporting upper body with left hand and forearm.
B. Extend both legs out, feet flexed. Brace abs in tight and lift top leg to hip height, rotating leg to turn toes down to the floor, keeping tension on the band.
C. Lift leg slightly higher than hip height, pushing against the band, with heel rotated up to the ceiling.
D. Return leg to hip height.
Do 20 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
Single Leg Raise
Peter Ardito
Kick up your hip workout (literally) with this targeted exercise that challenges the tush, outer thighs, and hip flexor muscles all at once.
A. Start on all fours, weight evenly balanced between hands and knees.
B. Lift right leg out to the side, keeping knee bent 90 degrees and inner thigh facing the floor.
C. Quickly kick leg diagonally behind body, bringing heel toward the ceiling.
D. Return right knee to the floor.
Do 10 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
Side-Lying Leg Lift
Peter Ardito
This hip adduction exercise is a great inner-thigh move, but it also engages your abs. To make it harder, loop your mini resistance band around your ankles.
A. Lie on left side with left arm extended on the floor, right hand in front of body for support.
B. Brace abs, bring bottom leg slightly in front of top leg (let the inside of top foot rest on the ground), and lift bottom leg up toward the ceiling, keeping hips stacked.
C. Pulse bottom leg up and down quickly. If using a band, maintain tension on it at all times.
Do 20 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
Turkish Getup
Peter Ardito
This total-body exercise can help improve hip mobility and strength as the hips move through a wide range of motion.
A. Lie face-up with left knee bent, right leg extended, right arm extended by side, palm facing down, holding a dumbbell in left hand with arm extended overhead.
B. Engage core and use right hand to sit up, first moving to right forearm then pressing up to right palm, while keeping left arm extended overhead.
C. Push hips off the ground using the left leg and right arm.
D. In a quick, controlled movement, swing right leg under body into a half-kneeling position with left foot forward and right knee on the ground.
E. Still holding left arm overhead, stand up and step right foot next to left. Reverse the sequence to return to starting position.
Do 6 to 8 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
