Hip Stability Drill Exercises 2023

The Hip Stability Drill consists of five exercises designed to enhance the flexibility and muscular endurance of a soldier’s hip and leg muscles.

The Hip Stability Drill exercises are lateral leg raise, medial leg raise, bent-leg lateral raise, single-leg tuck, and single-leg over.

These exercises target muscles that are the primary movers and stabilizers of the hip; these include the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, hip flexors, and other surrounding muscles.

These stability exercises enhance the hip joint’s stability, strength, mobility, and surrounding musculature.
These exercises effectively target muscles responsible for moving and stabilizing the hips and pelvis.

Hip stability drills are not a one-time routine; the Army integrates them into a soldier’s professional journey.

The hip stability drill is ideal if you’re looking for a hip stability conditioning drill.
Soldiers perform these drills throughout their careers to improve their readiness for more rigorous training and combat tasks involving:
- Foot marching
- Running
- Jumping
- Squatting
Bounding
It’s excellent because it helps you focus on the upper thigh and hip areas.
With that in mind, this drill does a fantastic job of helping you enhance your mobility and essential strength.

What are the Army’s Hip Stability Drills?

The Army hip stability drill consists of the following five exercises:

Lateral Leg Raise
Medial Leg Raise
Bent Leg Lateral Raise
Single Leg Tuck
Single Leg Over

These exercises aim to train the hip and upper thigh areas, ensuring they gain the necessary three-dimensional strength and mobility for stability during functional movements.

Hip Stability Exercises

The following are five hip stability exercises to include in your workout routine:

Lateral Leg Raise

The lateral leg raise is the first hip stability drill exercise.
You will perform this exercise by lying on one side with straight legs.
This exercise targets the lateral hips and upper leg muscles, particularly the gluteus medius, and minimus, which are essential for stabilizing the hip.

Medial Leg Raise

The medial leg raise is the second of the five hip stability drill exercises.
It’s a complementary exercise to the lateral raise but with the bottom leg raised towards the top leg with a
It significantly focuses on your thighs and hips, particularly the inner thigh’s adductor muscles.
It is slightly challenging for beginners but worth the effort.
Yet, if you start performing this often, it becomes a sleeper hit that many people enjoy.
Try it, and you will be amazed by its exceptional versatility.

Bent-Leg Lateral Raise

The bent-leg lateral raise is the third hip stability exercises.
You will also perform this workout while lying on one side with your knees bent, lifting your upper leg with your heels together but separating your knees.
This exercise works on the external hip rotators.
It’s a unique exercise to add to your workout routine, as few exercises target your hips’ external rotators.

Single-Leg Tuck

The single-leg tuck is the fourth Army hip stability drill exercise.
This exercise works on the upper leg, lateral hip, hip flexor muscles, and lower abdominals.
With this exercise, you will lie on your back, bringing one knee to the chest while the other leg remains straight and raising it a few inches off the ground.
It’s a more intense exercise, and it does help boost your strength more than expected.

Single-Leg Over

The single leftover is the fifth Army hip stability drill workout.
It’s similar to the single leg tuck, but you will raise the leg over your body to the opposite side, creating a twist in the hip and lower spine.
This exercise works on the lower back and hips, which helps with hip mobility and also engages the oblique muscles.

Hip Stability Exercise Guideline

In the High Stability Drill:

You should not perform more than ten repetitions of exercises 1 through 4, and
Each exercise position in exercise 5 should not exceed 30 seconds.
If you need to do more repetitions, repeat the entire drill.

When should you perform the Hip stability Drill?

Ideally, you want to do it after preparation but before any mobility or endurance activities.
You don’t have to do more than ten reps per exercise; it’s still an excellent choice for those who want an intense and rewarding workout routine.

Army PRT Hip Stability Drill Phases

Reconditioning Phase:

In the reconditioning phase, the Hip Stability Drill is performed daily after the four core exercises and before engaging in other Physical Readiness Training activities.

Performed daily.
Sequence:

Four for the Core exercises.
Hip Stability Drill
Other Physical Readiness Training activities

Toughening Phase:

During the toughening phase, the drill is executed after the preparation routine and before endurance and mobility activities.

Sequence:

Preparation routine.
Hip Stability Drill.
Endurance and mobility activities.

Supplemental Training:

You can also perform hip stability exercises outside regular Physical Readiness Training sessions as supplemental training.

Muscles Worked by Hip Stability Drill Exercises

Hip stability exercises work the following muscles:

Gluteus Medius and Minimus – These muscles stabilize the hip during the one-leg exercises
Obliques –You will engage the oblique, your side abdominal muscles, during rotation movements of the hip stability exercises.
Hip Rotators – These muscles are essential for internal and external thigh rotation.
Hip Flexors – You will work on these muscles when you bring your knee towards the chest.
Hip Adductors – These muscles help bring your legs toward the center.

Benefits of Hip Stability Drill Exercises

The following are the benefits of hip stability exercises:

Improving Mobility

Hip stability drill exercises involve a full range of motion in the hip joints; these significantly improve our movements when carrying out daily tasks.

Injury Prevention

These exercises strengthen and stabilize the hip regions, reducing the risk of injury, especially in activities involving lateral movements such as running or sudden change of directions, e.g., sprints and the 300-meter shuttle runs.

Enhanced Athletic Performance

Hip stability drills stability your hip joints in general
A stable hip joint will make you perform better in activities such as jumping, lifting, running, and sprinting.

Better Posture

These exercises stabilize the hip region, enhancing your posture and reducing strain on the lower back.

What New Soldiers Need to Know:

Proper Form: Executing each exercise properly is essential for adequate muscle engagement. I have provided links to a comprehensive review of each stability drill exercise.
Be consistent: This exercise should be part of your daily physical training routine.
Pace Yourself: I encourage my student to start with a few repetitions and gradually increase; there is no need to rush. Focus on controlled and deliberate movements.
Warm-Up: Always warm up before starting the hip stability drill exercises; these may include jogging or dynamic stretches, which will adequately prepare your body for the exercises.
Integration with PRT: The hip stability drill is one of several Army Physical Readiness Training (PRT) drills. It complements other PRT activities, and you should perform it in the context of a broader training program.
Recovery: Allow yourself enough rest time; the muscles you work in this drill must recover, so don’t overtrain.

When should you perform the Hip stability Drill?

Ideally, you want to do it after preparation but before any mobility or endurance activities.
You don’t have to do more than ten reps per exercise; it’s still an excellent choice for those who want an intense and rewarding workout routine.
With that in mind, you must start with five reps and slowly build up to 10.
Even if it might not seem like a demanding workout, it does bring plenty of exciting routines, and you will find it to work exceptionally well.

Army Hip Stability Drill Exercise Conclusion

The Hip Stability Drill is an excellent set of exercises for anyone who wants to improve their mobility and fundamental strength.
It’s not as complex as many similar workouts, but it includes many different features, and people like it because it’s versatile and unique.
While it takes some trial and error to get started with some exercises, they’re highly balanced and a pleasure to test for yourself.

Author
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George N.

George N. is the founder of ArmyPRT.com. While he never actually served in the United States Army, he has a passion for writing about military-related topics.

Born and raised in Bozeman, Montana, he graduated from George State University with an MBA in Actuarial Science. His hobbies include beach volleyball, hiking, fishing, and lifting weights

George is also a certified nutritionist with a passion for health and fitness.