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Exercises

Hip activation exercises: wake up the outer, inner and back of the hip in 8 minutes

Published October 24, 2026

For a hip activation warm-up, do 3 minutes on the elliptical, 10 bodyweight squats, then one round each of 12 clamshells, 10 side leg raises, 10 donkey kicks per side, 10 band adductions per side and 10 steps each way of lateral band walks. It takes about 8 minutes and covers the outer, inner and back of the hip. Before squats or hip thrusts, add 2 to 3 lighter sets of that lift.

  1. Clamshell Abductors
  2. Standing Side Leg Raise Abductors
  3. Lateral Band Walk Abductors
  4. Donkey Kick Glutes
  5. Band Hip Adduction Adductors
  6. Copenhagen Plank Adductors, Abs
  7. Dumbbell Glute Bridge Glutes

Step 1: get warm (3 minutes)

Any easy cardio works. The elliptical moves the hips through a long stride with no impact; high knees do the same job in a hallway.

Raise: low-impact cardio

Elliptical

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes

A long stride warms the hips through flexion and extension with no pounding.

How to do it

  1. Step on, hold the moving handles and start striding at a relaxed pace.
  2. Push the pedals through your whole foot and let your hips swing naturally.
  3. Add a little resistance for the last minute.

Cues

  • Tall chest
  • Long, even strides

Common mistakes

  • Leaning your weight onto the handles: stand up over your feet.

Swap for: Stationary Bike, Brisk Walk

Build a session with Elliptical

Raise: no-equipment option

High Knees

Quads

Driving the knees up warms the hip flexors and gets your heart rate up fast.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall and start jogging in place.
  2. Lift each knee to about hip height while your arms pump.
  3. Stay on the balls of your feet and build the speed over the set.

Cues

  • Knees up, chest up
  • Quick contacts

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to lift the knees: stay tall or slightly forward.

Swap for: Butt Kicks, Skipping in Place

Build a session with High Knees

Step 2: open the hips (1 minute)

A set of slow bodyweight squats takes the hips through deep bending before you load them, and shows you how they feel today.

Mobility: deep hip bend

Bodyweight Squat

Quads

Ten slow squats tell you where your hips are today and get the joint moving before load.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet about shoulder width, arms reaching forward.
  2. Sit down between your heels as low as you comfortably can.
  3. Stand back up, squeezing the glutes at the top.

Cues

  • Knees follow toes
  • Whole foot on the floor

Common mistakes

  • Knees caving in: push them out over the little toes.

Swap for: Goblet Squat, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Bodyweight Squat

Step 3: outer hip (glute medius)

These muscles hold your pelvis level when you stand on one leg and stop your knees caving in a squat. Pick two of the four: one done lying down, one done standing.

Outer hip: lying

Clamshell

Abductors

The simplest way to feel the side of your hip working, because the floor keeps the rest of you still.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one side, knees bent and stacked, and feet together.
  2. Keeping your feet touching, lift the top knee as far as you can without rolling your hips back.
  3. Lower slowly and repeat.

Cues

  • Feet stay glued
  • Hips stacked

Common mistakes

  • Rolling backward to lift higher: a smaller range with stacked hips works better.

Swap for: Standing Side Leg Raise, Band Seated Hip Abduction

Build a session with Clamshell

Side-of-hip activation, standing

Standing Side Leg Raise

Abductors

Lifting a straight leg sideways works the outside of the hip, which keeps the pelvis level and the knee in line when you land on one foot or cut.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall, hands resting at your waist.
  2. Keep the leg straight and the toes facing forward as you lift it sideways.
  3. Lower it with control, finish the reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Toes point forward
  • Torso stays upright

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the lifting leg: a lower lift with a still torso works better.

Swap for: Clamshell, Lateral Band Walk

Build a session with Standing Side Leg Raise

Outer hip: standing

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

Standing on one leg at a time is how the outer hip works in real life, so this one carries over best to squats and running.

How to do it

  1. Put a mini band above your knees or around your ankles and sit into a quarter squat.
  2. Step sideways with one foot, then follow with the other without letting the band go slack.
  3. Take all steps one way, then come back.

Cues

  • Band stays tight
  • Toes forward

Common mistakes

  • Standing up tall between steps: stay in the quarter squat.

Swap for: Band Standing Hip Abduction, Clamshell

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk

Outer hip: band in place

Band Standing Hip Abduction

Abductors

Pressing the knees out in a half squat is a band walk you can do without space to walk.

How to do it

  1. Loop a band above your knees and sit into a shallow half squat.
  2. Press both knees out against the band, then let them come back in under control.
  3. Keep your feet flat and your torso leaning slightly forward.

Cues

  • Knees push out
  • Feet flat

Common mistakes

  • Letting the knees snap back in: control the return.

Swap for: Lateral Band Walk, Band Seated Hip Abduction

Build a session with Band Standing Hip Abduction

Step 4: inner and back of the hip

Most hip warm-ups skip the adductors, which pull your knees together and work hard in wide squats, lunges and cutting. One adductor drill and one hip extension drill finish the job.

Back of hip: glutes

Donkey Kick

Glutes

Kicking a bent leg back trains hip extension without loading the lower back.

How to do it

  1. Start on all fours with your back flat.
  2. Keep the knee bent and drive one heel up toward the ceiling.
  3. Lower with control and repeat before switching legs.

Cues

  • Heel to ceiling
  • Back stays flat

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back at the top: stop when the thigh is level with your torso.

Swap for: Band Glute Kickback, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Donkey Kick

Inner hip: standing

Band Hip Adduction

Adductors

Pulling a leg across against a band warms the adductors with no setup beyond an anchor point.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a band low and loop it around the ankle closest to the anchor.
  2. Stand side-on and sweep that leg across in front of the standing leg.
  3. Let it return slowly, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Sweep across
  • Tall torso

Common mistakes

  • Leaning toward the anchor: stand upright and use a lighter band.

