{"id":300018,"date":"2025-11-18T23:08:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T23:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/300018\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T23:08:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T23:08:08","slug":"this-move-will-make-your-hips-feel-10-years-younger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/300018\/","title":{"rendered":"This Move Will Make Your Hips Feel 10 Years Younger"},"content":{"rendered":"

I met a triathlete when I was in Chamonix<\/a> this year, whose workout routine made my weekly slate look absolutely pedestrian. He runs just as much as I do (at least 25 miles a week), but also swims 160 laps, tallies almost four hours of strength training and knocks out long rides on Zwift. <\/p>\n

When I asked him how his body could possibly handle all that strain, he pointed me towards Pliability<\/a>. It\u2019s a mobility database with tons of bite-sized routines; he dedicates 15 minutes each morning to the practice. His endorsement worked on me \u2014 and so too has the app. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always had trouble getting a stretching routine off the ground, likely because it\u2019s boring, time-consuming and I\u2019m intimidated to discover just how tight I\u2019ve let my hamstrings get. But for months now, following my morning run, I\u2019ve dutifully rolled out my yoga mat and selected a routine from the Pliability library. There are videos for specific activities (\u201crunning recovery\u201d), for lifestyle relief (\u201cdesk bound\u201d) and injured areas (\u201cgroin\u201d). <\/p>\n

Whatever I choose, I\u2019ll airplay it to the TV and give it my best go. I probably look like a fool at times to our neighbors in the window across the way, but they\u2019ve also seen me naked, so who cares about them. One of my favorite things about this routine \u2014 even more than finally nailing a move \u2014 is discovering an exercise that I know will really make a difference for me in the short and long term. That\u2019s exactly how I feel about fire hydrants. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"When
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

How to Perform the Exercise<\/p>\n

The move has its name for a reason; picture a canine patronizing the local hydrant, lifting up its hind leg until the limb\u2019s even with its torso. Fire hydrants are more formally called \u201cquadruped hip abductions\u201d (an abduction, FYI, is when you move a body part away from the body\u2019s midline). Here\u2019s how to perform the most simple version of the move:<\/p>\n

Assume the tabletop pose, keeping your knees narrower than your hips<\/p>\n

Lift your leg up at a 45-degree angle<\/p>\n

Briefly hold it in space, pointing your toe towards the wall<\/p>\n

Slowly return it back to the mat<\/p>\n

In case you\u2019re a visual learner (like me), here\u2019s a great demonstration<\/a>. The key here is to keep the hips and shoulders square, and your core stable. <\/p>\n

For such a tiny move, I\u2019m always amazed how quickly and dramatically the rest of my body starts to drift; it\u2019s definitely taken me some time to do fire hydrants properly. But it\u2019s worth getting comfortable with the basic movement pattern, because the benefits are the real deal. And from there you can make the move more interesting (difficult). <\/p>\n

The Benefits of Fire Hydrants<\/p>\n

Fire hydrants primarily target your glutes, but also work the muscles around your hips, while recruiting the stabilization efforts of your abs and obliques. (You\u2019ll also give your shoulders a light burn from holding that pose for a few rounds of reps.) <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re concerned about building a more shapely butt, fire hydrants are a good idea. But they\u2019re a great idea for beleaguered amateur trainees like me \u2014 who cycle between running six miles and sitting for six hours behind a desk \u2014 and could use some relief in that tricky hip-back-pelvis region. <\/p>\n

The exercise isn\u2019t a silver bullet, but in building up the glutes and encouraging clean extension, rotation and abduction of the hips, it creates a stronger and more stable range of motion down there. Done right (and consistently), it can help you chug up stairs, make lateral moves in sports and even just get up from a chair or out of bed with less pinching in your back.<\/p>\n

As a runner, fire hydrants specifically help me improve my \u201cknee tracking.\u201d With more reliable hip stabilizers, my pelvis stays steady, which keeps my knees from wobbling or caving in. Maltracking can lead to problems up and down the chain, from ankle issues to runner\u2019s knee to IT band irritation. <\/p>\n

How to Add to the Exercise<\/p>\n

I thought I\u2019d unsubscribe from Pliability after I learned enough moves to cobble together my own home routine. But I\u2019m still using it. It\u2019s introduced me to moves that blur the boundaries between stretching and strength training. You can even scale individual exercises to suit your needs.<\/p>\n

For instance, while the most basic form of fire hydrants are what I\u2019d call a \u201clow-load activation,\u201d you can add a little pepper to give your stabilizing muscles more of a challenge. Consider: <\/p>\n

Adding a complementary adduction move: Sweep the working leg under your torso before returning it to neutral.<\/p>\n

Using a mini resistance band: Place it right above your knees to increase resistance during each lift. You could also wear ankle weights.<\/p>\n

Pausing\/pulsing at the top of each rep: Hold the leg lifted longer than usual (or pulse a few times) to increase \u201ctime under tension\u201d and really engage the stabilizers.<\/p>\n

Reaching out with your opposite hand: Similar to dead bug, reach your right arm straight ahead while lifting your left leg. Switch. This adds a core stabilization challenge. <\/p>\n

\t\t\tMeet your guide<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Tanner<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTanner Garrity<\/p>\n

Tanner Garrity is a senior editor at InsideHook, where he\u2019s covered wellness, travel, sports and pop culture since 2017. He also authors The Charge, InsideHook\u2019s weekly wellness newsletter. Beyond the newsroom, he can usually be found running, skating, reading, writing fiction or playing tennis. He lives in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tMore from Tanner Garrity \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore Like This<\/p>\n

The Charge will help you move better, think clearer and stay in the game longer. Subscribe to our wellness newsletter<\/a> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I met a triathlete when I was in Chamonix this year, whose workout routine made my weekly slate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":{"0":"post-300018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}