Fire hydrant workouts have been around at least since the days of Jane Fonda’s fitness bands, but they’re not just your mom’s workout—you should consider adding them to your routine, too. Fire hydrants are a great exercise because they don’t require any equipment but still help you strengthen your glutes.
Fire hydrants target your gluteus medius (think the sides of your butt). “This muscle can get covered up in training because many people focus on the gluteus maximus, the main part of the buttocks,” says certified personal trainer Domenic Angelino. “The gluteus maximus will still get a training effect here, but it won’t be as profound as the gluteus medius.” So, no, fire hydrants don’t replace squats. But it can be a good option because it works related but different muscles.
The benefit of having a strong gluteus medius is the ability to move your body laterally or side to side. This is helpful not only for athletes who need lateral agility, but also in everyday life when you need to move quickly, such as maneuvering in a busy airport.
Experts featured in this article
Domenic Angelino, MS, MPH, CSCS, FNS, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and fitness consultant through The Trainer Institute.
Benefits of Fire Hydrant Exercise
Again, the fire hydrant is a very effective hip move. Here are three benefits of lower body exercises.
They don’t need equipment
Fire hydrants are a great way to train your butt without going to the gym. Lack of equipment can be a barrier to exercise, but with a fire hydrant, all you need is your body weight. “This is a huge problem because many people struggle to stay motivated to exercise consistently. Since motivation comes in waves and is short-lived, it’s important to have the tools available to harness these explosive bursts of motivation. There’s a workout The approach to the scene is a good one,” Angelino said. It also means you can maintain your fitness routine anywhere.
(That said, you can increase the intensity of your exercise by adding exercise bands – more on that below.)
they are within reach
The structure of a fire hydrant is very simple. “Their construction allows most people to lift their legs appropriately, even through only a partial range of motion,” Angelino explains. Although you do want to use your maximum range of motion, you don’t need a huge range of motion to be effective.
They are perfect finishers
When you’ve used a heavy load at the end of a workout and want to do a final round of burnout to improve muscular endurance, the last thing you want to think about is lifting heavier weights. Enter the fire hydrant. “Because they rely on a single joint, they can be labeled as a workout after completing more challenging exercises involving multiple joints,” Angelino says.
How to make a fire hydrant
- Start on all fours with your wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Place your left knee on the ground, lift your right leg, and open your hips.
- Raise your right leg to 90 degrees, or as high as your range of motion allows, while keeping your hips parallel to the floor.
- Return your right leg to the starting position.
- Repeat 10 times.
- Complete 10 reps with left leg.
An important note is to make sure your hips are perpendicular to the floor and don’t allow your torso to twist. Twisting the body will begin to recruit the abdominal muscles and eliminate activation of the gluteal muscles.
Modifications and changes to fire hydrants
One of the reasons trainers love fire hydrants is that they are very adaptable. You can start with a smaller range of motion when you’re new to the movement; or wear a resistance band to make it more challenging. More information on how to modify your exercises is available here.
Try the clamshell style
Angelino says clamshell exercises train similar muscles to fire hydrants, so if you struggle with fire hydrants, it might be a good place to start.
You can find the steps to perform the clamshell operation here. Basically, you lie on your side with your hips, knees, and ankles stacked on top of each other. Lift your top knee, opening your hips as far as your range of motion allows, and return to the starting position.
Add a resistance band
When adding a resistance band to a fire hydrant, place an enclosed resistance band around your legs, placing it about two inches above your knees. Then perform hydrant operations in the normal manner. If you need a quick recommendation, check out our PS Fabric Resistance Bands, available at Walmart. We also recommend the Stakt Mat as a versatile option for at-home exercise.
New pulse
Another way to get more muscle burning is to add pulses on top of the fire hydrant exercise. Raise your legs to the highest point of their range of motion. Then lower the legs one inch, then raise them one inch, and repeat 10-20 times. This creates more time under tension and helps strengthen the muscles.
Brittany Hammond is a NASM certified fitness instructor, fitness writer, and avid reader. In addition to PS, she has contributed to Livestrong.com, Well+Good, Verywell Fit, and Health.com. She has been a group fitness instructor for the past seven years.
Jade Esmeralda, MS, CSCS, is a health and fitness staff writer and strength and conditioning expert. Jade is a lifelong martial artist and dancer with a strong passion for strength and conditioning, sports science, and human performance. She graduated from George Washington University with a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Strength and Conditioning.