Swap for: Copenhagen Plank, Hip Adduction Machine

Build a session with Band Hip Adduction

Inner hip: harder hold

Copenhagen Plank

Adductors, Abs

A side plank with the top leg on a bench is the toughest adductor drill here. Keep holds short in a warm-up, 10 to 20 seconds per side.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one side and put your top leg on a bench, the inside of the knee or ankle on the pad.
  2. Push up onto your forearm and lift your hips so your body is a straight line.
  3. Hold, then lower and switch sides.

Cues

  • Top leg presses down
  • Hips high

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging: shorten the hold or use the knee on the bench.

Swap for: Band Hip Adduction, Side Plank

Build a session with Copenhagen Plank

Back of hip: bridge

Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Glutes

A light bridge brings both glutes and hamstrings in before you squat or thrust.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back with knees bent and a dumbbell resting on your hips.
  2. Push through your heels and lift your hips until they line up with your knees and shoulders.
  3. Pause and squeeze at the top, then lower.

Cues

  • Push through heels
  • Ribs down at the top

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back at the top: finish with the glutes, not the spine.

Swap for: Single-Leg Glute Bridge, Hip Thrust

Build a session with Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Step 5: ramp-up sets of the first lift

Do 2 to 3 lighter sets of your first lift, building toward your working weight. These are logged as warm-up sets in RIRLift.

First main lift

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

If your session opens with squats, this routine is the prep and the ramp-up sets are the last step.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar on your upper back and step out of the rack.
  2. Brace, then sit down between your heels to your usual depth.
  3. Drive up through the whole foot.

Cues

  • Brace before you descend
  • Knees track toes

Common mistakes

  • Losing the brace at the bottom: take a fresh breath every rep.

Swap for: Front Squat, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Barbell Back Squat

First main lift

Hip Thrust

Glutes

On glute days, two or three lighter thrust sets after the activation drills set up your working sets.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your upper back against a bench and a padded barbell over your hips.
  2. Plant your feet and drive your hips up until your torso is flat.
  3. Pause at the top and lower under control.

Cues

  • Chin tucked
  • Shins vertical at the top

Common mistakes

  • Overarching the lower back: finish with the glutes.

Swap for: Dumbbell Glute Bridge, Smith Machine Hip Thrust

Build a session with Hip Thrust

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Before heavy squats

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentElliptical, Resistance Bands, Barbells

You squat first and your knees tend to drift in, or your hips feel stiff in the first sets.

The outer-hip drills come right before the squat because they help keep the knees tracking over the toes. Everything stops with 3 to 4 reps in reserve, and three ramp-up sets on the squat lead into working sets at 2 reps in reserve.

Squat day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
EllipticalSeconds. 3 × 60 5 0 s
Bodyweight SquatSlow, 2 s down. 1 × 10 5 0 s
ClamshellPer side. 1 × 12 4 0 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 2 × 10 4 15 s
Band Hip AdductionPer side. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
How to run it
Go through the warm-up blocks with no more than 15 seconds of rest, then start the squat ramp-up.
How to progress
Add weight to the squat when every set hits the top of its range at 2 reps in reserve. Keep the activation the same each session.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Glute day with hip thrusts

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Barbells, Flat Bench

Your session is glute-focused and starts with hip thrusts.

This version spends more time on the back of the hip with donkey kicks and a bridge, then two ramp-up sets on the thrust. It keeps the adductor hold short so it doesn't tire you before the main lift.

Glute day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
High KneesSeconds. 2 × 30 5 15 s
Standing Side Leg RaisePer side. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Donkey KickPer side. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Dumbbell Glute Bridge 1 × 12 4 0 s
Copenhagen PlankSeconds. Per side. 1 × 15 3 0 s
Hip Thrust2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
How to run it
Warm-up blocks in order, then the hip thrust with its two warm-up sets.
How to progress
On the hip thrust, add reps up to 12, then add weight and start back at 8.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Before a run or court sport

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets21 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands

You run, play tennis, basketball or soccer, and want your hips ready for single-leg work and side-to-side moves.

No barbell here. Running and cutting load one leg at a time, so the routine uses standing drills and the inner-hip work that sideways moves need, then finishes with high knees at rising speed.

Hip primer
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Bodyweight Squat 1 × 10 5 0 s
Band Standing Hip Abduction 1 × 15 4 0 s
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 1 × 12 4 0 s
Band Hip AdductionPer side. 1 × 12 4 0 s
Copenhagen PlankSeconds. Per side. 1 × 10 4 15 s
High KneesSeconds. Faster each round. 2 × 20 3 20 s
How to run it
Do it right before you head out or onto the court. The last block should leave you breathing fast and ready to go.
How to progress
Add steps to the band walks and a few seconds to the Copenhagen hold over the weeks; leave the rest the same.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do I activate my hips?

Warm up for a few minutes, then do light sets that hit the outer hip (clamshells or band walks), the inner hip (band adduction) and the back of the hip (donkey kicks or a bridge). Stop each set well before it gets hard.

What is the best exercise for hip mobility?

There is no single best one. For a warm-up, bodyweight squats and cossack squats move the hip through its range under control; see our hip mobility warm-up for a full routine.

Will walking strengthen hip muscles?

Walking keeps the hips moving, but it is light work for them. Band walks, bridges and single-leg exercises give the hip muscles a real load.

How long should a hip activation warm-up take?

Five to ten minutes covers it: a few minutes of cardio, a minute of squats, and four short activation drills.

Do hip activation exercises help squats?

They warm up the muscles that control your knees and pelvis, so your first squat sets often feel more stable. Ramp-up sets of the squat itself still come last.