Muscles worked
The fire hydrant trains the muscles on the side and back of your hip. The gluteus medius does most of the work, helped by the gluteus minimus and the upper part of the gluteus maximus. Your hip is bent as the leg moves out, so the muscles work in a different position from a standing side raise. How high you get depends mostly on how mobile your hip is. Your arms, shoulders and abs keep your body still, and your supporting hip stops you tipping over.
Common mistakes
- Your foot rises before your knee. When your foot goes higher than your knee, the hip rotates instead of lifting out to the side. Lift knee and foot at the same height and let the knee lead.
- Your knee rests on the floor between reps. Your muscles then get a break on every rep, and the set is easier than it looks. Lower until your knee almost touches the floor and lift again from there.
- Your lower back sags. As your abs tire, your back drops and your hips get unsteady. Brace your abs lightly and keep your back as straight on the last rep as on the first.
Variations and alternatives
- The clamshell is done lying on your side and is easier, useful if you struggle to keep your body still on all fours.
- The cable hip abduction trains the same muscles standing and can take more load.
- Donkey kicks start from the same position but move the leg backwards, with more work for the gluteus maximus.
Sets and reps
The fire hydrant is easy to dose. Two to three sets of 12 to 20 reps per side is common, and a pause of one or two seconds at the top does more good than extra reps. It also fits into a warm-up before squats and lunges, with one light set per side. The guide to sets and reps covers how to plan the rest of your sets.
When bodyweight is no longer enough, put a resistance band just above your knees. A longer pause, slower lowering and a band are three ways to raise the load, and together they give you progressive overload without weights.