Hip Exercises for Runners: Five Moves, Sets, Reps and How to Progress

The short answer: Five moves cover most of what runners need at the hips: glute bridge, hip abduction, side plank, single-leg deadlift and step-up. Do them about twice a week for 20 minutes, progress slowly, and keep heavy sessions away from hard runs. A 2024 trial linked hip and core training to fewer overuse injuries in novice runners.

1. Why the hips matter for runners
2. What the research says (and does not)
3. The five exercises, each with how-to, sets, reps, easier and harder versions
4. How to fit them into your running week
5. When and how to progress
6. Hip mobility
7. If you already have pain
8. Troubleshooting, warning signs and FAQ

• A three-arm trial of 325 novice runners found a physiotherapist-guided hip and core program had 39% lower overuse injury prevalence than a static stretching control over 24 weeks [1].
• A trial of 720 first-time marathoners found an unsupervised 10-minute program of quadriceps, hip abductor and core exercises did not reduce overuse injuries that stopped runners finishing [2].
• Side planks with hip abduction, single-limb squats and front planks with hip extension produced the highest glute muscle activity in one lab study [3].
• HSS advises at least two strength sessions a week, light activation before runs, and no heavy lifting on run days [4].
• Hip strengthening is also central to treating runner's knee and IT band syndrome [5][6][7].
• Hip pain that follows a fall, or comes with an inability to bear weight, sudden swelling, fever, or pain at rest or at night, needs a medical check [8][10].

Because every stride loads one leg at a time, and the hip muscles help control how that leg and the pelvis move. This is our clinical reasoning, and the research on exactly how hip strength changes running is less settled than the explanations online suggest.

What the sources do support is practical:

• For patellofemoral pain (runner's knee), the APTA guideline summary says posterior hip and quadriceps exercises reduce pain and improve function, with benefits lasting at least five years [5].
• A 2018 international consensus statement prefers combined hip and knee exercise to knee exercise alone [6].
• In a 2024 systematic review of IT band syndrome in runners, hip abductor strengthening was the most common treatment [7].

So hip strength is not a cure-all, but it is a well-supported part of treating and, possibly, preventing common running problems. We cover the conditions in can you run with runner's knee and runner's knee vs IT band syndrome.

Sometimes, and the details matter. Two trials point in different directions.

How to read this:

• The hip and core group was compared with stretching, not with doing nothing. The ankle and foot program did not reduce overuse injuries compared with stretching [1].
• The 2024 trial involved novice runners in one city, so it may not apply to everyone [1].
• The marathon trial used a different program, was unsupervised, relied on self-reported data, and its comparison group was not a true control because those runners could do their own strength work [2].
• Neither trial tested hip strengthening alone. Both combined hip with core, and the marathon trial added quadriceps work [1][2].

Our reading: supervised, progressive hip and core work looks promising for novice runners, and a quick unsupervised routine may not be enough on its own. That is an interpretation, not a finding.

These five come from our exercise library and cover the main jobs: hip extension (glute bridge), hip abduction and pelvic control (hip abduction, side plank), single-leg strength and balance (single-leg deadlift) and a running-like loading pattern (step-up).

A laboratory study measured muscle electrical activity of the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus during rehabilitation exercises, as a percentage of a maximal effort. The authors said values above 70% are acceptable for strength enhancement [3].

Two cautions: the numbers describe muscle activity in a laboratory, not whether an exercise makes runners stronger or prevents injuries, and the study's exercise versions are not identical to the ones below. The step-up and two-leg bridge were not in the values we read [3]. We chose the five for variety and for how well they scale, not because one tops a chart.

Check these first.

1. Is it the right time? If you have acute, sharp or worsening hip or leg pain, see a provider before loading it. Use the warning signs near the end of this article.
2. Equipment. A mat, a sturdy step or low bench, a light resistance band, and a light dumbbell or kettlebell for later stages.
3. Warm-up (3 to 5 minutes). Easy walking, then leg swings, bodyweight squats and a few glute bridges. HSS suggests lighter activation such as glute bridges, bodyweight lunges and calf raises before runs [4].
4. Pain guide. This is a common clinical rule of thumb, not from a cited trial: pain of 0 to 3 out of 10 that settles within 24 hours is generally acceptable; 4 to 5 means reduce the dose; above that, or pain that is sharp, catching or worse the next morning, means stop and reassess.
5. Rest between sets. About 30 to 60 seconds for the endurance-style sets below. HSS gives 30 to 50 seconds for strength endurance [4].

The doses below are common clinical starting points. They are not from a single trial, and the right amount depends on you. The three levels fit HSS's phases: start with lighter, higher-repetition work, then build load, and move to heavier work only after weeks of consistent training [4].

What it works: the glutes and hamstrings, with the trunk muscles keeping your pelvis still.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, about hip-width apart.
2. Brace lightly, as if you were about to be nudged in the stomach.
3. Press through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a line from shoulders to knees.
4. Squeeze your glutes at the top for 2 seconds. Do not arch your lower back.
5. Lower slowly over 2 to 3 seconds.

