The Hip Abductor & How to do it Right!

 
In this VLOG, Cat Kom is joined by Studio SWEAT member, Tatia, to show you one of her fave booty shaping exercises, the hip abductor. 

What and why?

When it comes to exercises for your bum, you’ll often hear about the gluteus maximus – the big back muscle of the backside. But the hip abductor targets the gluteus medius, which is the muscle that wraps up to your hip area.

The gluteus medius is important for hip stability and balance, but also impacts low back strength and even your knees. And in our increasingly sedentary world, the gluteus medius tends to weaken. With an exercise as simple as the one Cat and Tatia are demonstrating (one so easy you could do it at your desk on a conference call), it’s easy to bring the focus to your backside!

How to properly do a hip abductor exercise?

• Standing with your feet about hip-width, lift one straight up to the side, and back down.
• To balance, sink your weight into the big toe of your plant foot.
• A common mistake is to point your toe up/flex your foot outward. To avoid this, be sure to keep your feet parallel to one another.
• If you struggle to keep your feet in that more parallel position, think about pointing your toe toward the ground. This exaggerated movement will help with proper engagement.
• It’s ok to hold onto something to help with your balance – a friend, a bike, a chair, whatever!

Need to modify or intensify?

•  This can be done on the floor:
    -Lay on your side with a comfy spot for your head.
    -Scoot your butt to the back of the mat, with your head and toes toward the front (in an inverted “V”)
    -Lift your upper leg, keeping your feet parallel to one another as you lift, then lower the leg in a slow controlled manner.

• You can increase the burn by adding:
    -A resistance band.
    -Ankle weights.
    -Using a cable machine.

There you go, so simple, you know we’ve got your back…side! And you can find more booty sculpting, fat-torching workouts at Studio SWEAT onDemand! Download the app, or if you happen to live in southern California, visit us in our San Diego studio.