RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Hip exercises for runners: glutes, side hips, adductors and hip flexors

Published October 29, 2026

The best hip exercises for runners cover four jobs. For the side hips that keep your pelvis level, use lateral band walks, clamshells and banded or machine abduction. For hip extension that pushes you forward, use hip thrusts, single-leg hip thrusts and single-leg RDLs. For control on one leg, use step-ups and skater squats. For the inner thigh and knee drive, use Copenhagen planks and cable hip flexion. Train them 2 or 3 times a week, 2 to 3 sets each, stopping 1 to 3 reps short of failure.

  1. Lateral Band Walk Abductors
  2. Clamshell Abductors
  3. Dumbbell Hip Thrust Glutes
  4. Single-Leg Hip Thrust Glutes
  5. Single-Leg RDL Hamstrings, Glutes
  6. Step-Up Quads, Glutes
  7. Copenhagen Plank Adductors, Abs

Side hips: keep the pelvis level

When you land on one leg, the glute medius on that side stops the opposite hip from dropping and the knee from falling inward. These four train it directly, from a floor drill to a loaded machine.

Glute medius, side stepping

Lateral Band Walk

Abductors

Walking sideways against a band trains the side hip while you are upright and moving, close to how it works in a stride. It also makes a good three-minute warm-up before a run.

How to do it

  1. Place a mini band around your legs just above the knees or at the ankles.
  2. Sink into a quarter squat with your feet hip-distance apart.
  3. Step sideways with the lead foot, follow with the other without letting the feet touch, and keep tension in the band.

Cues

  • Stay low
  • Toes point forward

Common mistakes

  • Swaying the torso side to side: keep your shoulders level and take shorter steps.

Swap for: Clamshell, Band Standing Hip Abduction

Build a session with Lateral Band Walk
Log it in RIRLift

Glute medius and hip rotators

Clamshell

Abductors

The clamshell isolates the side hip and outward rotators with the body fully supported, so you can feel the right muscle working before you load it standing. Keep the hips stacked or the lower back does the lifting.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one hip with knees bent, stacked, heels touching.
  2. Pillow your head on the lower arm; keep the hips stacked.
  3. Keep your feet touching and lift the top knee as high as you can.
  4. Lower the knee slowly back to the other one.

Cues

  • Feet together
  • Hips stacked
  • Pause up top

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the top hip back: only the knee should move.
  • Rushing the reps: a two-second lowering makes a light move useful.

Swap for: Fire Hydrant, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Clamshell
Log it in RIRLift

Glute medius, half squat

Band Standing Hip Abduction

Abductors

Pushing the knees out against a band from a half squat trains the side hips in a bent-knee position, the shape your leg is in at landing. It is a quick finisher with no setup.

How to do it

  1. Place a mini loop just above your knees and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Sink into a half squat with a slight forward lean and a flat back.
  3. Push your knees out against the loop as far as you can while your feet stay planted.
  4. Let the knees come back in slowly until they line up over your feet, then press out again.

Cues

  • Feet stay glued down
  • Knees push wide
  • Hold the half squat

Common mistakes

  • Standing up a little more every rep: keep the same squat depth from first to last.
  • Letting the knees snap back in: control the return so the band never pulls them past your feet.

Swap for: Lateral Band Walk, Band Seated Hip Abduction, Clamshell

Build a session with Band Standing Hip Abduction
Log it in RIRLift

Glute medius, loaded

Hip Abduction Machine

Abductors

At the gym, the machine lets you add load to the side hips in small steps, which bands cannot do. Lean slightly forward to bring more of the glutes into it.

How to do it

  1. Sit with the outside of your knees against the pads and set the start so your legs are close together.
  2. Lean your torso forward slightly and hold the handles.
  3. Push your knees apart as far as the machine allows.
  4. Pause at the widest point, return slowly without letting the stack touch, and repeat.

Cues

  • Lean forward a little
  • Pause at the widest point
  • Do not let the plates rest

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the pads out and letting them slam back: count two seconds on the way in.
  • Using so much weight that the range shrinks to a few inches: full range with less load works better.

