Muscles worked
The hip dip turns the side plank into a moving exercise. The side closest to the floor works hardest: the obliques and the deep lower back muscles on that side lift your hip and brake it on the way down, helped by the gluteus medius. The shoulder of your supporting arm works throughout and has to stay steady while your body moves beneath it. Compared with the still side plank, the muscles work through a longer range.
Common mistakes
- Your hip lands on the floor. If you drop your hip and bounce back up, momentum does the work. Lower calmly, turn just before your hip touches the floor and lift without a run-up.
- The lift stops short. Many people turn halfway up once it gets hard. Press up until your body is straight and pause briefly there.
- Your shoulder creeps up towards your ear. You are then hanging in the shoulder joint instead of supporting yourself. Press your forearm into the floor and keep your neck long.
Variations and alternatives
- The side plank is the still version and a good place to start if the dips feel too hard.
- The dumbbell side bend trains the same side of your trunk standing up and can be loaded more heavily.
- The band pallof press has your trunk resist rotation instead of bending sideways and complements the hip dip well.
Sets and reps
A good plan is 8 to 15 dips per side over two to three sets, with a short rest as you switch sides. Do the same number on both sides. Form usually gives way before your strength runs out, so end the set when your hip no longer comes all the way up. The guide to sets and reps goes into the plan in more detail.
If the dips are too hard, do them with your bottom knee on the floor. Once they feel easy, lower over three seconds or keep your top leg raised for the whole set. Turning up the difficulty in small steps like this is what progressive overload is about. If your shoulder or back hurts, rather than just feeling heavy, stop the exercise and have a physiotherapist or doctor assess it.