7 Best Hip Exercises for Women to Build Stronger Hips

Strong hips are essential, regardless of gender. However, women are more prone to having weak hips than men. These hip exercises for women will help you build stronger hips in no time.

When we talk about weak hips, we mean all the muscles that go over the region, including the glutes, hamstrings, abductors, adductors, and the psoas muscles.

Strengthening all of these muscles with these hip exercises for women will lead to stronger, more functional hips.

Best hip exercises for women

Let’s take a look at some of the top hip exercises for women. These exercises for strong hips are especially beneficial for women as they also target other surrounding muscles in the body, leading to better movement and functionality.

1) Glute bridges

Glute bridges are a great exercise when it comes to strengthening the hips and glutes. It helps provide more stability overall and allows for better everyday movement. This is one of the best hip exercises for women to strengthen the glute muscles.

Here are the steps you can follow to do glute bridges correctly:

Lay yourself on the floor and bend your legs at your knees. Point them to the ceiling and your feet hip-distance apart with your hands flat on the ground on either side of you.
Push your hips up, steadying your shoulders and keeping your feet firm on the ground. Your hips should align themselves with your knees and shoulders. Use your hands to stabilize yourself.
Lower your hips back down slowly to the floor.
Repeat this movement for 12 to 15 reps.

2) Squats

Who doesn’t love squats? Fitness enthusiasts of all ages perform this exercise on a regular basis. It’s one of the best hip exercises for women to develop strength and stability in the lower extremity while improving the mobility of the hips, knees, and ankles.

Here are the steps you can follow to do squats correctly:

Stand straight with your feet hip-distance apart and keep your back straight.
Keep your feet firm on the ground, and push your hips back. Lower them by bending at your knees and hips. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Push yourself up while straightening your legs and return to the starting position.
Repeat this movement for 12 to 15 reps.

3) Kettlebell swings

This is a popular set of hip exercises for women that not only tones the legs but also helps build strength in the lower body. The constant swinging motion helps build stability and improve the range of motion in the hips.

Here are the steps you can follow to do kettlebell swings correctly:

Stand straight with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold the kettlebell in both hands between your thighs.
Crouch into a half-squat position with the kettlebell lowered toward the ground.
Straighten yourself up quickly, allowing your hips to push your arms forward and swing the kettlebell up towards shoulder-level, but not beyond that.
Repeat the move for 12 to 15 reps.

4) Lunges

Lunges are a great way to strengthen the muscles of the hip flexor complex, as well as build strength in the lower extremity.

Here are the steps you can follow to do lunges correctly:

Stand straight with your feet together.
Bring your right leg out and place it about a foot ahead of you. Lower your body into a lunge position while keeping your back straight, lowering your knee just a few inches off the ground.
Straighten your legs and stand back up straight. Return the right leg next to the left leg before performing the next rep.
Repeat the move for 10 to 12 reps on each leg.

5) Good mornings

This is a good exercise to strengthen the lower back along with the hip flexors. It also helps build mobility in the hips for hinging movements.

Here are the steps you can follow to do good mornings correctly:

Stand straight with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold your hands behind your head with your elbows pointed outward.
Hinge forward at your hip and continue to lean forward till you are bent at an angle of 90-degrees from the ground. Bend your knees slightly to accommodate the movement.
Stand back up straight to the starting position.
Repeat the move for 12 to 15 reps.

6) Drinking bird

Drinking bird exercise. (Image via Freepik)

This is a single-leg exercise similar to the Romanian deadlift. Also known as the stiff leg deadlift, This is considered one of th best hip exercises for women as it effectively strengthens the hamstrings, improving stability, mobility, and overall balance.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the drinking bird correctly:

Stand straight with your feet together. Raise your right foot up and hold it stationary in the air. You may do this by bending your right knee slightly.
Maintain balance on your left leg and lean forward at your hip, extending your arms out in front of you as you bend forward and bring your torso parallel to the floor. Simultaneously extending your right leg out behind you will help counterbalance.
Lower yourself until your fingers are almost touching the floor.
Straighten yourself up and return to the starting position.
Repeat this movement for 10 to 12 reps on each leg.

7) Banded clamshells

Clamshells are the most effective hip exercises for women when it comes to strengthening the adductors and hip flexors. When performed with a resistance band, they also challenge you to push through the range of motion. You can loop the band around your knees.

Here are the steps you can follow to do banded clamshells correctly:

Lay down on your left side on the floor. Bend your knees forward, so they are stacked one over the other, as are your hips. This is the starting position.
Push your right knee up and point it toward the ceiling. Ensure your right foot is still stacked over the left one and allow your feet to hinge for movement.
Bring your knee back down and return it to the starting position.
Repeat the movement for 12 to 15 reps on each side.

Be sure to add these hip exercises for women to your routine for stronger and more flexible hips. This should help improve your movement and performance.

Before doing these hip exercises for women, be sure to follow the right warm-up and cool-down protocols to avoid injury and any discomfort.

Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh