I'm someone who spends a lot of time sitting for my desk job, so tight hips can be a common feeling. I’ve tried many bodyweight stretches and strengthening exercises in my time to help ease the tightness and tension held in my hips after a long day of sitting behind a screen. Some of which have worked (hello child’s pose and the world’s greatest stretch) and others which haven’t (we won't go into those!). So after spotting fire hydrants trending (and learning that these stellar moves can do wonders for tight hips and more), I just knew I had to roll out my exercise mat and give them a go.
For me, fire hydrants conjure up the thought of the red bollards often depicted in American TV programmes on picture-perfect residential streets. However, in the fitness world, this bodyweight exercise — also known as the dirty dog exercise or hip side lifts — is a floor-based move that involves coming onto all fours and lifting your leg out to the side while bent at a 90-degree angle. They get their moniker due to looking similar to the way a dog might urinate (nice, I know!) on a fire hydrant.
The thing is, this unilateral exercise (which works one leg at a time) is nothing new. So it does make me wonder why the term fire hydrants and what muscles they work has been at breakout on Google for the past 30 days. “Fire hydrant exercises are trending because they are an easy, effective exercise, and perfect for toning glutes at home, at the gym or whilst travelling,” explains Sarah Campus, who’s a personal trainer, nutrition coach, wellness expert and the founder of holistic wellness platform LDN MUMS FITNESS. “They are great for beginners as they are easy to do with no equipment, with a single weight or resistance band. They are great for targeting your glutes for those trying to get that rounder looking glute and also target hip mobility.”
Intrigued to see what this bodyweight move could do for me, I gave it a try every day for seven days. To find out what happened, stick right here. And if you suffer from tight hips, these expert-approved mobility exercises can help. The same goes for hip flexor strengthening exercises, which are key for keeping your hips mobile, supple and strong. Plus, don’t miss our guides on mobility training and the best stretching workouts you can do any time, any place.
Fire hydrants have gone wildly viral - so I tried them
What is a fire hydrant?
Great question. Well, certified personal trainer, Maria Vazquez, who is head of training at MYWOWFIT says: “The fire hydrant is a bodyweight exercise that targets specific muscles in your hips, glutes and core. It's a low-impact movement that is gentle on your joints, and can be made harder through variations like using a resistance band.”
To ace your form, Campus recommends:
- Starting out on all fours, with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.
- Keeping your knee bent and your foot flexed, lift one leg out to the side as high as you can without rotating your hips.
- Lower it back down with control.
- Repeat on one side for ten to fifteen reps, then switch legs.
According to Vazquez, the best way to visualise this move is to: “Imagine a dog peeing on a fire hydrant - that's basically the movement you're doing.” And do you know what? This visualisation works every time!
What are the benefits of trying fire hydrants?
Fire hydrants are packed full of benefits. So there’s a very strong case for trying them out.
For starters: “Fire hydrants improve hip mobility and flexibility because they move your hips through a full range of motion,” Vazquez says. This includes taking your hip through extension, rotation, and abduction.
Vazquez confirms that fire hydrants can also help ease tight hips. Explaining how, she says: “In targeting the hip abductors, they help to loosen tight hips, which benefits daily movement and is particularly useful for those who sit all day.”
The expert says that hip stability is also supported by the glute activation that occurs through the movement. “By using the glutes to move your leg sideways and rotate it outwards, you strengthen these muscles, which is important to stabilise the pelvis, improve posture and help with everyday movements like climbing stairs." Science backs this point up. One 2015 controlled trial found that hip-flexor strength training using resistance bands "substantially improves" hip-flexor muscle strength.
“Fire hydrants can also help reduce the risk of injury and pain. In stabilising your pelvis and strengthening your core and glutes, you can prevent injuries in the knees, hips and lower back,” Vazquez adds.
So much so, a 2021 article, published in The Journals of Gerontology, found that hip muscle strengthening, along with reactive balance training, could reduce future falls among older adults by 56% to 74%.
A more recent 2025 article found that hip exercises may improve postural stability and function in patients with chronic non-specific lower back pain.
Who are fire hydrants best for?
The encouraging news is that fire hydrants are great for "anyone looking to tone their glutes", according to Campus. The PT mentions that they are also great for beginners, as they are low-impact.
