Pilates guide
Hip dips, sometimes called violin hips, are the inward curves on the sides of your hips, around the top of your thigh bone. They come mostly from the shape of your pelvis and thigh bones, they're common in women and men at every size, and they aren't a sign of being unfit or overweight. Pilates can't change your bones, and no exercise burns fat from one spot.
What Pilates can do is make the muscles around your hips stronger. Side-hip training grew the side and upper glutes a little in one small trial, but nine months of ordinary Pilates didn't grow the glutes in a small scan study, so the moves need to get harder over time to build muscle.
This guide covers what hip dips are, what Pilates can and can't change, the side-hip and glute moves, how to make them harder, and a class to follow. Our hip dips guide covers the gym side and fillers. If worry about your shape is taking over, there's help further down.
Plastic surgeons call the dip the trochanteric depression: a dip at the side of the hip, around the bony bump at the top of the thigh bone, made by bone and the places where the glute and thigh muscles attach. One surgeons' review calls a dip like this "a natural anatomic entity". They're seen in athletes, with age, and as part of the usual male hip shape.
In 48 adults, the width across the two bony bumps at the top of the thigh bones varied by about 8 cm between people of the same sex, and pelvic shape differs from person to person. No study has measured how common hip dips are, or how much bone, muscle and fat each add to them.
Across 13 studies of 1,158 people, training one area didn't take more fat off it, and when adults trained one leg for 12 weeks, fat came off their arms and trunk, not their legs. Where your body keeps fat is mostly inherited.
In the only trial of its kind (17 adults, 10 weeks), side-hip training against a cable grew the upper part of the main glute muscle by about 10% and the side glutes by about 4%. Hip thrusts and squats grew the main glute but hardly the side glutes. No study has measured whether this changes how a hip dip looks.
In 12 inactive women who did studio Pilates twice a week for 36 weeks, glute size on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans didn't change, and the researchers think the exercise was too light. It was one small study with no comparison group. Pilates did make hips somewhat stronger in other small trials.
Muscle grows with more hard sets, about 10 or more a week for a muscle, and light loads work as well as heavy ones when sets end close to tiring out. Add reps, a band, standing and one-leg versions, then squats, lunges and hip thrusts.
One group of surgeons describes the trochanteric depression as "found below the greater trochanter in the lateral buttock region", made of the bone and the attachments of the gluteus medius, vastus lateralis, quadratus femoris and gluteus maximus. Another places hip dips between the top of the pelvis and that bony bump, under the attachments of the tensor fasciae latae and glute muscles. The descriptions don't quite agree, so we say: at the side of the hip, around the top of the thigh bone.
"This depression could be constitutional, resulting from a pronounced muscular definition in athletes, or happen as part of the ageing process due to skin laxity and fat accumulation in the lower third of the buttocks. In men, this depression is an inherent characteristic of the android gluteal form." A surgeons' review describes a similar dip that many patients dislike, "although it is a natural anatomic entity".
The width and shape of your pelvis, where your hip sockets sit and how far the top of each thigh bone sticks out set most of the outline. In 48 adults, the width across the bony bumps ranged from about 33 to 41 cm in men and 35 to 43 cm in women. Pelvic shape differs between the sexes even before birth. Exercise doesn't change the shape of adult bone.
The gluteus medius and minimus sit above the bony bump, the gluteus maximus behind and below it, the tensor fasciae latae in front, and the vastus lateralis runs down the outside of the thigh. These are the muscles side-hip Pilates works.
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"Women, compared to men, have higher percent body fat and deposit it in a different pattern, with relatively more adipose tissue in the hips and thighs." After the menopause, fat tends to shift towards the waist. In twins, where fat is stored on the lower body was about 80% down to genes. Skin loosens with age, which can make a dip look deeper.
We found no study of how common they are: every record in our search was about cosmetic procedures. Surgeons describe them in women and men, in athletes and with age.
One ultrasound review suggests that when the glutes grow, the tendon sheet at the side keeps its size, so the dip can look more marked. That is the authors' opinion, not a measurement.
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Hip dips are searched for as a body worry more than a fitness question. Your hips aren't a problem to fix.
In 1,357 adults aged 50 to 75 followed for 6 years, larger hips went with lower odds of type 2 diabetes, and fat on the hips and thighs is linked with healthier blood fats and sugar. These are associations, not proof, and no reason to want bigger or smaller hips.