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

Build a session with Hip Abduction Machine
Log it in RIRLift

Hip extension: the push behind each stride

The glutes and hamstrings extend the hip and push the ground back behind you. Thrusts load the glutes at the top of that range, and the single-leg RDL loads them at the bottom.

Glutes, hip extension

Dumbbell Hip Thrust

Glutes

The hip thrust loads the glutes hardest at full hip extension, the position you push through at toe-off. One dumbbell on the hips is enough for most runners to start.

How to do it

  1. Sit down with the edge of a bench just under your shoulder blades and roll a dumbbell into the crease of your hips, a folded towel underneath it.
  2. Plant your feet flat about hip-width apart, close enough that your shins will be vertical when your hips are up, and hold the dumbbell at both ends.
  3. Tuck your chin slightly and press through your whole foot to lift your hips until your torso and thighs form a flat line.
  4. Pause for a second at the top with your glutes squeezed hard and your ribs pulled down, not flared.
  5. Lower your hips until they are a few inches above the floor and start the next rep from there.

Cues

  • Chin tucked, eyes forward
  • Shins vertical at the top
  • Ribs down, glutes squeezed

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to get the last inch: stop when your hips are level with your knees and your ribs stay down; the glutes finish the rep, not your spine.
  • Feet too far away or too close: if you feel it mostly in your hamstrings, walk your feet in; if it lands on your quads, walk them out until your shins are vertical at the top.
  • Letting the dumbbell roll toward your stomach: hold both ends and put a folded towel under it so it stays in the hip crease for the whole set.

Swap for: Hip Thrust, Kettlebell Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge

Build a session with Dumbbell Hip Thrust
Log it in RIRLift

Glutes, single leg

Single-Leg Hip Thrust

Glutes

Doing the thrust on one leg doubles the load on that glute and adds the side hip to keep the pelvis level. It also shows a left-right difference quickly.

How to do it

  1. Set up with your upper back on a bench edge, one foot flat under your knee and the other foot lifted off the floor.
  2. Rest a dumbbell on the hip of the working leg and hold it in place with that hand.
  3. Push the planted heel into the floor and raise your hips until your torso and working thigh are in one line.
  4. Hold the top for a second, lower with control, and finish all reps before you switch legs.

Cues

  • Hips stay level, not tilted
  • Drive through the planted heel
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hip of the lifted leg drop: if the pelvis tilts, use a lighter dumbbell or none.
  • Kicking the free leg up to help: keep it bent and still.

Swap for: Single-Leg Glute Bridge, Dumbbell Staggered Hip Thrust, Dumbbell Hip Thrust

Build a session with Single-Leg Hip Thrust
Log it in RIRLift

Glutes and hamstrings, single-leg hinge

Single-Leg RDL

Hamstrings, Glutes

Hinging on one leg trains the glute as a hip extensor and as a stabilizer in the same rep. Keep both hip bones pointing at the floor, which is harder than it sounds.

How to do it

  1. Stand on your left leg with a dumbbell in your left hand and the standing knee softly bent.
  2. Hinge forward at the left hip while your right leg extends straight behind you, keeping your hips level.
  3. Lower until your torso and back leg are close to parallel to the floor or the standing hamstring stops you.
  4. Drive the left hip forward to come back up, then finish the set before switching sides.

Cues

  • Back leg and torso move as one
  • Hips level, back toes down
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Opening the hip so the back leg rotates out: point the back toes at the floor the whole time.
  • Touching the free foot down between reps to rebalance: slow down and hold a wall with your free hand if needed.

Swap for: Dumbbell B-Stance RDL, Kettlebell Deadlift, Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Build a session with Single-Leg RDL
Log it in RIRLift

Single-leg control

Strong hips have to work while you balance on one foot. Step-ups and skater squats make every hip muscle work together the way a stride asks them to.

