The hips are super central to almost everything we do as humans. These exercises will help stabilize them so they can help you do everything you need to do in life.

Each exercise can be done in sets of as many reps as you’d like. Every body is different so I won’t prescribe a specific number of repetitions, but shooting for 10 is often a good goal. Always listen to your body and adapt as needed if an exercise is too hard!

Hip Raises

For this exercise, you stand on one foot. You can elevate if you want so the free foot can dangle below the ground plane, or just do it on solid ground if that makes you more comfortable. Use the hip of the leg you’re standing on to gently rotate the body until the free hip is comfortably higher than the hip of the leg you’re standing on. Make sure to relax the rest of the body and don’t attempt to lift the dangling leg using your side muscles. Do as many reps as feels good. Repeat on both sides.

Single-leg Romanian Deadlift

This exercise really tests your balance! I am still not very good at doing this one without falling over :P. Stand straight with hands at sides, and gradually lower your torso, keeping the spine straight, while you extend one leg behind you for balance. Get as close to horizontal as you can, and then come back up. If your hamstrings are too tight to get to horizontal (like mine!), you can optionally bend your legs a little, this will let you go lower than a strict straight-leg deadlift. Make sure to stop when you feel a comfortable stretch in the hamstrings, don’t push too far and risk injury. Do as many reps as feels comfortable, and make sure to do the other side as well!

Single-leg Glute Bridge

For this exercise, lie on your back, with one foot on the floor, with the knee bent, holding the other knee to your chest. Gently raise your butt up using the glute on the side of the leg on the floor. Pay attention to where you feel the effort, you should feel it in the glute, and not in your back. Do as many reps as feels comfortable, and repeat on both sides.

Big Leg Circles

For lack of a better idea, we’re calling these ones big leg circles. Start with your leg crossed in front of you and slowwwwwwly trace as big of a circle as you can, all the way around until your leg is behind you. Adapt to your needs! Don’t pull anything! I can’t really do this one yet as pictured, my circles are MUCH smaller :). Do as many reps as feel comfortable and repeat on both sides.