Strong and healthy hips have a positive impact on your alignment and performance. Use these tips to fine tune your hips by activating the muscles on the sides of your rear end – the gluteus medius and minimus.

The glute medius and minimus muscles pull your leg out to the side. If you put your hand on the side of your rear end and move your leg out to the side, you’ll feel these muscles tighten. Look beyond that simple move and you’ll access the benefits of strengthening these muscles.

When your feet are planted on the floor, glute medius and minimus work to play a key role in hip, knee, and foot position and stability. Follow the video or the written steps below to incorporate this concept into your workouts.

Sequence of tips to strengthen your hips:

Sequence #1 For those who tend to collapse through the arch of the foot. This sequence promotes better foot position, which in turn results in better joint mechanics at the hip (and also the foot and knee).

  • Stand with your heels directly below your hips. (You can also do this in sitting with heels under the knees.)
  • Put your hands on the outside of your thighs.
  • Press your legs outward.
  • Observe as the arch of your foot raises slightly.
  • Flatten the toes against the floor so you have equal weight under all of your toes.
  • Work to maintain this foot position as you move your hands away from your thighs.

Sequence #2 This move helps you work on hip stability when standing, walking, and running.

  • Shift your weight onto one foot.
  • Bend the opposite knee and lift that foot off the floor.
  • Let yourself sag into the hip on the weight bearing side.
  • Now tighten your glute medius and minimus to push your hip into a neutral position in which both hips are level with each other.
  • Work on maintaining this position to strengthen the glute medius and minimus.

Foot Alignment and the Hip

There’s a synergistic relationship between the foot and hip. Sequence #1 helps you strengthen that link. Proper foot position in your workouts helps keep your hips in good alignment. At the same time, activating the glute medius and minimus helps you achieve that proper foot position.

Single Leg Stance

Any time you have weight on just one leg, you are in Single Leg Stance. In this position, glute medius and minimus strength are super important for good joint mechanics. Sequence #2 helps you fully engage these muscles and can be applied when you exercise and move.

Does your workout include exercises like single-leg deadlifts? Pay attention to what’s going on with your weight-bearing leg. Engage the glute medius and minimus. Keep the pelvis level.

You should also pay particular attention when you are jogging or walking at a slower pace. Often, when we move slow, our tendency to sag through our hips becomes more pronounced. That ‘sag’ or swing from side to side can stress the hip joints and negatively impact your knee and foot alignment as well.

The Big Picture

Activating your gluteus medius and minimus are just one component of healthy hips. For more tips to fine tune your hips, take a look at this post.

Stay fit!

The information presented on this website is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or an assessment by other wellness professionals. To reduce and avoid injury, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.