Legs
Fire Hydrants
A foundational floor exercise designed to isolate the glute medius and improve lateral hip stability.
How to perform.
Follow the sequence — setup is half the lift.
Begin on all fours in a tabletop position with your wrists directly under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Engage your core to maintain a flat back and ensure your weight is distributed evenly across both hands.
Keep your knee bent at a 90-degree angle and lift your right leg out to the side away from your body.
Continue lifting until your thigh is nearly parallel to the floor, ensuring your hips do not tilt or rotate.
Pause for a second at the top of the movement to maximize muscle contraction.
Lower your leg back to the starting position with control without letting your knee touch the floor between reps.
Complete the desired repetitions on one side before switching to the other leg.
Common mistakes.
Fix these first — they cost reps, kilos, and joints.
- Leaning your weight toward the grounded side to compensate for limited range of motion.
- Arching or rounding the lower back instead of maintaining a neutral spine.
- Rushing the movement and using momentum rather than controlled muscle engagement.
- Opening the hips too wide which causes the pelvis to rotate away from the floor.
Muscles worked.
The primary movers do the work; the stabilizers keep the path honest.