What Are Hip Dips?
Look at the side of your hip, just below the hip bone, and you may notice a gentle inward dip. That dip has a few names — hip dips, and sometimes violin hips. 🎻
The dip can be barely noticeable, or it can be quite clear. Either way, it is a normal part of how bodies are built, not a flaw and not a sign that something is wrong.
Why does it show up? It comes down to the shape of your pelvis, the width of your hips, and how muscle and fat sit around them. The skin in that area is tethered close to the greater trochanter — the bony bump at the top of your thigh bone — so the surface dips slightly inward there.
Clothing can make hip dips look more or less obvious, and so can your posture on any given day. None of that changes the basic fact: hip dips are normal anatomy.
Can Exercise Change Hip Dips?
Honestly? No. No exercise can remove hip dips, and no exercise can burn fat from one chosen spot on your body. 💡
That idea is called spot reduction, and controlled studies have tested it again and again. In a 2011 study, people did abdominal exercises five days a week for six weeks and got stronger — but lost no more belly fat than people who did nothing (Vispute et al., 2011).
A 2013 study went further: volunteers trained just one leg on a leg press, three times a week for twelve weeks. Fat came off all over the body, but the trained leg lost no more fat than the untrained one (Ramírez-Campillo et al., 2013).
One small 2023 trial in 16 men with overweight did find a modest extra loss of trunk fat when abdominal endurance work replaced some running — but it was men only, the effect was small, and total fat loss was similar in both groups (Brobakken et al., 2023). It is a hint worth noting, not a promise to build a plan around.
So what can exercise do? It can strengthen the muscles around your hips — especially the gluteus medius, the muscle that steadies your pelvis when you stand on one leg. Stronger hips can mean better balance, steadier walking and running, and a more comfortable stride.
That is what the five moves below are for. They are a hip and glute strength routine, not a hip-dip removal plan. If you have hip pain, an injury, or a health condition, talk to a clinician or physiotherapist before starting anything new. 🩺
5 Hip and Glute Exercises for Stronger, Steadier Hips
Move slowly and stay in control, rather than rushing through reps. Keep your core gently braced, breathe normally, and work both sides evenly — starting with your weaker side if one side clearly feels harder.
Start with a comfortable effort level and build up gradually over weeks. Mild muscle effort the next day is normal; sharp pain is not, and it is a reason to stop and get advice.
1. Squats
Squats work the hips, thighs, and buttocks together, which makes them a solid base for any lower-body routine. 🏋️
Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and your toes pointing slightly out. Sit back as if you are lowering into a chair, keeping your chest up and your back straight.
Push through your feet to stand back up. A bodyweight squat is plenty to start with — a barbell, like the one pictured, is only for when the basic move feels easy and your form is solid.
2. Forward Lunges
Lunges train one leg at a time, which is great practice for balance and for the hip steadiness you use with every step. 🚶
Step forward and lower until both knees are comfortably bent, keeping your front knee tracking over your foot. Push back to standing and repeat on the other side.
Keep your upper body tall and your steps controlled. Holding a weight, as pictured, is an optional extra once the unweighted version feels steady.
3. Glute Bridges
Glute bridges are a gentle way to wake up the buttock muscles, and they need no equipment at all. 🌉
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, a little wider than hip-width apart. Press through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
Pause briefly at the top, then lower slowly. Keep the movement smooth — no arching your lower back to force extra height.
4. Lying Side Leg Raises
This is the most direct gluteus medius move in the set: lying on your side and lifting the top leg works the outer hip. Research on hip muscle activation has repeatedly found side-lying hip abduction among the strongest ways to recruit the gluteus medius.
Lie on one side with your body in a straight line and your head resting on your lower arm. Slowly raise the top leg, keeping it in line with your body, then lower it without letting it rest on the other leg.
Do not roll forward or backward as you lift — the smaller and more controlled the movement, the better it targets the outer hip.
5. Fire Hydrants (Side Hip Openers)
Fire hydrants are done on all fours: from hands and knees, with your knee bent, you lift one leg out to the side like a dog at a fire hydrant. 🐕
Keep your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, and share your weight evenly. Lift only as far as you can without tipping your hips to one side, then lower slowly.
Work both sides, and keep the movement slow and steady. If your wrists ache on all fours, try the same idea on your forearms or skip it and stick with the side leg raises above.
Building a Balanced Routine
Hip work is only one piece of the picture. A balanced week mixes lower-body strength with upper-body work, some cardio you enjoy, and rest days — variety keeps the routine sustainable. 💪
For more lower-body ideas, see our buttocks workout and our guide to saddlebags, hips and thighs. For the upper body, try our flabby arms guide.
On the food side, no single food changes hip shape. A generally balanced diet with enough protein supports any strength routine, and steady habits beat short bursts of restriction. If you want personal nutrition advice, a registered dietitian is the right person to ask.
FAQs
Can hip dips be removed with exercise?
No. Hip dips come from your bone structure and how muscle and fat are distributed around it, so exercise cannot erase them. Exercise can strengthen the hips and improve stability, which is a worthwhile goal on its own.
Why do hip dips happen?
They appear where the skin is tethered near the greater trochanter, the bony point at the top of the thigh bone. How visible they are depends on pelvis shape, hip width, and muscle and fat distribution.
Does everyone have hip dips?
No. Some people have them and some do not, and they range from subtle to prominent. Having them is completely normal.
Will my hips get wider with exercise?
Exercise builds muscle, and stronger glute muscles can change how the hip area looks and feels. But your underlying bone structure does not change with exercise, so there is no guaranteed widening effect.
Do women’s hips get wider with age?
Pelvic bone growth during adolescence and young adulthood can widen the hips, and body composition changes over life also play a part. These are gradual, natural changes, not something a workout can switch on.
The Bottom Line
Hip dips are normal, and chasing their removal is a goal no workout can deliver. What a workout can deliver is genuinely useful: stronger hips, steadier balance, and a body that moves more comfortably. 🌿
Pick a few of the moves above, practise them regularly, and judge the routine by how your hips feel and perform — not by whether a dip disappears. That is a goal worth keeping.
This article gives general fitness information only. It is not medical advice. If you have hip pain, an injury, or a health condition, speak to a clinician or physiotherapist before starting a new exercise routine.