The NHS lists signs such as spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape, exercising too much, and having very strict habits or routines around food. If that sounds like you, see a GP as soon as you can. You can also talk in confidence to the eating disorder charity Beat: 0808 801 0677 (England), 0808 801 0432 (Scotland), 0808 801 0433 (Wales) or 0808 801 0434 (Northern Ireland), 3pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
If you worry a lot about one area of your body, spend a lot of time comparing your looks with other people's, or check or avoid mirrors, it can be body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). The NHS says "You should see a GP if you think you might have BDD." You can also refer yourself to NHS talking therapies (our suggestion, from the NHS page).
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In a survey of 2,287 young adults, women who did yoga or Pilates had disordered eating as often as those who didn't, and men who did them reported more extreme weight-control behaviours (18.6% against 6.8%). Set goals for strength, control and how you feel, not calories burned.
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Most of these studies are small and short, several were read only as abstracts, and none measured a hip dip itself.
In 13 studies of 1,158 people training one arm or leg, the trained limb didn't lose more fat. When 11 adults trained one leg for 12 weeks, fat came off the arms (about 10%) and trunk (about 7%), not either leg, and in 104 adults who trained one arm, scans found no difference in fat between the arms.
Adding tummy exercises to running took a little more fat off the trunk in 16 men, and leg fat fell more than arm fat in 8 women who did lower-body weights. Fat next to working muscle releases a little more fat during exercise, for a short time. None of these studied the hips, and they don't outweigh the larger evidence.
Seventeen young adults trained one leg sideways against a cable and the other backwards, twice a week for 10 weeks, about 10 sets a week. The side-hip training grew the upper part of the gluteus maximus by about 10% (the middle 4%, the lower 1%) and the gluteus medius and minimus by about 4%. One small trial, read as an abstract.
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In 34 untrained adults over 9 weeks, hip thrusts and back squats grew the glutes about equally, while the side glutes showed little to no growth. Across 11 studies, resistance training had a moderate effect on gluteus maximus size, though no study made clear how people were allocated. Full squats grew it 6.7% against 2.2% for half squats in 17 men.
In a review of 56 muscle-activity studies, the single-leg bridge, side-lying leg lifts with the hip turned slightly in, standing side lifts against resistance and resisted side-stepping worked the gluteus medius hardest. Side-lying lifts, clamshells and the abduction machine worked it about equally in 11 men. How hard a muscle works in one session doesn't predict how much it grows.
In 12 inactive women doing studio Pilates twice a week for 36 weeks (9 in the scan results), the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus didn't change size on MRI. There was no comparison group, and the researchers suggest the exercises "could have not been specific enough or the exercise intensity could have been too low". Our search found no other Pilates study that measured glute size or side-hip strength.
In 60 women aged 60 to 80 (49 finished), Pilates twice a week for 18 weeks beat no exercise only for holding the hip straight, while resistance training improved every machine-measured hip test within its group. In 14 older women with no comparison group, 12 weeks of mat Pilates raised hip strength. Pilates makes hips somewhat stronger; it hasn't been shown to make the side glutes bigger.
The 2026 ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) position stand, drawing on 137 reviews, says muscle growth "was enhanced by higher volumes (≥10 sets/wk)". More weekly sets give more growth, with smaller gains as you add more. When sets are taken close to failure, light loads build about as much muscle as heavy ones.
In a 2026 review of 12 studies in about 540 women, Pilates lowered weight by about 4 kg and BMI (body mass index) by about 1.2, but hip circumference (2 studies), waist and body fat percentage didn't change significantly, at very low to low certainty. Earlier reviews found small weight losses in poor-quality trials, no change in waist size, and mat Pilates no better than other exercise for body composition.
Reformer Pilates 3 times a week for 8 weeks took weight from about 76.0 to 74.7 kg in 23 women with overweight, with unblinded assessors; Pilates and a weights circuit did about the same in 18 women. Neither measured the hips.
The evidence for hip dip fillers is two small case series with no comparison group: 11 women followed for about 10 months, and 30 women for 6 months, 13 of whom had swelling. A UK plastic surgeons' review describes serious risks with fat grafting to the buttocks, higher in unregulated clinics or abroad. Our hip dips guide covers this.
The Pilates side kick series, standing side lifts and bridges use the moves that work the side glutes hard, and Pilates makes hips somewhat stronger. It's a low-impact, low-cost way to start, and it suits people who don't like gyms.
Body-weight moves done the same way week after week get easy. To build muscle, the sets have to stay hard: more reps, a band or ankle weight, slower lowering, one-leg and standing versions, heavier springs on a reformer, or squats and hip thrusts.
Joseph Pilates designed both the mat work and the machines. Mat and machine Pilates improved fitness equally in 48 older women. On the reformer, heavier springs worked the side glutes more in standing side splits in one lab study. A band at home does a similar job.