Glutes and quads, stepping

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Driving up onto a bench trains the hip and knee to push together on one leg, the same job as climbing a hill. Lean slightly forward to bias the glute.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the bench with two dumbbells.
  2. Place one whole foot on the bench.
  3. Lean forward a little and push through the top foot to stand up on the bench.
  4. Bring the other foot up only to touch, then lower it back to the floor.
  5. Finish all reps on one leg before switching.

Cues

  • Whole foot on the bench
  • Push through the top heel
  • Lower slowly, do not drop

Common mistakes

  • Pushing off the floor with the back foot: that halves the work. Keep the trailing foot light.
  • Using a bench so high that your knee is far above your hip: you will rock instead of step.

Swap for: Barbell Step-Up

Build a session with Step-Up
Log it in RIRLift

Glutes and quads, single leg with no weight

Skater Squat

Quads, Glutes

With the back foot off the floor and your chest leaning forward, the skater squat works the glutes hard and asks the side hip to hold your knee in line. You can do it in a hotel room.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one foot and bend the other knee so that foot is behind you, arms straight out in front as a counterweight.
  2. Push your hips back and lean your chest forward as you bend the standing knee.
  3. Lower until the back knee is just above the floor.
  4. Drive through your standing foot to stand tall; sets are per leg.

Cues

  • Arms forward as the counterweight
  • Chest leans, back stays flat
  • Back knee to a folded towel

Common mistakes

  • Only going down a few inches: put a folded towel or cushion where your knee should land and touch it every rep.
  • Letting the standing knee collapse inward: track it over your toes, and slow the lowering if it wobbles.

Swap for: Pistol Squat, Reverse Lunge, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Skater Squat
Log it in RIRLift

Inner thighs and hip flexors

The adductors steady the pelvis from the inside and the hip flexors lift the knee into each stride. Both are skipped by most runner routines, and both get worked hard by every run.

Adductors, side hold

Copenhagen Plank

Adductors, Abs

The Copenhagen plank trains the inner thighs, which help hold the pelvis steady on each landing, with nothing but a bench or chair. Start with the knee on the bench, then progress to the ankle.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your side next to a flat bench or sturdy chair, propped on your bottom forearm with the elbow under your shoulder.
  2. Lay your straight top leg on the seat so the inside of your foot and ankle rest on it; tuck the bottom leg under it or let it rest on the floor.
  3. Press the top foot down into the seat and raise your hips until your body runs in one line from head to feet.
  4. Hold for the set's time or lower and raise your hips for reps, then turn over and do the other side.

Cues

  • Push the seat away with your top foot
  • Hips stacked, not rolled back
  • Breathe while you hold

Common mistakes

  • Starting with the foot on the seat before you can hold a side plank: rest your knee there instead until 30-second holds feel solid.
  • Hips drifting backward so the plank turns into a pike: keep your hips in line with your shoulders.

Swap for: Band Hip Adduction, Cossack Squat, Balance Board Lateral Squat

Build a session with Copenhagen Plank
Log it in RIRLift

Hip flexors, knee drive

Standing Cable Hip Flexion

Abs

Driving the knee up against a cable trains the hip flexors through the same motion as the swing phase of a stride. Faster runners need a strong, quick knee drive, and stretching alone does not build it.

How to do it

  1. Attach an ankle strap to a low pulley, strap one ankle and face away from the stack.
  2. Hold the frame for balance and stand tall on the other leg.
  3. Drive the strapped knee up toward hip height or above, then lower it slowly.

Cues

  • Tall chest
  • Knee high
  • Control the return

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to lift the knee higher.
  • Letting the stack yank the leg back.

Swap for: Hanging Knee Raise, Captain's Chair Knee Raise

Build a session with Standing Cable Hip Flexion
Log it in RIRLift

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.

Session 1

Home routine, band and a couch

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets33 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Dumbbells

You run four or five days a week, train at home with a mini band and a couch or bench, and want stronger hips without a gym.

Three sessions of 11 sets add up to 33 hip sets a week: 12 for the side hips, 15 for the glutes and 6 for the inner thighs. The drills are light and stop 2 to 3 reps short of failure, so that frequency recovers easily alongside running.

