Strengthening your hips with exercise

Here are some workouts to ensure that your hips are not only well shaped but strong enough to ensure they will be supporting your weight way into your old age.

Side leg raises
Brian Kasasa, a sports scientist, says apart from strengthening your hips, side leg raises will help you lose any excess inner thigh fat. ”Lie on the floor with your hands on your ears and lift the upper leg to form a right angle, and then lower it. Do this for 10 to 15 times using both legs,” he explains.

Donkey kicks
If you need to tone and strengthen your hips and glutes, Elly Barangi, a fitness coach, says this workout is worth its salt.

“With your palms and knees on the floor, and your body half raised, lift your leg and kick upwards. Bring the bottom of your foot toward the ceiling before returning to the start position,” he says adding that to get results, you should do two to three sets of 12–20 repetitions on each side.

Knee to chest exercises
To perform these exercises, Kasasa says you will have to lie on your back with both knees held close to the chest. “Push your knees away from your chest without letting your hands free. Apart from working your hips, they will also help to strengthen your biceps and triceps,” he shares.

Hip marching
While many of us are familiar to marching while one is standing, this workout is done when one is in a sitting position.

“Sit on the edge of a chair and lift one leg at a time as if you were marching. This workout will also tackle your abs mildly seeing that the stomach muscles are engaged as you lift your legs,” Kasasa shares.

Hip circles
Barangi says this movement increases flexibility and stability. “Stand on your right leg with the left leg lifted and move it in circles. Moving clockwise and anti-clockwise, do 20 circles in each direction. Then do the same with the right leg,” he shares.

For more intensity, you may increase the size of the circles and do two to three sets. In case you need more support, use a stable object such as a chair for support.

Dead lifts
While the aim is to strengthen your ball and socket joints, it does not hurt to borrow a few ideas from other workout regimens. In this, Kasasa says one will hold a weight in one hand and bend forward and kick with the leg on the side with the weight.

“Apart from bettering your balance and coordination, the workout will also improve your wrist strength as your indulge in it,” he says.

Lateral squat walks
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and lower your body into a mini squat position. Thereafter, step out with the left leg to cover a distance wider than the shoulder apart width. Do the same with the right leg.

“Doing this for 10 cycles is good enough but ensure that your knees do not fall inwards,” Barangi shares.

Leg step-up
With a bench or chair, lift one leg on to the chair while leaving the other on the ground.
“Then work out the leg on the floor by lifting it up to stomach level and back to the ground,” Kasasa explains.

Others
Forward kicks
Elly Barangi, a fitness coach, says in an upright and straight stature with legs close, stretch out your hands and try to kick forward into your palm several times, one leg at a time.

“There are some things we may take for granted such as standing straight but there are several people that find it cumber some. Therefore, this workout also tackles several others areas of your fitness,” he adds.

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