Easier: smaller range, or place a small cushion under your hips.

Harder: feet on a step or bench, or a weight on your hips.

Common mistakes: pushing up with the lower back instead of the glutes; feet too far from the body so hamstrings take over; hips twisting side to side.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the hip, groin or lower back, or cramping that does not ease.

Learn more on our glute bridge page.

What it works: the side of the hip (gluteus medius and nearby muscles), which helps keep your pelvis level when you stand on one leg.

How to do it (side-lying)

1. Lie on your side with the bottom knee bent and the top leg straight in line with your body.
2. Roll your top hip slightly forward so your toes point forward or slightly down.
3. Lift the top leg about 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm), leading with the heel, not the toes.
4. Pause for 1 second and lower slowly.

Easier: reduce the lift height, or keep the movement shorter.

Harder: add a band, slow the lowering to 3 seconds, or move to standing.

Common mistakes: rolling the top hip backward so the front of the thigh does the work; swinging the leg; tilting the trunk.

Stop if you feel a pinch at the front of the hip, sharp pain at the outside of the hip, or knee pain.

Learn more on our hip abduction page.

What it works: the side of the hip and trunk together. Side planks produced the highest gluteus medius activity in the laboratory study [3].

How to do it

1. Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and your forearm pointing across your body.
2. Stack your feet (or bend your knees for the easier version).
3. Lift your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to feet (or knees).
4. Hold, breathing steadily. Keep your hips from sagging or rolling forward.

Easier: shorter holds, or bent knees.

Harder: top leg lift, longer holds, or feet staggered.

Common mistakes: sagging hips; shoulder shrugging toward the ear; holding the breath.

Stop if you feel shoulder pain, sharp low back pain or pain at the hip.

Learn more on our side plank page.

What it works: the glutes and hamstrings on the standing leg, plus balance and trunk control. This is a running-like single-leg pattern.

How to do it

1. Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee. Rest a hand on a wall or chair for support if needed.
2. Hinge at the hip, sending your hips back and reaching your hands toward the floor while the other leg extends behind you.
3. Keep your back long and your hips level. Stop when you feel a stretch in the standing hamstring or when you cannot keep your back straight.
4. Drive through the standing heel to return upright.

Easier: both feet on the floor with a small kickstand (toes of the back foot touching down).

Harder: add weight, close your eyes briefly, or stand on a cushion.

Common mistakes: rounding the back; letting the hips rotate open; locking the standing knee; reaching the weight forward instead of hinging.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the hamstring or buttock, back pain, or loss of balance you cannot control.

Learn more on our single-leg deadlift page.

What it works: the glutes and quadriceps together, in a movement close to running and stair climbing.

How to do it

1. Stand facing a sturdy step. A 6-inch (15 cm) step is a common starting point.
2. Place your whole foot on the step, with your knee in line with your second toe.
3. Press through your heel to stand tall on the step, keeping your pelvis level.
4. Lower slowly over 2 to 3 seconds. Touch the floor lightly and repeat on the same leg.

Easier: lower step, or use a rail for light support.

Harder: higher step, weight, or a slower lowering phase.

Common mistakes: pushing off the back foot; knee falling inward; leaning heavily on the front knee; letting the pelvis drop.

Stop if you feel sharp pain at the front of the knee, hip pinching or the knee giving way.

Learn more on our step-up page. Step-ups are a common choice in our runner's knee guidance, where posterior hip and quadriceps exercises are supported [5].

Do the full set twice a week on non-consecutive days, and keep heavy work off your hard-run days. This follows HSS advice and the pattern in the 2024 trial [1][4].

A sample week

Adapt this to your own plan. If your legs are heavy for a hard run, move the strength day.

A 12-week plan

HSS suggests beginners spend about 4 to 6 weeks in each strength phase before moving on [4]. If you finish week 12 feeling good, repeat the Strong dose rather than adding more.

Move up when the current level feels controlled, not just when the calendar says so. This is a clinical rule of thumb, not a cited threshold.

Progress an exercise when all of these are true:

1. You complete every set and rep with steady form, two sessions in a row.
2. The last rep feels hard but controlled, about 7 out of 10 effort.
3. Pain stays at 0 to 3 out of 10 and is not worse the next morning.
4. Your running has not changed in the past week (no sudden jump in distance or intensity).

Then change one thing at a time: add repetitions, then sets, then a harder variation, then load. HSS describes moving from light, high-repetition work (8 to 12 reps, 2 to 4 sets) to heavier work (6 to 12 reps, 3 to 6 sets at about 80% effort) and later to very heavy work (1 to 5 reps), with plyometrics such as skater hops added once strength is established [4]. Most recreational runners do not need the heaviest stage.

If a week goes badly (illness, a big run, poor sleep), drop back one level for a week. You have not lost anything.

Hip mobility has less research behind it than strengthening. In the 2024 trial, runners in the stretching group were the comparison, and the hip and core group had fewer overuse injuries [1]. The sources we read do not show that stretching hip muscles prevents running injuries.

