Weight Lifting to Strengthen the Hips

The muscles around your hips are vital when it comes to increasing lower-body strength, improving sports performance and completing everyday tasks such as walking up stairs. The main muscles that surround your hip joints are your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. The hip joint is naturally unstable, according to Dr. K.D. Christensen of the American Chiropractic Association Rehab Council, so strengthening these muscles through weight lifting is key if you wish to avoid injury.

  1. Posterior Chain Training

    • The posterior chain is the group of muscles that encompasses your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Too often people overlook posterior chain training, which can lead to muscle imbalances and lower back pain, according to trainer Nick Mitchell, owner of Ultimate Performance in London. The deadlift hits all the muscles of your posterior chain, as well as your core and upper back. Perform your deadlifts with a flat back and squeeze your glutes and hamstrings throughout the lift. If you struggle with mobility issues and can't perform regular deadlifts, try wide-stance sumo deadlifts or use the trap bar -- a hexagonal-shaped bar with elevated handles -- instead, advises strength coach Eric Cressey of Cressey Performance in Boston.

    Quadriceps Training

    • The muscles on the front of your hips are the hip flexors and quadriceps. One of the most effective quadriceps builders is the squat. You can perform squats using a barbell or dumbbells. Squat as low as you can with good form to recruit your glute muscles, too, advises coach Charles Poliquin of the Poliquin Performance Institute in Rhode Island. Lunges and stepups will also work your quads, along with the glutes, hamstrings and calves.

    Machine and Body-Weight Exercises

    • If you're new to weight training, you may find free-weight exercises challenging, so ask a qualified trainer for assistance. As a beginner, you may also fare better with machines, according to a report from the University of Illinois. Resistance machines for the hips, such as the leg extension and leg curl, are easier to set up and use and will build a base level in strength; however, they aren't as functional as free weights and don't mimic everyday actions as well. If you opt to start with machines, add in simple body-weight exercises, too, such as glute bridge raises, body-weight squats and lunges, and stepups.

    Considerations

    • Perform a hip-focused session once a week, or include three hip exercises each workout as part of a full-body session performed three times per week on nonconsecutive days. Start with a light weight for three sets of 12 to 15 reps on each exercise until you're comfortable with the form, and gradually add weight and decrease the reps while maintaining perfect technique. The optimal repetition range for building strength is four to six reps per set, using a weight that's around 75 to 85 percent of the maximum amount you can lift for one rep. Consult your doctor before starting a training regime and if you feel any pain or discomfort around your hips in any of your workouts.