Training guide
Your hip muscles do four jobs: they push the hip forward when you stand, climb and run, hold your pelvis level every time you stand on one leg, steady your knee on one leg, and pull the thigh inwards. Strengthening your hips means training all four, 2 or 3 times a week, with a few minutes of balance work.
Strong hips help sore knees and help older adults stay steady, but hip strength alone hasn't been shown to prevent running injuries. This guide covers the hip strengthening exercises that work each job, how many sets and how often, what strong hips do for knees, running and balance, and when hip pain needs our pain guides first. Our hip strengthening workout puts it into one session.
Bridges or hip thrusts, side-hip moves (side-lying raises, side planks, band walks), single-leg work (step-ups, split squats, single-leg Romanian deadlifts), a little inner-thigh work, and balance on one leg: 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 15, as our hip joint page suggests.
In lab studies, side-lying leg raises and side planks with the top leg lifted worked the side of the hip harder than clamshells. Move on to harder side-hip and single-leg work.
For kneecap pain, hip and knee strengthening together eased pain more than knee work alone in 14 trials, and hip strengthening improved pain and function in knee arthritis.
Weak hips go with outer knee (iliotibial band) pain, but a hip, thigh and core programme didn't cut injuries in 720 first-time marathon runners. Train it as part of whole-leg strength.
Programmes that mixed balance, everyday movement and strength work cut falls in older adults by about a third. One-leg balance belongs in every hip session.
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The hip is a deep ball and socket, made to carry your weight, as our hip joint page explains. You strengthen the muscles round it, and the joint's tissues adapt with them.
The gluteus maximus and hamstrings straighten the hip when you stand up, climb stairs and run. Bridges, hip thrusts, squats, step-ups, split squats and Romanian deadlifts train them.
The gluteus medius and minimus, on the outer side of the hip, hold your pelvis level when you stand on one leg, which you do with every step. Side-lying leg raises, side planks, band walks and the hip hitch train them, as our glute guide explains.
Step-ups, step-downs and single-leg Romanian deadlifts train your hip to steady the knee over your foot on one leg. The adductors on the inner thigh pull the leg in; the Copenhagen plank trains them.
Hip sockets differ in depth and angle, so the squat depth and stance width that feel right differ too. Side-hip strength matters more with age: in 60 older adults, hip abductor strength told fallers from non-fallers best of the hip muscles. If you're heavier, bodyweight moves are already a real load (our suggestion).
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Most of this evidence comes from people with knee or hip pain, from older adults, or from small lab studies of muscle activity in healthy young people. We found no trial of hip strengthening in people whose hips and knees don't hurt, other than in runners.
In 21 active people, side-lying hip abduction drew about twice the gluteus medius activity of clamshells, and single-leg squats and single-leg deadlifts worked both the medius and maximus well. In 24 people, side planks with the top leg lifted and single-leg squats ranked highest for the gluteus medius. Clamshells, side-steps and single-leg bridges worked the glutes while keeping a hip flexor at the front quiet in 20 people. Across 16 studies, step-ups drew the most gluteus maximus activity, then deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges and squats. These measure effort in a few reps, not strength gained.
In 89 people with knee arthritis, 12 weeks of hip strengthening improved pain, function and strength against no treatment, though it didn't lower the load on the inside of the knee. Across 8 trials, adding hip exercises to quadriceps exercises improved walking but not pain overall, and hip strengthening exercises did better than functional exercises for pain and function.
In 14 trials of 673 people with kneecap (patellofemoral) pain, hip and knee strengthening cut pain by 1.5 points out of 10 more than knee strengthening alone, without a measurable change in strength. Our knee guide says the same.
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Across 11 studies, weaker hip abductors went with outer knee (iliotibial band) pain in studies taken at one point in time, but not clearly with kneecap pain, shin pain, stress fractures or Achilles pain. In 79 college runners, those flagged as weak weren't injured more often. In 720 first-time marathon runners, a 10-minute hip, thigh and core programme 3 times a week didn't cut the injuries that stopped people finishing.