That does not make mobility useless: moving freely feels good, and some runners feel tight after long days of sitting. Treat it as optional and keep it gentle. Our clinical suggestions:

• A hip flexor stretch after runs or at your desk: our hip flexor stretch page shows it.
• Leg swings front to back and side to side in your warm-up.
• A short walk every hour if you sit for work, covered in our guide for desk workers.

Loosn's hip mobility programme puts mobility work into a structured plan, and Kai, Loosn's AI physio coach, can help you pace it around your running. It does not replace advice from your provider or an assessment if your symptoms are severe, getting worse or unusual.

The same exercises are used in treatment, at a gentler dose and with load changes to your running. Our guides cover the common cases:

• Pain around or behind the kneecap: see can you run with runner's knee. The APTA summary supports posterior hip and quadriceps exercises, and the consensus statement says the best dose is not known [5][6].
• Pain on the outside of the knee: see runner's knee vs IT band syndrome. Hip abductor strengthening was the most common treatment in a 2024 review, with large differences between studies and no consensus on a best program [7].
• Shin pain: see shin splints vs stress fracture.
• Heel pain at the first steps: see why plantar fasciitis hurts most with your first steps.

If an exercise provokes your pain, use the easier version or fewer reps, and check with a provider if it persists. Our return to exercise guide and runners page have more.

This table is our clinical judgment. It is not from a trial.

1. Skipping progression. Doing the same 10 bodyweight bridges for months builds little. Progress as above.
2. Going heavy on run days. HSS advises avoiding heavy lifting on run days [4].
3. Treating a short routine as a guarantee. The marathon trial's 10-minute unsupervised program did not reduce injuries that stopped runners finishing [2].
4. Ignoring running load. Strength helps, but a sudden jump in distance or speed can still cause trouble. This is general clinical teaching.
5. Pushing through sharp pain. Use the pain guide above.

Emergency: if you have injured your hip, for example in a fall, call 911 (or your local emergency number) or go to the emergency department if [8]:

• the joint looks misshapen or out of place, or your leg seems shorter than usual [8]
• you cannot move the leg or hip, or cannot put weight on it [8]
• you have intense pain or sudden swelling [8]
• you have a fever, chills or a change in skin color on the leg [8]

(Other common emergency numbers are 999 in the UK, 112 across the EU and 000 in Australia.)

Get seen within a day if (our tiering) [9]:

• a joint is swollen, red and hot, with or without fever [9]

See a provider soon if [8][10]:

• pain wakes you at night or hurts at rest [10]
• you can press one spot on the bone and it is clearly tender [10]
• you are limping, or it hurts to walk or do daily tasks [10]
• the area is swollen or bruised [10]
• hip or leg pain does not improve with self-care [8]
• pain returns every time you restart running
• you have several risk factors for a stress fracture, such as missed periods, low energy intake or a past stress fracture [10]

Loosn is not a substitute for assessment when symptoms are severe, getting worse or unusual.

What are the best hip exercises for runners? 

No single list is proven best, but a strong all-round set is the glute bridge, hip abduction, side plank, single-leg deadlift and step-up. A lab study found side planks with abduction, single-limb squats and front planks with hip extension gave the highest glute activity [3], and a 2024 trial found a hip and core program lowered overuse injuries in novice runners [1].

How often should runners do hip exercises? 

At least twice a week is a sensible target. HSS notes US guidelines call for at least two full-body strength sessions a week, with three possible early in marathon training and fewer as mileage rises [4]. The 2024 trial used sessions twice a week for six months [1]. Keep heavy sessions off hard-run days [4].

Do hip exercises prevent running injuries? 

Possibly, but results are mixed. In novice runners, a supervised hip and core program had 39% lower overuse injury prevalence than stretching [1]. In first-time marathoners, an unsupervised 10-minute strength program did not reduce injuries that stopped them finishing [2]. Supervision, program content and runner experience may all matter.

Should I do hip exercises before or after running? 

HSS suggests lighter activation before a run, such as glute bridges, bodyweight lunges and calf raises, and heavier lifting away from demanding runs [4]. In the 2024 trial, exercises were done before running [1]. Our suggestion is to keep the heavy single-leg work for a separate day or after an easy run.

Can I do these exercises with runner's knee or IT band pain? 

Often yes, at a level that does not worsen pain. Posterior hip and quadriceps exercises are supported for patellofemoral pain [5], and a consensus statement prefers combined hip and knee exercise over knee-only [6]. Hip abductor strengthening is the most common treatment for IT band syndrome [7]. Check with a provider if pain is sharp, getting worse or at night.

How long until hip exercises make a difference? 

No source gives a universal timeline. The 2024 trial followed runners for 24 weeks [1], and IT band syndrome studies reported pain and function gains over 2 to 8 weeks, with large differences between studies [7]. A reasonable expectation is steadier form over several weeks and measurable strength changes over a couple of months.

Use the free Loosn exercise and rest timer to pace your sets and rest, and ask Kai, Loosn's AI physio coach, to adapt the five exercises to your running week. Try the exercise and rest timer, or read how Loosn works.