Wider
hips...it may not be the most common goal of women who train but, I
can promise you, there are a LOT of women out there who would LOVE to
build wider hips without putting on a lot of fat!
I'll
tell you right now, it's not going to be easy but it definitely CAN
be done!
But
first...want to know the reason why it's so tough to increase hip width
without gaining a lot of fat in the area? It all comes down to your
bones.
You
see, hip width (not counting fat deposits in the area) is primarily
determined by your pelvis size. If you've got genetically narrow hip
bones (you can thank your parents for that!), it's going to be much
tougher to achieve the wider hips you're looking for.
It's
the very same situation with the shoulders - if you want wider shoulders,
you're limited by bone structure. You then have to focus on building
the lateral delts (the side heads of the shoulder muscles) to give the
appearance of wider shoulders.
But
the only hitch with the hips is that there really isn't a whole lot
of muscle mass available to build onto the outside of your pelvis! In
that respect, it's actually EASIER to build wider shoulders with weight
training than it is to build wider hips.
The
main muscles that operate in the hip area (for our purposes) are the
three glute muscles...the gluteus maximus (the main butt muscle), gluteus
medius and gluteus minimus.
The
primary function of the gluteus maximus is to bring the leg backwards
(a.k.a. hip extension). It's a big, powerful muscle because this function
is our primary method of moving forward! Every time you push backwards
to take a step, that's the gluteus maximus at work.
But
the smaller gluteus medius and minimus muscles are what we'll need to
focus on to try and increase hip width. These two muscles are what's
known as abductors.
Abduction
is the biomechanical term for moving a limb AWAY from the midline of
the body. In this case, it's moving the thigh away from the center of
the body. If you're familiar with adduction (where you bring the legs
in towards each other and squeeze the thighs together), it's the opposite
movement.
So
to widen the hips through training, we need to focus some intense work
on the gluteus medius and minimus muscles. And when I say intense work,
I'm NOT talking about those light pumping movements where you try and
"go for the burn!"
For
our purposes, those are not only a waste of time but completely counterproductive.
Light weight exercises won't build hips and will interfere with the
muscle-building stimulus we're going for that WILL actually build the
hips. So toss "The Firm" videos back into the pile if you
want to build wider hips. Those won't cut it.
If
you want results, it's time to break out the dumbells and barbells and
dig into some REAL weight training!
NOTE: the exercises I'm about explain are probably not familiar
to you. Be VERY sure to click on the link at the bottom and
watch the videos on how to perform these exercises properly.
They will help you a LOT!
The absolute BEST exercise for increasing hip width is NOT an isolation
abduction exercise. You may have seen abduction machines in the gym
where you sit on a chair and force your legs outwards against resistance.
I'm sure you've seen them...they always seem to place those machines
directly across from the cardio equipment or opposite the gym entrance!
The
best exercise is called the Side Lunge and it can be done with a barbell
OR dumbells. But I'm not going to have you do the NORMAL side lunge...that
exercise forces you to use lighter weights so you don't strain your
knees. This version allows for more resistance and, therefore, more
potential muscle growth and hip width!
So
how do you do the Side Lunge? Well, the "normal" technique
has you starting in a standing position. Then you step one foot directly
out to the side (sometimes at angle forwards rather than directly to
the side) and lower your body down into a lunge. You come down, bending
your knee, then you push all the way back up to the standing position.
The
problem with this technique is the lateral stress that gets placed on
the knee when you step down to the side. The knees aren't designed to
take a lot of sideways pressure - they're all about going forward and
back (like a hinge). There's some room to manuever but sideways movement
against momentum can be tough on the knees - just ask any running back
in football!
So
instead of stepping out to the side on each rep then pushing all the
way back up, we're going to do it differently. You'll take that first
step out to the side and plant your foot about 2 feet out. And you're
going to keep it there!
If
you stepped out to the right, bend your right knee and come down into
a lunge position. Your left leg will be completely straight and act
as a pivot. Come down until your thigh is parallel to the ground then,
using hip power, push yourself back up, straightening your right leg
but WITHOUT popping all the way back to a standing position where your
feet are together.
Remember,
we're keeping our feet in the SAME position for the whole exercise.
When
you come to the top, you're now going to lunge down to the OTHER side.
Come down until your leg knee is bent 90 degrees then push back back
up. Again, you're NOT popping up to a total standing position - just
straightening your legs. This not only spares your knees, it allows
you to keep tension on the muscles better AND use heavier resistance!
You
can do this exercise with a barbell or 2 dumbells. When using a barbell,
just hold it across your shoulders and be careful with your balance.
If you do this exercise with a barbell, it's best to use a rack so you
don't have to press the weight overhead and set it down on your shoulders.
Just note, you'll be doing this exercise OUTSIDE the rack (there isn't
The
dumbell version will be the easiest setup. All you need to do is pick
up the dumbells! When you perform the exercise, hand position is important.
If you're lunging down to the right, the right-hand dumbell should be
on the outside of your right hip. The left-hand dumbell should be held
in front of your body down between your legs. This is the best position
for balance and resistance.
Then
you just reverse it when you go down to the other side - left dumbell
on the outside of your left hip and right dumbell down in between your
legs.
The
first time you do this exercise, use a light to moderate weight so you
get an idea of how the exercise is performed. Once you feel comfortable
with it, THEN starting boosting the weight.
