Hip extensions are basic human movement patterns most people perform countless times per day without realizing their importance. Unfortunately, the many hours most people spend sitting cause the muscles that work the hips to become very weak.
The good news is that there are many hip extension exercises designed to strengthen the hip muscles of those with sedentary lifestyles.
You have hip flexors at the front, and hip extensors at the back of your hips. In a seated position, your hips are flexed, tightening the hip flexors, and making them stronger but weakening the extensors. Hip extension occurs when you stand up.
Imagine looking at the hip joint of a skeleton. As you move the femur, or thigh bone backward, the space between the ball and joint opens up, extending a group of muscles known as your hip extensors., and when the leg moves forward the space becomes smaller, flexing the group of muscles known as hip flexors.
Hip extension is the movement of your thigh when it moves away from your front pelvis.
The best example is the movement of kicking back, which occurs when you walk, run, jump, swim, and more. Picture yourself running, the movement of the front leg, or forward quad, is a hip flexion, and the leg at your back makes a hip extension movement.
These should motivate bodybuilders to include hip extension exercises in their workout routines.
Although most gyms have machines and specialized equipment for doing hip extensions, there are many suitable exercises that require no equipment. Whichever way you choose to do hip extensions, the benefits will soon be evident.
Any exercise you do is designed to work specific muscle groups.
If your posture is incorrect, you will work the wrong muscles, making the exercise ineffective.
For example, if you shift your weight too far forward or arch your back while doing hip extensions, the targeted extensor muscle group will remain as weak as before.
All the hip extension exercises, performed with or without gym equipment, target the same muscles and require the same form to be effective
Hip extensors include three main muscle groups:
Also known as the glute, the Gluteus Maximus is the strongest, largest muscle in the lower body. Although they form the rounded portion of your butt, they serve other functions as well.
The Gluteus Maximus connects your thighbone to your tailbone and help you stand upright, and they are also responsible for the thigh and hip movement.
If hip extensions form part of your exercise routine, stronge glute muscles will improve activities like your daily walking, standing, squatting, climbing stairs, and more.
Your hamstrings are a group of three muscles located at the back of your thighs.
They are the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris.
Your hamstrings stabilize your hip joints as they stretch from the pelvis to the back of your knees. Furthermore, they help bend your knees and work with your glutes to make backward quad movements.
Your Adductor magnus is located on the inner part of your thigh, and its posterior head supports hip extension.
When doing hip extension exercises, the goal is to increase the range of motion of the hip extensors. While sedentary lifestyles and too much sitting play significant roles in the weak hip extensor problem, regular gym goers and even bodybuilders can have weakened glute muscles and hamstrings.
The lack of versatility in workout routines is often to blame. For example, focusing on cycling and squats does nothing for the hip extensors. It may be a good idea to consult a certified personal trainer to design an exercise routine to suit your unique needs.
Glute bridges are great exercises because they use hip extensions as the main movements.
Equipment needed: None if you’re a beginner, but more experienced strength builders may choose to take the glute bridge to the next level by using a dumbbell or a mini-loop resistance band
Starting position: Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet hip-distance apart flat on the floor, and your arms at your side.
Repeat to complete 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps each.
Similar to the Glute bridge, except this time we isolate each leg while working both hips. It is a bit more challenging, and beginners might take some time to master it.
Starting position: Lie on the ground with your back flat and head flat on the ground
Perform 2–3 sets of 6–12 repetitions
This is a bodyweight exercise focused on the glutes and hamstrings, while it’s easy on the lower back.
Starting position: Kneel on all fours with your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. With your lower back slightly arched, brace your abs and tuck your chin in to maintain a neutral neck.
Aim to complete 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps for each leg.
Borrowed from Pilates, this is a straightforward but effective hip extension exercise.
Starting position: Lie face-down with your arms extended out in front of you.
Continue until you can feel your hip extensors starting to fatigue, but aim for 12 to 15 kicks per set, and perform 2 to 3 sets.
Hip thrusts are one of the most popular hip extension exercises. However, it is vital to take care to do them correctly. Injury risks are high, and if you choose to add a dumbbell or barbell to rev them up, the risks are even higher.
Equipment needed: A bench secured to a wall or to the floor, and a suitable weight, based on your experience and fitness.
Starting position: Sit on the floor with your shoulder blades resting against a secured bench and your legs straight. Place a barbell across the crease of your hips, or hold a dumbbell.
Aim to do 2 to 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
This exercise primarily engages your glutes and hamstrings.
Equipment needed: Stability Ball
Starting position: Lay face-down on your stability ball, placing your hips or lower stomach on the ball. Let your legs hang off the back of the ball and your toes gently touch the ground. With straight arms, put your hands on the ground in front of the ball.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reps each.
This is a compound hip extension exercise that might be a bit much for beginners. However, they can focus on the hip extension and advance to the leg curl as they progress.
Equipment needed: Stability Ball
Starting position: Lie on the floor, facing up with your calves and feet on top of a stability ball. Keep your knees straight and place your hands at your sides, palms facing down.
Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
Kettlebell swings are an explosive movement involving everything but your legs, which remain mostly stationary. It’s an effective hip extension exercise that will get your heart rate going.
Equipment needed: Kettlebell or dumbbell
Starting position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly bent but rigid. Use both your hands to hold a kettlebell in front of your hips.
Perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
The Romanian deadlift is a great hip extension exercise. However, your legs are mostly stationary in this exercise, and although the movement involves mostly the upper body, it is still an excellent hip extension movement.
Equipment needed: Barbell
Starting position: Stand with your feet about hip-width apart with your shins almost touching the barbell. Keep your spine tall, chest up, and shoulders back and down.
Perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
This exercise can also be done using dumbbells.
This machine is also called the four-way hip machine, and it’s a gym staple. It is an excellent way to work your hip extensors without too much concern about balance. Also, performing hip extensions on this machine is straightforward, involving no cuffs or cables.
Starting position: Adjust the lever arm to about hip height, and place your nearside leg over the movement arm so that the pad is directly behind your knee as you stand sideways to the machine. Hold the handle for balance.
Some of these exercises can be done at home and require no equipment. Others are best done in the gym.
Nevertheless, regardless of how you train your hip extensors, you’ll soon start to see and feel the benefits of your training. However, never lose sight of the important role played by nutrition.
For you to be healthy your body needs a wide variety of essential vitamins and minerals and a healthy gut to perform at its optimal state.
Created with optimal health as the ultimate goal, The Essential Stack will help take care of the fundamentals so you can hit the ground running each day.
