You can work your outside hip muscles through exercises that focus on abduction and external rotation. One specific exercise involves lying on your back and performing hip rotations. Here's how:
Hip Rotation Exercise
This exercise targets the outer hip muscles (abductors and external rotators).
- Starting Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Leg Raise: Bend one leg at the hip to bring it up toward your chest. Repeat this move with the other leg.
- Figure Four Stretch Prep: Once both legs are up, place the ankle of one leg onto the thigh of the other, just above the knee. This is similar to preparing for a figure four stretch.
- Controlled Movements: Focus on controlled rotations of the hip. You might feel a stretch in the outer hip of the leg that has the ankle on the opposite thigh.
- Repetitions: Perform the exercise for a set number of repetitions on each side.
Important Considerations:
- Warm-up: Always warm up before performing any exercises. Light cardio or dynamic stretching focusing on hip mobility are good options.
- Proper Form: Maintain proper form throughout the exercise to avoid injury. Engage your core to stabilize your spine.
- Listen to Your Body: Stop if you experience any pain.
- Progression: As you get stronger, you can increase the difficulty by adding resistance bands around your thighs.
Additional Exercises for Outer Hip Strength
Besides the hip rotation described above, consider these exercises to target the outer hip:
- Side-Lying Leg Lifts: Lie on your side with your legs extended. Lift your top leg towards the ceiling, keeping it straight.
- Clamshells: Lie on your side with your knees bent and feet together. Keeping your feet together, open your knees like a clamshell.
- Standing Hip Abduction: Stand tall and lift one leg out to the side, keeping it straight. Use a wall for balance if needed.
- Banded Walks: Place a resistance band around your ankles or thighs and walk sideways, maintaining tension on the band.
Consistent exercise, coupled with proper stretching, will help strengthen and improve the mobility of your outer hip muscles.