In 108 trials of 23,407 people aged 60 and over, exercise cut the rate of falls by 23%, balance and functional exercise by 24%, and programmes mixing balance, functional and strength work by about a third; strength training alone had uncertain effects. WHO asks adults over 65 for balance and strength work on 3 or more days a week.
In one small trial of 102 older adults, 12 weeks of hip abduction strengthening raised hip strength by 25% and was followed by fewer falls over a year than seated stretching (a rate ratio of 0.30), although stepping practice improved balance recovery more. It needs repeating in bigger trials.
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In the 2026 Cochrane update of 18 trials and 1,368 people, exercise against no treatment probably reduced pain by about 7 points and improved function by about 9 points on 100-point scales, changes its authors judge unlikely to matter much on average. NICE offers exercise, including local muscle strengthening, to everyone with osteoarthritis, and warns that joint pain may rise at first.
In 204 people aged 35 to 70 with gluteal tendinopathy, 8 weeks of advice on managing load plus exercise gave more people a good result (51 of 66) than a steroid injection (38 of 65) or waiting (20 of 68), and a better result than the injection at a year.
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In 14 studies of people aged 16 to 26, single-leg training improved single-leg jumping more and two-leg training improved two-leg strength more. In 9 studies, muscle growth didn't differ, and each kind of training raised strength most in its own test. In 18 rugby players, Bulgarian split squats raised back squat strength as much as back squats did.
Two or 3 days a week, 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 15, adding load as it gets easy, as our hip joint page suggests. The NHS asks for strength work on at least 2 days a week, including the hips.
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Glute bridges, 3 sets of 10 to 15 with a 1 to 2 second pause, then single-leg bridges, 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, once 3 sets of 15 are smooth (our glute bridge guide). Hip thrusts, 3 sets of 6 to 10. Single-leg Romanian deadlifts, 2 or 3 sets of 6 to 10 each leg.
Side-lying leg raises, starting with 2 sets of 10 to 12 each side and building to 3 sets of 12 to 15; band walks, 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 steps each way; side planks, 3 holds of 15 to 40 seconds a side, then with the top leg lifted (our move guides). Clamshells, 2 or 3 sets of 12 to 15 each side, are an easy start.
Step-ups, 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12 on each leg; step-downs, 2 sets of 8 slow reps building to 3 sets of 8 to 10; split squats, then Bulgarian split squats, 3 sets of 6 to 10 each leg. Copenhagen planks start at 1 set of 3 to 5 slow reps a side and build over several weeks, as the trials did.
Stop squats, split squats and hinges 2 or 3 reps short of failure, hip thrusts 1 to 3, and let the last set of side-hip work get within 0 to 2, as our glute guide sets out. If a bodyweight side-hip move lets you do 20 or more reps, add a band or move to a harder version. Rest 60 to 90 seconds for side-hip moves, about 90 seconds for single-leg work and 2 to 3 minutes for heavy thrusts.
Stand on one leg next to a counter, 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side, and make it harder over the weeks, as our hip joint page suggests.
During the exercise, pain up to about 5 out of 10 is acceptable. It should settle within an hour or so, and your hip should be no worse that night or the next morning. If it is, do less next time (fewer repetitions, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing.
Our editorial session, the order of our hip strengthening workout, with doses from our glute bridge, side-lying leg raise, band walk, step-up and single-leg deadlift guides and our lateral pelvic tilt routine. With pain on the outside of your hip, do the holds only and see our outer hip pain guide.
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The movement on the figure: Side-lying leg raise
Glute bridges 3 sets of 10 to 15 with a pause, single-leg bridges 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, hip thrusts 3 sets of 6 to 10 and single-leg Romanian deadlifts 2 or 3 sets of 6 to 10 each leg (our move guides). Staggered-stance bridges: 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).
