Why You Should Do The Clamshell Exercise?

You're probably familiar with the clamshell exercise, but are you familiar with its many benefits?

The clamshell is a great exercise to help improve lower body muscles, and it can also help prevent injury. In this article, we will explore why you should be doing clamshell exercises regularly and how you can do it correctly at home or in a gym. Let's get started.

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What Is Clamshell Exercise?

Clamshell exercise is a simple exercise that targets the glutes and hamstrings. It can be done anywhere, and it’s a great warm-up or cool-down exercise. You can do it at home or in the gym.

Clamshells are also a great way to get your blood flowing, which helps keep the muscles loose and comfortable throughout the day.

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How to Do Clamshell Exercise?

Reduces risk of injury. (Image via Pexels/Darina Belonogova)

To perform a clamshell:

• Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Lift one foot up so that both knees point straight up towards the ceiling (like an open clam).
• Hold for five seconds, and lower down slowly to the starting position before repeating with the opposite leg as if closing a clam shell over its meaty prey inside.

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ClamShell Exercise Benefits

To benefit from a clamshell exercise, you need to know more than just what it is. You should know how important it is to include exercise in your workout routine and why. Here are the top benefits of clamshell exercises:

1) Reduces risk of injury

To prevent and treat injuries, do this simple exercise: the couch stretch. The gluteus medius muscle plays an outsized role in stabilizing the pelvis and hips during all kinds of exercises and functional movements. When it's too weak, it can't do its job.

2) Strengthens hamstring muscles

Runners, in particular, should be aware of the importance of the gluteus medius muscle. It stabilizes the hips during running and can make or break your race.

Clamshell exercises strengthen the gluteus and hip muscles, which can help a runner avoid pain and injury. They're perfect for runners, as they can be done almost anywhere and require very little equipment.

3) Relieves Lower Back Pain

Strengthens the hamstring muscles. (Image via Pexels/Shvets Production)

Back pain is common, especially for people who sit at their desk all day. Weak glutes and tight hip flexors make it difficult for the lower back to support the weight of your torso when you're sitting, leading to aches and pains.

You can relieve lower back pain brought on by sitting with the clamshell exercise. It strengthens hip muscles that take pressure off the lower back.

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Clamshells Variations to Try at Home

To keep your workout interesting, try doing the clamshell exercise on different surfaces. You can do it on a stability ball, bench, chair or the floor.

1) With a resistance band

By adding resistance bands to the clam shell exercise, you can turn it into a challenging leg exercise. Adding resistance will target the glutes and core.

As a beginner, start with a lighter band, and move up to a heavier resistance band. To prevent knee pain, do not wrap the band around your knees; wrap it just above them.

2) Reverse clamshell

You can different variations of this workout. (Image via Pexels/Maksim Goncharenok)

The reverse clamshell is a modified version of the clamshell exercise that targets the inner thighs, which are often overlooked in traditional workouts. This glute exercise also strengthens the outer thighs, tones the glutes, and helps stabilize the pelvic muscles.

3) High Clamshell

High clamshells are advanced variations of the basic clam. They require serious coordination to perform properly and are best done after you've warmed up with regular clamshells and added resistance with a band above your knees.

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The clamshell exercise is a great way to strengthen the glutes and abs. It's also easy to do at home with minimal equipment needed. If you want an even more challenging variation, try doing clamshells with one leg raised in the air instead of both legs flat on the ground.