Hip Strength

By Shania Rayford B.S., CGEI 

The hips are one of the largest joints in the body. This joint bears a lot of loads and responsible for most of your daily movements. Your ability to do simple tasks like sit, stand, or walk depends heavily on the health of your hip joints. It is extremely important to keep them strong and healthy to maintain independence and quality of life. 

Hip thrusts are a great way to strengthen your hips and can be done in many different variations. Today I am going to share some of my favorite hip thrust variations that I do in my routine to keep my hips healthy and strong.  

1.        Hip Bridge 

This exercise is executed on the floor. Remember to keep your core engaged throughout this movement by ensuring your back is flat on the ground, and your legs, hips, and core are aligned when the hips leave the ground and reach the peak of its motion. This exercise is a great starting point and can be progressed by adding weight to your lower abdomen.  

2.        Single Leg Hip Bridge 

This movement is like the one above, but it is a unilateral exercise. That means that only one ligament is being worked at a time. Make sure to work both sides for an equal amount of time or repetitions. 

3.        Elevated Hip Thrust 

The elevated hip thrusts are one of my favorites! They are a step above in intensity compared to the first two variations, so only do these after you have mastered the first two. Start without weight and gradually progress to adding a load. 

4.        Hip Thrust    

Finally, the hip thrust! Again, build up to this exercise by doing the ones mentioned prior. Make sure your knees are bent at 90 degrees, core is engaged, and shoulder placement is correct on your step or bench.  

If you need any help executing these movements, don’t hesitate to ask one of our fitness staff at Move Well. Enjoy!