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Exercise guide
Clamshells
A side-lying hip exercise opening the top knee against gravity to activate the gluteus medius.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- abductors · gluteus medius · gluteus maximus
- Goals
- hypertrophy · strength
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Lie on your side with knees bent and stacked on top of each other.
- Keep your feet together and hips stacked.
- Open your top knee toward the ceiling without rotating your hips.
- Squeeze your outer glute at the top.
- Lower under control. Complete reps on one side, then switch.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Place a hand on your top hip to check for unwanted rolling.
- Keep the movement small and controlled rather than forcing the knee high.
- Rest your head on your lower arm to keep your spine neutral.