You’ve probably seen them in the mirror. Those subtle, inward curves between your hip bone and your thigh. Maybe you noticed them after scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, where "shelf-like" hips and perfect hourglass silhouettes are the standard. You might even be wondering is there a way to get rid of hip dips once and for all.
Let’s be real. It’s frustrating. You spend weeks doing glute bridges and fire hydrants, hoping to "fill in" those gaps, only to find they haven't budged an inch.
Here is the cold, hard truth: hip dips are mostly about your skeleton. They aren't a flaw, a sign of being out of shape, or something you can "fix" with a 30-day challenge. Honestly, the obsession with erasing them is one of the most successful—and annoying—marketing scams in the modern fitness industry.
The Anatomy of the Dip
To understand why you can't just "erase" hip dips, you have to look at your bones. We’re talking about the pelvis and the femur. Specifically, the space between the ilium (the top of your hip bone) and the greater trochanter (the top of your thigh bone).
If you have a high pelvis or a wider gap between these two bones, your skin and muscle are going to naturally dip inward. It’s just how you're built. Think of it like having a high bridge on your nose or wide-set eyes. You wouldn't try to "exercise" your nose bridge away, right?
Dr. Kelly Starrett, a well-known physical therapist and author of Becoming a Supple Leopard, often emphasizes that human variation is massive. Some people have acetabulums (hip sockets) that face more forward, while others face more to the side. This orientation dictates how your muscles sit and how your skin drapes over the frame.
It’s bone. Not fat. Not "weak" muscle.
The Muscle Myth: Can You Fill Them In?
If you search for is there a way to get rid of hip dips on YouTube, you’ll find thousands of videos promising to "target" the area. They usually focus on the gluteus medius and the tensor fasciae latae (TFL).
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Sure, you can grow these muscles. The glute medius sits on the upper, outer part of your butt. If you get it bigger, your hips might look more "full" from certain angles. But here’s the catch: the muscle lives underneath or around the dip, not directly inside the skeletal gap. Sometimes, building massive glutes actually makes the dip look more prominent because the muscle above and below the gap gets larger, while the gap—where there is no muscle to grow—stays exactly where it is.
It’s kinda like trying to fill a pothole by building a taller sidewalk next to it. The hole is still there.
Why Body Fat Matters (But Not the Way You Think)
People often think hip dips are "hip fat" or "love handles." They aren't. In fact, having lower body fat often makes hip dips more visible because there’s less padding to bridge the skeletal gap. Conversely, some people carry fat specifically in the "saddlebag" area (the lower hip), which can also accentuate the dip above it.
I’ve seen elite athletes with 12% body fat who have incredibly deep hip dips. I’ve also seen people with higher body fat percentages who have them. It’s a roll of the genetic dice.
The Surgery Route: Fat Grafting and Fillers
Since exercise has its limits, some people turn to the medical world. If you're looking for a permanent "fill," the most common procedure is a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) or, more specifically, fat grafting to the hips.
Surgeons like Dr. Miami or those specialized in body contouring take fat from your stomach or back and inject it into that trochanteric depression. It works. For a while. However, fat grafting isn't a "set it and forget it" thing. Fat cells can die off (necrosis), or they can shrink if you lose weight.
Then there are Sculptra injections. Sculptra is a dermal filler that stimulates collagen. It’s less invasive than surgery, but it’s expensive. You might need six to ten vials to see a difference in the hips, and each vial can cost $800 to $1,000. And it’s temporary. It lasts about two years.
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Is it worth it? That’s a personal call. But it’s a lot of money and risk for something that is essentially a normal part of human anatomy.
What Actually Works for "Aesthetics"
If you still want to change the look of your lower body, forget about "getting rid" of the dip and focus on overall lower body development. A well-rounded leg day is your best friend.
- Heavy Compounds: Squats and deadlifts don't target the dip, but they build the gluteus maximus, which provides the overall "shelf" look from the profile view.
- Abduction Work: Exercises like seated hip abductions or cable lateral leg raises will hit the glute medius. This adds width to the top of the hip.
- Don't Over-Focus on the TFL: The tensor fasciae latae is a small muscle. Overworking it can lead to IT band issues and hip pain.
I remember talking to a powerlifter once who was devastated she had hip dips. She was squatting 300 pounds. Her legs were powerhouse pillars. Once she realized that her dips were actually a result of her wide, strong pelvis—a literal mechanical advantage for lifting heavy—she stopped caring. Perspective is a hell of a drug.
The Social Media Illusion
Let's talk about posing. If you see a fitness influencer with perfectly round, "dip-free" hips, they are likely doing one of three things:
- Posing: Rotating the pelvis forward and shifting the weight to one leg can hide a dip instantly.
- Clothing: High-waisted, thick-fabric leggings with "contour" shading are designed to mask these lines.
- Editing: Let’s be real. Facetune is used more often than we’d like to admit.
Next time you're at a public pool or a beach, look at real people. Not the ones posing for photos, but the ones walking, jumping, and playing. You will see hip dips everywhere. They are as common as elbow wrinkles.
Stop Fighting Your Skeleton
Honestly, the most effective way to "get rid" of the stress of hip dips is to stop looking for a way to get rid of them. It sounds cliché, but you are trying to fight your own bone structure.
If you have a "violin deformity" (the old, much meaner name for hip dips), you're in good company. Some of the most famous "body icons" in history, including Marilyn Monroe and various Victorian-era statues, show these natural curves. The "BBL look" of 2020-2025 is a specific, modern trend. Trends change. Your bones don't.
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Actionable Steps for a Better Mindset and Body
Stop doing "hip dip workouts" specifically. They don't exist. Instead, follow a structured hypertrophy program that focuses on the entire lower body.
- Prioritize Glute Max: This is the biggest muscle in your butt. Growing it creates the most visual change.
- Check Your Lighting: Most "flaws" are just shadows. Harsh overhead lighting in gym bathrooms is the enemy of the hip dip.
- Clothing Choices: If they really bother you, look for "A-line" skirts or pants with a bit more structure in the hip. Avoid paper-thin, low-rise leggings that cut right across the dip.
- Education: Read up on the "Pelvic Girdle." When you see how the bones are shaped, you'll realize why no amount of side-lying leg raises will change the position of your femur.
The Reality Check
So, is there a way to get rid of hip dips?
If you mean through exercise: No. You can't change where your bones meet.
If you mean through fat loss: No. It often makes them more visible.
If you mean through surgery: Yes, but with significant cost and risk.
The best "fix" is building a strong, functional body and realizing that the "gap" in your hip is just a sign that you have a pelvis designed to help you walk, run, and carry life. It’s a feature, not a bug.
Focus on your strength. Eat enough protein to support muscle growth in the areas you can change—like your glute max and quads. Stop zooming in on photos of yourself. Your body is a tool, not a sculpture for others to critique.
The moment you stop trying to "fill" the dip is the moment you start actually enjoying your workouts again. That’s the real win.
To move forward effectively, shift your training focus toward progressive overload in compound movements like the Barbell Hip Thrust and Romanian Deadlift. These exercises build the foundational mass of the posterior chain, creating a powerful silhouette that renders skeletal "dips" irrelevant. Evaluate your current routine and replace high-rep "toning" movements with heavier resistance training twice a week for genuine muscle hypertrophy.