Hips at home
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 2 × 10–15 2 45 s
ClamshellPer side. 2 × 12–20 2 45 s
Single-Leg Hip ThrustPer leg. Couch or bench. 3 × 8–12 2 1 min
Skater SquatPer leg. 2 × 6–10 2 1 min
Copenhagen PlankSeconds per side. 2 × 15–30 2 1 min
How to run it
Do it after easy runs, three days a week. Lateral band walks also work as a short warm-up before any run.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of the rep range with 2 reps left, use a stronger band or add a dumbbell to the thrust. For the Copenhagen plank, add 5 seconds per set, then move from knee to ankle support.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Gym, two hip-focused days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Hip Abductor, Adjustable Cable, Flat Bench +1

You lift twice a week at a gym and want the hip work loaded heavy enough to keep getting stronger.

Each day has 12 working sets, 24 a week: 14 for hip extension and 10 for the side hips, adductors and hip flexors. Loaded thrusts and machines build strength faster than bands, so fewer sets are needed.

Day A: Thrust and abduct
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Hip Thrust1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–12 2 2 min
Single-Leg RDLPer leg. 3 × 8–10 2 90 s
Hip Abduction Machine 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Standing Cable Hip FlexionPer leg. 2 × 10–12 1 1 min

Open Day A: Thrust and abduct in the session builder

Day B: Step and stabilize
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Step-Up1 warm-up set firstPer leg. 4 × 8–10 2 90 s
Single-Leg Hip ThrustPer leg. 3 × 8–12 2 75 s
Copenhagen PlankSeconds per side. 3 × 15–30 2 1 min
Band Standing Hip Abduction 2 × 15–20 1 45 s

Open Day B: Step and stabilize in the session builder

How to run it
Add these days to your strength sessions or run them as their own sessions on easy days, two to three days apart. Keep them away from the day before a long run.
How to progress
Double progression: add reps until every set reaches the top of the range at 1 to 2 reps in reserve, then add weight. Move the hip flexion up by one plate only when you can drive the knee above hip height on every rep.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Hips and knees wobble late in long runs

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Dumbbells, Flat Bench

Your form holds for the first hour, then the hips sway or the knees drift in, and you want the side hips and glutes to last longer.

Two sessions of 12 sets favor the side hips with higher reps, because the goal is holding position for longer, not a heavier single effort. Single-leg work keeps the endurance tied to balance on one foot.

Side hip endurance
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Lateral Band WalkSteps each way. 3 × 15–20 2 45 s
Band Standing Hip Abduction 3 × 15–25 2 45 s
Single-Leg RDLPer leg. 3 × 10–12 2 1 min
Step-UpPer leg. 3 × 10–12 2 1 min
How to run it
Run it twice a week after easy runs. On long-run days, use one set of lateral band walks as the warm-up.
How to progress
Push reps toward the top of each range before adding resistance. Once the band walks reach 20 steps each way with 2 left, use a stronger band; add a dumbbell to the single-leg RDL when 12 reps is comfortable.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Does running strengthen your hips?

Running keeps the hip muscles fit for running, but it rarely loads them hard enough to get stronger. Bands, hip thrusts and single-leg exercises add the resistance that running does not.

How long does it take to strengthen weak hips?

Most runners notice the drills getting easier within 3 to 4 weeks of training them two or three times a week. That early gain is mostly coordination. Muscle strength keeps building for months if you keep adding reps and resistance.

What are good hip extension exercises at the gym?

Hip thrusts, single-leg hip thrusts, Romanian and single-leg Romanian deadlifts, and step-ups. Thrusts load the glutes at the top of the movement, deadlift variations at the bottom.

What are the best glute exercises for runners?

Single-leg hip thrusts, single-leg RDLs and step-ups, because each trains the glutes on one leg the way running uses them. Add lateral band walks for the side glutes.

Should runners do hip exercises on rest days?

Light drills like clamshells and band walks are fine on rest days. Keep loaded thrusts and single-leg work on easy-run days so rest days stay restful.