This bodyweight move is also ideal for those who are unable (or uninterested) in heading to a gym, as this move can be completed from home (or away), without any exercise equipment. You might just need a cushiony exercise mat, though, as you’ll be kneeling on the floor.
Fire hydrants are also a great idea if you’re an office worker who spends a lot of time sitting rather than standing, and anyone who’s hoping to strengthen their core.
What I learned from doing fire hydrants every day for a week
PSA: Before starting out my fire hydrant challenge, I double-checked with my midwife and experts whether this floor-based move would be OK to do, seeing as I’m just under six months pregnant. I also verified whether this bodyweight exercise was suitable to do everyday.
The good news is that I was given the green light to both of my queries above, and it was suggested that I complete ten reps of three sets a day. However, it’s worth noting, if you are pregnant and/or new to exercise and looking to take on a challenge like the below, it’s worth clearing this with professionals.
Now that the health and safety lesson is out of the way, here’s what happened after I tried doing fire hydrants every day for seven days.
Days one to three
Day one of the fire hydrant challenge rolls around, and I’m looking forward to getting started. As someone who spends the majority of the day sitting behind a screen, my hips are often an area of the body that’s in need of some TLC. And rolling out my mat to complete fire hydrants just solidified this point.
After adopting the correct position, with my hands directly below my shoulders and knees below my hips, I engaged my core as I rotated my right hip out to the side in a controlled manner before repeating on the following side. No complaints yet. Although the further I got into my reps, it highlighted to me that there aren’t many other exercises I complete in my day-to-day that take my hip through this abduction. So that's definitely something to work on!
Day two is here, and it’s amazing what a little bit of movement in your hips can do at the end of the day, when you’ve spent a huge chunk of it in a flexed (read: seated) position. While my hips still feel tight, they feel ten times better for getting this exercise done.
On day three, you might think that this exercise has gotten a little bit easier, but I can confirm it hasn't. When something is hard, it can be easy to try and rush through each rep. But I can really notice a difference the I go slower, as this helps to keep my hips level, my core engaged, and my back feeling strong. To do this, I keep Vazquez’s words of wisdom in mind: “Focus on moving slowly with control.”
Week one of Becks' fire hydrant challenge - and she's off to a flying start.
Days four to seven
On day four, I decide to play around with holding this move for three seconds rather than two to see what difference that makes. My verdict? It turns out, there’s a major difference. Not only are you holding the weight of your leg up for a second longer (which, in the world of resistance training, is a long time!), but you’re also working on your core strength much more than before.
Over the next three days, I decided to stick to the classic bodyweight move, taking the slow and steady approach to get my reps done on my lunch break and after my 9-5. When day seven rolls around, I notice a few things.
For starters: my hips still feel tight - but nowhere near as much as they did compared to when I first started, as I could shift my leg up slightly higher by day seven, than I could on day one - so that's a win. I personally think that’s because outside of my weekly Pilates class, there aren’t many other strength training moves I complete throughout the week that take my hip through this rotation.
I also spotted that one side was slightly stiffer than the other (most notably my left-hand side). Of course, muscle imbalances aren’t uncommon, but doing this unilateral exercise has highlighted to me that I could do with strengthening this side of my body.
Another point is that this move worked my glutes and core much more than I thought it would. Each time I slowed down the exercise and really focused on adopting the correct position for two counts (or more), I could feel my glutes and core activating with every rep.
Shop MC UK's go-to fire hydrant exercise kit now:
I’m yet to try adding a resistance band to my fire hydrant exercise, but I can only imagine the fiery difference using one would make to this move. They don't have to be anything fancy. These Amazon best buys are under £10 and will do the trick.
Not a fan of resistance bands? You could also replicate the added resistance with ankle weights if you have some lying around. These Bala Bangles are both fun to look at and functional.
A spongy mat is a necessity with this floor-based move as you’ll be spending a lot of time on your knees, which can be painful if not properly cushioned. Coming with 5mm of grippy thickness, this sturdy mat ticks all the boxes.
Do fire hydrants actually grow your glutes?
The short answer to this question is: yes, fire hydrants can help strengthen your glutes.
However, as certified trainer Vazquez explains: “ While fire hydrants primarily work, and therefore strengthen your glutes, there are more effective movements to grow and sculpt your booty.
"Compound movements, like squats and deadlifts, and exercises performed with weights, like hip thrusts, are better for building significant muscle mass and hitting aesthetic goals.”