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoStaggered-stance bridge (offset bridge)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg glute bridgeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoBarbell hip thrustIntermediate · A barbell + A bench or box
3D demoSingle-leg Romanian deadliftAdvanced · A dumbbell
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbellStart with side-lying leg raises, band walks and knee side planks; the side plank with a leg lift and the hip hitch come later. Hip hitch: 3 sets of 15 slow reps each side, 3 times a week: the dose in a runners' trial that included this move. Start with 2 sets of 10 (the move page's dose). Leave clamshells out while the outside of your hip hurts.
3D demoSide-lying leg raiseBeginner · No equipment
3D demoClamshellBeginner · No equipment
3D demoLateral band walkBeginner · A band
3D demoMonster walkBeginner · A band
3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSide plank with leg liftAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoHip hitch (pelvic drop)Beginner · A step
3D demoSupine isometric hip abduction (belt press)Beginner · A band
3D demoStanding wall-press hip abductionBeginner · A wall
3D demoHip abduction machineBeginner · Strength machineStep-ups 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg (step up sideways for a lateral step-up), step-downs 2 sets of 8 slow reps from a low step, split squats then Bulgarian split squats, and one-leg balance (our move guides). Hip airplanes: 2 sets of 5 slow turns each leg (the move page's dose, its editorial starting point).
The Copenhagen plank, starting at 3 to 5 slow reps a side with the knee on the bench, and the adductor squeeze, 5 holds of 5 to 10 seconds (our Copenhagen plank guide and pelvic control routine).
Add hip work to knee work: hip and knee strengthening together eased kneecap pain more than knee work alone, and hip strengthening helped knee arthritis. Our knee guide includes lateral band walks for this; our runner's knee and knee arthritis guides have the plans.
Hip strengthening on its own hasn't been shown to prevent running injuries, but strength training improves running performance, as our stamina guide explains. Two short sessions a week of hip, thigh and calf strength plus single-leg control, as in our strength training plan for runners, cover it.
Side-hip and single-leg strength plus balance practice: mixed programmes cut falls by about a third, and in one small trial side-hip strengthening was followed by fewer falls. Our balance guide has the balance ladder.
Bridges, side-lying raises, side planks, step-ups, split squats and one-leg balance need only the floor, a step and a wall; a light band adds band walks. NHS inform's hip exercises use bridges, standing hip lifts to the back and side, and sit-to-stands, up to a maximum of 2 sets of 15.
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When a move gets easy, make it harder rather than doing more: single-leg instead of two, slower lowering, a band or a backpack, as our glute guide's home ladder does.
Start with sit-to-stands, bridges, side-lying raises, step-ups and one-leg balance next to a counter. The NHS asks adults over 65 for strength, balance and flexibility work on at least 2 days a week, and WHO for balance and strength work on 3 or more.
NICE says joint pain may rise a little when you start, and that regular exercise still helps. Use a box or higher chair to set your squat depth, keep within the hip pain rule, and see our hip arthritis guide for the stages.
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After the first trimester, do bridges propped up or side-lying rather than flat on your back, and with pelvic girdle pain limit one-sided moves such as single-leg bridges, split squats and step-ups, as our glute guide says.
Follow your surgical team's movement limits first; our hip replacement guide has the stages.
With osteoporosis or a past spinal fracture, avoid repeated or loaded deep rounding of the back, and bend from the hips. The osteoporosis guide covers impact and lifting.
No extra pain over the bony point on the side of your hip during or after, and the hip no worse that night or the next morning, as our outer hip pain guide says.
Often gluteal tendinopathy (hip bursitis). Start with our hip bursitis guide's holds, avoid crossing your legs and lying on that side, and leave clamshells out for now: they're done close to the position that squeezes the tendons, as that guide explains.
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Go a little shallower in squats and split squats, or use a lower bench for your back foot, and see our hip impingement guide, as our glute guide advises.
Our groin pain, hip arthritis and hip replacement guides give the plans, and the warning signs below say when to get it checked first.
Our hip strengthening workout trains all four jobs and balance in 30 minutes. The lateral pelvic tilt and pelvic control routines are gentler; the glute workouts build size; the runners' sessions add hips to running strength.
