Table of Contents
Do you have hip dips or the inward curve found between your hip bones and the top of the thigh bones? Then, don’t despair as I teach you some exercises on how to get rid of hip dips effectively. All exercises are easy to do in your free time.
I admit I have hip dips as well. After learning that you can do some exercises to make them less noticeable, I hurriedly went to the Internet for more information. For fuller hips, check the instructions below.
What You’ll Need to get rid of hip dips
Exercise Mat
An Exercise mat is designed to protect you from the cold floor while also giving some cushion when you’re training with weights. You might need the mat if the exercise demands you to touch the floor like the side leg lifts and butt kicks.
Most exercise mats have a minimum thickness of one inch. If you perspire a lot, you might consider getting a thicker mat, which is about 1 1/2 to two inches thick. This thickness absorbs your perspiration better and won’t leave any sweat residue on the floor.
When choosing the right length, look for a mat that’s about six inches longer than your height. So if you’re 5’5” tall, choose a mat with a length of 71 inches. For the width, it should be at least one foot wider than the widest part of your waist.
Alternative Mats
1. Pilates Mat
The Pilates mat is thinner than the exercise mat. It is great for cushioning your body during core exercises. To prevent your body from unnecessary strain, select a firmer mat a full inch thick. A firmer mat will give more balance while performing stability exercises.
2. Yoga Mat
The yoga mat is the thinnest among all mats available. The thickness may range from 1/8 inch to 1-1/2 inches. With its textured surface, you can perform exercises without the fear of slipping as you perspire.
Ankle Weights (Optional For Side Leg Lifts)
If you like to increase the intensity of the side leg lift exercise, you can wear ankle weights. The size of ankle weights may vary from one pound to eight pounds. Although this may appear strenuous, they’re highly recommended by Bruno Fitness because they can help burn more calories with less stress on the joints.
Dumbbells (For Squat)
To put more resistance on your squats, you need to use dumbbells. These fitness tools aren’t only easy to use, but they can allow you to tone each part of your body. If you’re a beginner, you may choose from 5 to 45 pounds. As you progress, you can increase the weight of the dumbbells gradually.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Aside from reducing those unsightly hip dips, the side leg lifts are great for strengthening your glutes. Watch how the side leg lifts are performed in this video.
On a mat, lie sideways and extend your legs straight. Rest your lower arm under your head and place your top arm under your upper hip.
Now, lift your top leg up while keeping your hips steady and your face forward. If you want more resistance, you may strap on an ankle weight to work on your core efficiently.
Lower down the top leg by bringing your feet together and do 15 reps on this side.
After you have done the exact amount of repetitions, switch sides and repeat the same leg lifting movement in 15 reps.
Butt kicks are great for strengthening your hamstrings and stretching your quads. Not only does this exercise remove your hip dents, but it’s also good for working your lower abs. Watch a quick demo of this exercise in this video around the 0:38-second mark.
On a mat, get into a quadruped position, meaning getting on your knees and hands. The distance between your knees should be similar to the width of your hips.
Bring one knee in, kick out, and return the knee back in. Squeeze your glutes and keep your spine straight as you make the kicking motion. You need to do 15-20 reps.
Once you have completed the required amount of reps, repeat the same kicking-out motion on the other leg.
Squat exercises train your whole lower body, which includes the muscles of your hips and thighs. There are many ways to do it and what I’m going to share are two types: the bodyweight squat and dumbbell squat.
Body Weight Squat
If you’re a beginner, you may squat without the weights, so you’ll get used to the proper form.
- To start, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your shoulders back. Your spine should be upright with your head looking forward. Cross your arms in front of your chest.
- Now, move down like you’re sitting back in a chair until your thigh is parallel to the ground. As you go lower, keep your back straight and your heels planted on the ground firmly.
- As you reach the lowest squat, drive through your heels to move back up to the start position.
- You can repeat this exercise for two sets of 10 reps.
Dumbbells Squat
As you progress, you may consider using some weights, like dumbbells. With the added weight, you increase the intensity, thereby, making the workout more effective.
- Start by holding a dumbbell in each hand. Stand with your feet wide apart, shoulders back, and your core tight.
- Go down by bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Inhale as you make this motion.
- As you reach the lowest contraction, move up to the starting position. Exhale as you do this.
- You can do four sets of 15 reps.
Lunges are great for sculpting your thighs. They work your hamstrings and glutes by taking large steps forward.
Front Lunge
- To start, rest your hands on your hips for stability. Keep your shoulders back, chest up, and core tight.
- Now take a large step forward and drop that knee. To get your knee back to the starting position, drive through the heel. Do this in 20 reps for each leg.
- For variation, you can alternate your legs when lunging. To increase the intensity of this exercise, you can keep the foot lifted as you move back to the starting position, as demonstrated in this video.
Walking Lunge
If you have balancing problems, you can make the walking lunges.
- Begin by standing upright and feet together. Take a big step forward, bending your knees and creating a 90-degree angle with your front leg and back leg.
- Now move that back leg forward and come into a lunge.
- Constantly step and travel forward right from one lunge to another.
Tips From The Experts for you on how to get rid of hip dips
1. Raise Your Leg Slowly In Side Leg Lifts
For an effective side leg lifting exercise, Muscle & Fitness suggests raising and lowering your leg slowly. Don’t use momentum because you may end up overworking your leg and thigh muscles. Your top leg should be raised at least 1-2 feet.
At the top of every rep, squeeze your glutes. Your neck should be aligned with your spine throughout the exercise. Never look at your top leg when raised, instead, keep your gaze straight in front of you.
2. Wear Comfortable Shoes And Apparel
For better exercise performance, the American Heart Association recommends wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. Your shoes should be flat with laces, and of course, they should properly fit. Your clothes should be loose and not too tight to move freely. If you have hip pain, You can check expert recommendations to find the best shoes for hip pain
For squats and lunges, the best shoes are lightweight cross-trainers with good lateral support, like this one. If you sweat a lot, look for sweat-wicking fibers, like polypropylene. For comfort, wear cotton, but this may feel heavy when you sweat.
3. Observe Proper Form
To save yourself from the grueling knee pain, Prevention suggests observing the correct form in squats and lunges. When doing squats, your knees should be aligned with your feet. Your knees shouldn’t wobble off to one side.
Always go at your own pace because doing the squats slowly but properly produces better toning results with less pain. If you still feel pain when doing squats, begin seated in a chair.
Final Thought
Did you find this article helpful on how to get rid of hip dips effectively? Thanks to these exercises, I can already do something on my hip dips which have been bothering me for a long time now. Aside from effectiveness, all exercises are easy to do since all you need is an exercise mat or dumbbell.
Finally, if you already got rid of hip dips and are looking for bigger ones, click here to read a quick guide on How to get bigger hips fast.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.