Wider hips come from two things: building the muscles that sit around the hip joint — primarily the glutes and hip abductors — and reducing body fat in the areas that obscure them. You can’t change your bone structure, but you can significantly change the shape of your hips through consistent training. Most people underestimate how much difference this makes.
The exercises that work are not complicated. What matters is doing them consistently, progressively overloading them over time, and understanding which muscles you’re actually trying to develop.
What Makes Hips Look Wider
The width of your hips is determined by a combination of your pelvis structure — which is fixed — and the muscles that sit around it, which are very much trainable.
The muscles responsible for hip width are:
Gluteus medius — sits on the outer side of the hip, just above the gluteus maximus. This is the most important muscle for creating hip width. Most people neglect it entirely because it doesn’t feature in standard squat or deadlift programming.
Gluteus maximus — the largest muscle in the body. Building it adds size and projection to the rear, which creates the illusion of wider, rounder hips from both the front and side.
Gluteus minimus — the smallest of the three glute muscles, sitting beneath the medius. Works alongside the medius in hip abduction.
Hip abductors (tensor fasciae latae) — assists the gluteus medius in moving the leg out to the side.
The exercises below specifically target these muscles. A standard squat programme will build the glutes to a degree, but it won’t specifically develop the gluteus medius — which is why many people who squat regularly still lack hip width. You need lateral movements for that.
The Best Exercises for Wider Hips
Side Lunges
Side lunges work the glutes in the frontal plane — sideways movement — which standard squats and lunges don’t. This directly targets the gluteus medius and the adductors.
How to do it: Stand with feet together, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Step out wide to the right, bend the knee, and push the hips back — keeping the torso upright and the left leg straight. Lower the dumbbells on either side of the right foot. Drive off the right foot to return to standing.
Perform 12 reps each side for 3 sets.
Squats
Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out. Push your hips back and bend the knees as if sitting into a chair – keeping your chest up, your weight on your heels, and your knees tracking over your toes. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then drive through the heels to stand.
To progress: hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, or hold one vertically at your chest (goblet squat position). Both add load without requiring a barbell.
Perform 15 reps for 4 sets.
Hip Abductions (Side-Lying Leg Raises)
The most direct exercise for the gluteus medius. Simple, requiring no equipment, and highly effective when done with control.
How to do it: Lie on your side with your body in a straight line, head resting on your extended arm. Keep the bottom leg slightly bent for stability. Keeping the top leg straight, raise it as high as you can control — pause briefly at the top — then lower slowly. For added resistance, rest a dumbbell against the outer thigh.
Perform 15 reps each side for 3 sets. The slower the descent, the more effective this becomes.
Glute Bridges
A fundamental glute exercise that directly targets the gluteus maximus. More hip-focused than squats because the movement isolates hip extension without significant quad involvement.
How to do it: Lie on your back with knees bent at 90 degrees, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Drive through your heels, squeeze the glutes, and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders. Hold for 1–2 seconds at the top. Lower with control.
To progress: elevate your feet on a bench (feet-elevated hip thrust), add a barbell across the hips, or try the single-leg variation.
Perform 15 reps for 4 sets.
Bulgarian Split Squats
One of the most effective lower body exercises for building glute size and fixing imbalances between sides. More demanding than a regular squat because each leg works independently.
How to do it: Stand a lunge-length in front of a bench with your back to it. Rest the top of your rear foot on the bench. Lower yourself until the rear knee nearly touches the floor and the front thigh is parallel to it — keeping your torso upright. Drive through the front heel to return.
Perform 10–12 reps each side for 3 sets. Use dumbbells for added resistance.
Sumo Squats
A wider stance than a standard squat shifts more of the load to the glutes and inner thighs, making this a better option for hip development than a conventional squat.
How to do it: Stand with feet significantly wider than shoulder-width, toes pointed out at roughly 45 degrees. Hold a dumbbell vertically between your hands. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your chest up and knees tracking over your toes. Drive through the heels to stand.
Perform 15 reps for 4 sets.
Related: Sumo Squat Vs. Regular Squat Comparison
Donkey Kicks
Directly isolates the gluteus maximus through hip extension. The key is keeping the pelvis neutral — if the hip rotates open, the lower back takes over.
How to do it: Start on all fours — hands under shoulders, knees under hips, spine neutral. Keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees, drive one foot straight toward the ceiling by squeezing the glute. Your thigh should reach parallel to the floor. Pause at the top, then lower with control. The hips stay square to the floor throughout.
Perform 15–20 reps each side for 4 sets.
Squat with Side Kick
Combines a squat with a lateral abduction, targeting both the glutes and the hip abductors in a single movement. Works well as a conditioning exercise too.
How to do it: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat until the thighs are parallel to the floor. As you rise, kick one leg directly out to the side as high as you can control. Return the foot to the floor and squat immediately. Alternate sides each rep.
Perform 12 reps (6 each side) for 3 sets.
Lateral Band Walks (Sumo Walks)
A resistance band around the ankles or just above the knees turns a simple sideways walk into an effective hip abductor exercise. Without a band, walking in a low squat position still creates significant tension.
How to do it: Take a squat position — hips back, chest up. Maintain this position and step sideways: 10 steps right, then 10 steps back left. That’s one set. Keep the tension in the hips throughout — don’t let the torso sway side to side.
Perform 4 sets.
Single-Leg Hip Lift (Hip-Lift Progression)
A step up from the standard glute bridge. Removing one leg from the equation forces the working glute to produce all the force, significantly increasing the stimulus.
How to do it: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Extend one leg straight out in front of you. Drive through the heel of the grounded foot and squeeze the glute to raise the hips until your body forms a straight line. Hold briefly, then lower.
Perform 30 seconds each side for 3 sets.
The Wider Hips Workout Program
Rather than picking exercises randomly, use this structure three times per week. It covers all the hip muscles in each session.
Session structure:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Sumo squats | 4 | 15 |
| Glute bridges | 4 | 15 |
| Side-lying hip abductions | 3 | 15 each side |
| Bulgarian split squats | 3 | 10–12 each side |
| Donkey kicks | 4 | 15–20 each side |
| Side lunges | 3 | 12 each side |
| Lateral band walks | 4 | 10 steps each direction |
Rest 30–60 seconds between sets. The session takes roughly 45 minutes.
Progression: when any exercise feels easy for two consecutive sessions, either increase the weight, add a set, or slow the eccentric (lowering) phase to 3–4 seconds. Progressive overload is what drives change — doing the same workout with the same weight indefinitely produces no results after the initial adaptation.
What About Diet?
Training builds the muscle. Diet determines how visible it is.
If you’re carrying excess body fat around the hips and thighs, building muscle underneath will add shape — but reducing body fat will make that shape more visible. A modest calorie deficit combined with adequate protein (at least 0.8–1g per pound of bodyweight) will support fat loss while preserving the muscle you’re building.
If you’re lean and looking to add size to the hips, you need to eat at a slight surplus — enough calories to support muscle growth. The same protein target applies.
Don’t underestimate this. Training three times a week and eating in a way that doesn’t support your goal will slow results significantly.
A Realistic Expectation
Genetics determines your bone structure and where your body stores fat — those things don’t change. What changes is the muscle sitting over that structure, and that change is very real and visible with consistent work.
Most people who train these muscles consistently for 8–12 weeks notice meaningful changes in shape. The gluteus medius in particular responds well to targeted work because most people have never trained it directly.
Trust the process. The exercises work — but they only work if you do them, progress them, and give them time.