Our editorial plan, from the 2026 ACSM position stand (about 10 or more hard sets a week for a muscle), the light-load studies (sets close to failure), the side-hip moves that worked hardest in the muscle-activity review, and the Pilates scan study that found no growth without more load.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Wall side leg lift (standing side kick at the wall)
Side-lying leg lift: 10 each side (our Pilates glute workout), heel leading and the leg slightly behind you. Side kick: 8 to 10 each side, and side-lying leg circles: 8 each direction, each side (both from the move pages' doses). Clamshell: 12 each side (our Pilates glute workout), a light band above the knees to progress. Leave the clamshell out if the outside of your hip hurts at night.
Wall side leg lift: 10 to 12 each side (from the move page's dose). Standing wall press: "3 to 5 holds of 5 to 15 seconds each side, twice a day: the standing hold in the LEAP trial programme." (the move page's dose). Band walk: 2 sets of 10 steps each way (our Pilates glute workout). Side plank with a leg lift: 2 sets of 5 to 8 each side, once side planks on your feet are steady (our plank challenge workout).
Glute bridge: 2 sets of 12, and single-leg bridge: 6 to 8 each side (both our Pilates glute workout). Shoulder bridge: 3 to 5 kicks each leg (from the move page's dose). Staggered-stance bridge: "5 slow repetitions each side once a day, building to 2 sets of 5 to 10 at a somewhat hard effort, as in the LEAP trial programme." (the move page's dose).
Reverse lunge: 2 sets of 8 to 10 each side, and goblet squat: 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping with 2 or 3 good reps left (both our Pilates strength workout). For the gym, our hip dips and glute guides add hip thrusts and the abduction machine.
Never lie on the sore side, and leave out clamshells and the inner thigh lift while the hip hurts at night. Start with the standing wall press, the lying belt press and bridges, as the trial that did best for this pain did, and keep side lifts small with a pillow between your knees when they come back (our suggestion, from the LEAP trial). Our Pilates for hip bursitis guide has a class.
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In later pregnancy, the NHS advises avoiding lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes. Our rule starts after the first trimester: use a propped-up or side-lying bridge instead of floor bridges, and with pelvic girdle pain, limit one-sided moves such as single-leg bridges, split squats and step-ups, as our hip thrust and pregnancy guides say.
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Follow your team's precautions: the clamshell turns the leg out and the inner thigh lift crosses one leg over the other, as their move pages say. Our Pilates after a hip replacement guide covers what to change.
Keep leg circles small and stop before the end of your range, as the single-leg circle's caution says, and favour the strengthening moves.
Shorten lunges and squats, and use bridges and side-lying work, which suit sore knees (our suggestion, as our Pilates for knee pain guide advises).
There is no hip dips class on purpose: no class can promise a shape, and the Pilates glute workout already has the side kick series, standing side lifts and band walks. Make it harder as you go. The hips class works the hip in every direction, the strength workout adds dumbbells, and the hip bursitis class suits a sore outer hip.
A 25-minute Pilates class for your glutes: bridges, the side kick series, face-down kicks and standing work at a wall, with a band to make it harder.
25 minBeginner16 movesWall, bandA 25-minute Pilates class for healthy hips: the back and side of the hip, the inner thigh, turning at the end of your range and one-leg control.
25 minBeginner21 movesWallA 30-minute Pilates strength class with dumbbells or a band: Pilates trunk work plus squats, lunges, rows and push-ups, each set taken until it is hard.
30 minIntermediate15 movesDumbbell, bandA 25-minute Pilates class for outer hip pain once the hip pain class is easy: one-leg bridges, standing side-hip work, step-ups and balance, and no clams.
25 minBeginner15 movesBand, wallA 25-minute glute workout with bodyweight and a mini band: bridges, clamshells, band walks, kickbacks and lunges.
25 minBeginner9 movesWall, bandA 50-minute gym glute workout: hip thrusts, deep squats, Bulgarian split squats, back extensions and hip abduction, with sets, reps and rest.
50 minIntermediate11 movesBand, barbellFor stronger, fuller glutes over 8 weeks, the glute plan; the 30-day glute challenge is a gentler start.
An 8-week glute workout plan: two glute days and two upper-body days a week, with hip thrusts, squats, hinges and side-hip work, plus a home option.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA free 30-day glute challenge for home or the gym: three 20-minute sessions a week with bridges, split squats, hinges and side-hip work, and rest days.