A 30-minute session for hips that don't currently hurt: bridges, side-hip work, step-ups and single-leg control, an optional harder block, then balance.
30 minBeginner13 movesA wall, A bandA 25-minute routine for uneven hips: side-hip holds, leg raises, single-leg bridges, step-ups, side planks and balance, for hip strength and pelvic control.
25 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A stepA 25-minute routine for a pelvis that feels twisted or uneven: gentle holds, bridges, bird dogs, side planks and single-leg balance, the same on both sides.
25 minBeginner11 movesA band, Other / check instructionsA 25-minute glute workout with bodyweight and a mini band: bridges, clamshells, band walks, kickbacks and lunges.
25 minBeginner9 movesA wall, A 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 movesA band, A barbellA 40-minute strength workout for runners at home: hops, Bulgarian split squats, single-leg deadlifts, step-ups, calf raises and side planks.
40 minIntermediate15 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 25-minute session for knees that don't currently hurt: thigh and hamstring strength, single-leg control, then an optional full-range block with knees over toes.
25 minBeginner14 movesA bench or box, A wallStrength and balance in one session: squats, Romanian deadlifts, push-ups, rows, step-ups, back extensions, carries and single-leg balance.
45 minBeginner14 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 20-minute balance workout for steady adults: harder stances, head turns and eyes closed, single-leg reaches and hinges, step-ups and stuck landings.
20 minIntermediate13 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 25-minute inner thigh workout at home: sumo squats with a dumbbell or kettlebell, Cossack squats, ball squeezes and Copenhagen planks, with bridges and hip mobility.
25 minIntermediate10 movesA dumbbell, A kettlebellTwenty-five minutes of hip-friendly yoga: lying and standing hip strength, a mild hip flexor stretch and a supported rest, with no crossed legs or deep bends.
25 minBeginner13 movesA band, A wallA 20-minute Pilates class for hip pain: bridges, outer-hip holds, standing leg work and balance, without deep bends, crossed legs or lying on the sore side.
20 minBeginner14 movesA band, A wallThe runners' plan adds two short strength sessions to running; the seniors' plan builds strength and balance through the week.
A 12-week strength plan for runners: two sessions a week of heavy lifts, single-leg work, calf raises and hops, fitted around your runs.
2 training days45 minBeginner4 days a weekAn 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 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekA weekly plan for women over 50: strength, bone-loading and balance on 3 days plus walking, built on UK osteoporosis consensus advice.
3 training days45 minBeginnerCall 999 or go to A&E for severe hip pain after a fall or injury, if you can't walk or put weight on your leg, or for tingling or loss of feeling in your hip or leg after an injury. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for severe hip pain that started suddenly without a fall, a hip that's swollen and feels hot, skin around it that has changed colour, or hip pain with feeling generally unwell and a high temperature.
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See a GP if hip pain stops you doing normal activities or affects your sleep, is getting worse or keeps coming back, hasn't improved after 2 weeks of treating it at home, or you have hip stiffness for more than 30 minutes after waking up.
Outer hip pain that hasn't improved within 6 weeks of following our outer hip pain guide's advice, or that gets worse: talk to a GP or physiotherapist. In many areas you can refer yourself.
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Same day, and stop running now: groin or front-of-hip pain in a runner, sometimes felt in the thigh or knee, that builds with running, hurts with every step or at night, or hurts when the hip is turned to the end of its range. Keep weight off the leg, using crutches if you have them, and get an urgent GP appointment or help from NHS 111 the same day: a stress fracture of the hip (femoral neck) needs urgent imaging.
Call 999 or go to A&E if your child gets sudden pain in their hip, knee or thigh (hip problems can sometimes be felt in the thigh or knee) or cannot put any weight on their leg. If your child is limping, ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 the same day. This applies to teenagers too, and in some children knee pain is the only sign.
Same day (urgent GP appointment or NHS 111): throbbing pain in one leg (rarely both), usually the calf or thigh; swelling in one leg (rarely both); red, blue or darkened skin around the painful area, which may be harder to see on brown or black skin; or swollen veins. It could be a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis, DVT), which is more likely while you're moving about much less than usual or after a hospital stay.
