7 Best Exercises for Women to Get Rid of Hip Dips

Hip dips are a normal part of the female body that can’t be 'fixed' by exercise. Hip dips are the inward depressions along the sides of the body below the hip bone. They aren’t caused by obesity or a lack of exercise, but they may be more prominent in some people than others.

Exercises that target the hips can help you build muscle. However, if you aren't eating enough and are training with heavy weights, building muscles won't necessarily mean you'll get rid of hip dips.

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Best Exercises to Target Your Hip Dips

Exercise can help you slim your hips and give them a more rounded shape. The following seven exercises will target your thighs, buttocks, abdominals and hips to get you an hourglass figure.

1) Fire Hydrant

This is a killer workout that can help target your hip dip. Fire Hydrant can be performed anywhere, and it also works your glute, hips and core.

To perform a Fire Hydrant:

• Get down on all fours with your arms at your sides and your knees positioned below your hips.
• While maintaining the knee's bent position, brace your core, and elevate your right knee out to the side.
• After pausing at hip height, lower the knee back down to the starting position to complete one rep.
• Repeat on the opposite side. For each side, try to complete three sets of ten repetitions.

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2) Side Leg Raises

Side leg lifts are a great way to target the gluteus medius and minimus muscles, as well as build strength in your outer thighs, hip abductors and core.

Here's how you do it:

• Lie on one side, with your legs extended out straight, one stacked on top of the other.
• Rest your head on your arm straight on the floor, or bend your elbow, and hold your head for support.
• Engaging your core, lift up your top leg toward the ceiling; hold at the top before lowering back down to starting position.

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3) Step Downs

Step-down exercises work the quads, hamstrings and hip dips. Additionally, they can aid with knee stabilisation.

To do this exercise:

• Stand on top of a sturdy, low-to-medium height bench or stool.
• Activate your core and glutes as you slowly step down with one foot.
• Tap the bottom foot to the ground.
• Bring it back up to the starting position slowly, and do ten reps on each side.

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4) Lateral Lunge

This exercise strengthens the sides of your body as well as your inner thighs. It also works your buttocks, so it's an ideal exercise for targeting that area of your body.

How to do it:

• To do a lateral lunge, start by standing with your feet hip-width apart.
• Step out to the right, bending your right knee and sinking your hips back and down as you lower your left leg straight behind you.
• To return to your original position, push off from your toes.

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5) Glute Bridge With Abduction

To tone and sculpt your hip dips, thighs and hamstrings, try this exercise. It also strengthens your abdominal muscles and lower back, so it's a great all-around workout.

To do this exercise:

• Lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat.
• Engage your core, squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips up to form a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Once your hips are high enough, pulse your knees out to the side before lowering them back down and lowering your hips back to the ground.

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6) Donkey Kickbacks

Donkey kicks are a great exercise for targeting your sides aka 'hip dips'.

How to do it:

• Kneel, with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders.
• Without rounding your back and keeping the 90-degree angle in your knees, lift your left knee towards the ceiling and back slowly.
• Lower it back down to the starting position for one rep.

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7) Clamshell Workout

Clam shells are a great exercise for strengthening the gluteus medius and the inner and outer thighs. These muscles help stabilise the pelvis, so they're great if you want to build muscle around your hip dips.

To do this workout:

• Lie on your side, with one arm under the head for support and the other holding a yoga block.
• Stack the knees, with one leg on top of the other, and make sure that your hips are stacked as well.
• Engage your core muscles by pulling them inwards towards the spine, and hold this pose for up to 30 seconds.

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Bottom Line

There are definitely options out there for reducing the size of your hip dips, and make your butt look more even and great again.

Just remember that we’re all different, and what works for someone might not work for everyone. Don’t get down on yourself if you can’t find a perfect exercise right away. Just do what works best for you.