3 training days20 minBeginnerThis is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
Call 999 or go to A&E: severe hip pain after a fall or injury, or you cannot stand, walk or put weight on the leg. In an older adult this can be a broken hip; the leg may be at an odd angle or look shorter. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: tingling or loss of feeling in the hip or leg after an injury.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have severe hip pain that started suddenly but you've not had a fall or injured your hip, your hip is swollen and feels hot, the skin around your hip has changed colour, or you have hip pain, feel generally unwell and have a high temperature (or feel hot, cold or shivery). A hot, swollen hip with a high temperature can be a joint infection.
A lump in the groin, upper thigh or tummy, especially one that appears when you cough or strain and goes when you lie down: see a GP, as it may be a true hernia. A femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of the thigh, mainly in women over 50, though it can happen to anyone) needs treating in hospital.
See a GP if you think you might have scoliosis: the NHS lists uneven shoulders, one shoulder or hip sticking out, and the ribs sticking out on one side among the signs.
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If your bottom, thighs and lower legs (sometimes your arms) are out of proportion with the rest of your body, feel painful, tender or heavy, and bruise easily, ask your GP about lipoedema, as our weight-loss and thigh fat guides explain.
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These are medical procedures with real risks. A UK plastic surgeons' review says complications are better managed in strictly regulated healthcare settings, and that people treated in unregulated clinics or abroad face higher risk.
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Call 999 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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You feel any pain or become unwell, as the NHS advises for its Pilates videos, and especially for chest pain or pressure, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting. If you have a health problem, an injury or any symptoms, get advice from a healthcare professional, such as a GP, before you start.
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The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
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No study shows it. Bone sets most of the outline and doesn't change with exercise; side-hip training grew the side and upper glutes by a few percent in one small trial, and Pilates didn't change glute size in the one study that measured it. No study has measured a change in a hip dip with any exercise.
Surgeons describe them as part of many people's natural build, more visible in muscular athletes, and typical of the male hip. No study links them with weight or fitness.
We found no study suggesting any exercise causes them. Pilates didn't change glute size in the one study that measured it; some clinicians think big glutes can make a dip look deeper, which is opinion, not a finding.
Training one area doesn't take fat off it. When people trained one leg, fat came off their arms and trunk instead.
Not shown. Across Pilates trials in women, weight fell a little but hip circumference didn't change significantly, in only 2 studies at very low certainty.
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Joseph Pilates designed both the mat work and the machines, and mat and machine Pilates improved fitness equally in older women. Bands and your body weight work at home.
They're medical procedures with two small case series behind them, and fat grafting to the buttocks carries serious risks, higher in unregulated clinics.
Pilates is good for strong, steady hips, but it can't change hip dips, which come mostly from the shape of your pelvis and thigh bones. Side-hip Pilates works the muscles above the dip, and making it harder over time can add a little muscle there. Whether that changes how your hips look hasn't been studied.
No. Exercise doesn't change bone, and no study has shown any exercise removing hip dips. They're a normal part of many people's build.
Mainly the width and shape of your pelvis and where the top of your thigh bone sits, with the muscles and fat over them. Where you store fat is largely inherited. They're common in women and men, at every size, and in athletes.
Our Pilates glute workout: side kicks, side-lying leg lifts, leg circles, clams, wall side lifts and band walks for the side of your hips, and bridges for the back. Do it 2 or 3 times a week and make it harder as you go, because ordinary Pilates didn't grow the glutes in the one study that measured them.
We found no study suggesting it. Pilates didn't change glute size in the one study that measured it; some clinicians think big glute muscles can make a dip look deeper, but that's opinion, not a finding.
In the trial of side-hip training, the upper glutes grew about 10% and the side glutes about 4% in 10 weeks of hard, loaded sets. People vary, and the bone underneath won't change. Judge your progress by what you can do: more reps, a heavier band, a harder version.
Not shown. Mat and machine Pilates improved fitness equally in older women, and on the reformer, heavier springs worked the side hip more in one lab study. A band or ankle weight does a similar job at home.
No. Training one area doesn't take fat off it; when people trained one leg, fat came off their arms and trunk instead. Fat changes with your overall activity and eating.
It's an exercise, not the body shape: in a side plank, you lower your hip towards the floor and lift it again. It works the side of your trunk and hip, but we found no study of it, and it won't change the shape of your hips. Our side plank with a leg lift is a similar move with a 3D demo.
They're medical procedures, and the evidence is two small case series with no comparison group. Fat transfer to the buttocks has serious risks, higher in unregulated clinics or abroad. Our hip dips guide has more.
Yes. Plastic surgeons describe the dip as part of the typical male hip shape.
Hip dips are normal, and larger hips and thighs aren't a health problem. If worry about your shape takes up a lot of your time, see a GP; in England you can also call Beat's helpline on 0808 801 0677, 3pm to 8pm on weekdays.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