Also call 999 for pain and swelling in one leg with breathlessness or chest pain: it can be a blood clot that has reached the lungs.
Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
See a GP if pain spreading down a leg hasn't improved after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise.
For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; severe difficulty breathing; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining, or comes with numbness or weakness, difficulty speaking or loss of vision. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
Stop straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, the NHS says, and contact 111 if your symptoms worry you or don't go away.
A dull ache in your muscles for a day or two after something new is normal. Joint pain that's sharp, gets worse during a set or lingers into the next day means switching to the easier option, and seeing a GP or physiotherapist if it carries on (our plans' rule). Our muscle soreness guide has more.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before heavy lifting or hard straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled, or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists. After a recent shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery, follow our shoulder dislocation guide or your surgical team first.
Speak to a GP first if you haven't exercised for some time, or if you have a medical condition or concerns. Get advice first, too, if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, have recently had a heart attack or an operation, or are pregnant or have recently given birth.
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See a GP if you think you have a hernia, a bulge or lump that may get bigger when you strain and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel or are sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.
Clamshells are a fine start and work the glutes while keeping a hip flexor quiet, but most studies rank them below side-lying raises and single-leg bridges for the side of the hip (one small study found them alike). Move on to harder side-hip and single-leg work.
Hip weakness goes with outer knee pain, but it didn't clearly predict other running injuries, and a hip programme didn't cut injuries in first-time marathon runners. Hip work still helps sore knees once they hurt.
They show how hard a muscle works in a few reps, not what it builds over months, as our glute guide explains. Choose moves you can load and progress.
Each kind of training raised strength most in its own test, and muscle growth didn't differ. Do both: single-leg work for balance and running, two-leg lifts to load heavily.
For hip arthritis and outer hip pain, exercise is a first-line treatment, and pain may rise a little at first. Use the hip pain rule, and the warning signs above for the exceptions.
Train their four jobs 2 or 3 times a week: bridges or hip thrusts, side-hip moves such as side-lying raises, side planks and band walks, single-leg work such as step-ups and split squats, and one-leg balance, with some inner-thigh work. Our hip strengthening workout puts them together.
In lab studies, side planks with the top leg lifted and side-lying leg raises worked the gluteus medius hardest, with single-leg squats and deadlifts close behind. Band walks and clamshells are good ways to start.
They're a fine first step, but most studies rank them below side-lying raises and single-leg bridges for the side of the hip. Move on to harder side-hip and single-leg work, and leave clamshells out while the outside of your hip hurts.
For kneecap pain, hip and knee strengthening together eased pain more than knee exercise alone in 14 trials, and hip strengthening helped people with knee arthritis. Do both.
It isn't proven. Weak hips go with outer knee pain, but a hip, thigh and core programme didn't cut injuries in first-time marathon runners. Strength training still helps running performance.
Combine side-hip and single-leg strength with balance practice: programmes mixing balance and strength work cut falls by about a third in older adults. WHO asks adults over 65 for balance and strength work on 3 or more days a week.
Two or 3 days a week, 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 15, adding load as they get easy. Leave a day between sessions.
Strength rises within weeks; the trials behind our hip routines ran 6 to 12 weeks. Keep going to keep the strength.
Yes. NICE offers exercise, including local muscle strengthening, to everyone with osteoarthritis and warns pain may rise a little at first. In trials, the average benefit was modest.
Both. Single-leg training improved single-leg jumping more and two-leg training two-leg strength more, and muscle growth didn't differ.
That's often gluteal tendinopathy (hip bursitis). Use our hip bursitis guide's holds first, avoid crossing your legs and lying on that side, and leave clamshells out for now. Education plus exercise did better than a steroid injection in a trial of 204 people.
There's no reliable symptom list: people notice a pelvis that drops on one leg, knees that cave in on stairs, or tiring on long walks. Severe hip pain after a fall, or a hip you can't put weight on, needs urgent help.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
