Let's be real for a second. If you’ve spent any time on fitness TikTok or Instagram lately, you’ve probably seen a dozen "miracle" routines promising to fill in those indentations on the sides of your hips. People call them hip dips. Scientifically, they’re known as trochanteric depressions. And here is the blunt truth that most fitness influencers won't tell you: you cannot actually "get rid" of them in the way you might delete a file from your computer.
Wait. Don't close the tab yet.
While you can't change your bone structure—which is essentially what hip dips are—you can absolutely change how they look by targeting specific muscle groups. It's about building "shelf" and volume in the right places. We’re talking about the gluteus medius, the minimus, and the tensor fasciae latae (TFL). If you want workouts to get rid of hip dips appearance-wise, you have to stop doing generic "butt workouts" and start focusing on lateral movements. It’s the difference between building a tall house and a wide one.
The Anatomy of the Dip: Why Your Skeleton Is "In the Way"
Your hip dips are basically just the space between your ilium (the top of your pelvis) and your greater trochanter (the top of your femur). Depending on how high your pelvis sits or how wide your hips are, that gap might be more or less pronounced. It’s literally just skin and fat sitting over a gap in the bone structure.
Some people have them. Some don't.
According to Dr. Bret Contreras, often cited as "The Glute Guy" in the strength community, the shape of your hips is largely determined by your genetics and skeletal frame. If you have a high hip bone, you’re more likely to have a visible dip. This is why a person can be at a very low body fat percentage and still have massive hip dips, or be at a higher weight and have them too. It isn't "flab." It isn't a sign of being out of shape. It's just... your frame.
However, the reason we look for workouts to get rid of hip dips is that we want a smoother silhouette. To get that, we have to look at the muscles that sit right under and around that "dip."
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The Muscle Strategy: Building the "Side Booty"
To create a fuller look, you need to hypertrophy (grow) the muscles on the side of the hip. Most people focus on the gluteus maximus—the big meaty part of the butt—which is great for projection but does almost nothing for the width of the hips.
1. The Gluteus Medius Kickstart
This muscle is the MVP. It sits on the outer surface of the pelvis. When it’s well-developed, it rounds out the upper part of the hip. Honestly, the best move for this isn't even a squat. It's the Clamshell. But not the lazy ones you do while watching Netflix. You need resistance. Use a heavy fabric booty band. Lie on your side, knees bent, and open your top knee against the resistance. If you don't feel a burning sensation in that "pocket" area of your hip after 15 reps, you aren't using enough tension.
2. Curtsy Lunges (With a Twist)
Curtsy lunges are often recommended, but most people do them wrong. They step too far back. To really hit the side hip, you want to step back and across your body, keeping your hips squared to the front. This puts a massive stretch on the glute medius. Try doing these with a dumbbell in a goblet hold. It shifts your center of gravity and forces your lateral stabilizers to work overtime.
3. Lateral Band Walks
You've seen these. You look like a penguin. But they work. Place a band around your ankles—not your knees—to increase the lever length and force the outer hip to work harder. Take small, controlled steps to the side. Keep your toes pointed slightly inward or straight ahead; if they flare out, your hip flexors take over, and we don't want that.
Why Squats Aren't Enough
If you’re just doing standard back squats and hoping for wider hips, you're going to be disappointed. Squats are a "sagittal plane" movement. That's a fancy way of saying they move you up and down. To fill out hip dips, you need "frontal plane" movements—side-to-side stuff.
Think about it.
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When was the last time you did a side lunge with actual weight? Most people skip them because they're awkward. But the side lunge is one of the few movements that puts a direct load on the gluteus medius while it's in a lengthened state. That is the recipe for muscle growth.
The "Mind-Muscle" Problem
A lot of people struggle with workouts to get rid of hip dips because they can't actually "feel" their side glutes. This is called gluteal amnesia. If your brain can't find the muscle, it won't grow. Before your heavy lifting, try doing "fire hydrants" (on all fours, lifting your leg to the side) for 30 seconds. Don't count reps. Just move until the side of your hip feels "awake." That neurological connection is what makes the actual workout effective.
Real Talk: The Role of Body Fat
We have to talk about body fat because it plays a massive role in how hip dips look. For some, the dip is more visible because they carry more fat on the "love handle" area (above the dip) and the "saddlebag" area (below the dip). This creates a valley effect.
You can't spot-reduce fat.
Doing 500 leg raises won't burn fat off your hips. It just won't. If you want to smooth out the area, a combination of building the muscle underneath and managing your overall body fat percentage is the only way. But be careful—getting too lean can actually make hip dips more prominent because you lose the padding that covers the bone gap. It’s a delicate balance.
The Weekly Routine: A Realistic Sample
Don't do these every day. Muscle grows when you rest. If you're hitting your hips every single morning, you're just causing inflammation, not growth.
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- Monday: Heavy Glute Day (Hip Thrusts, Romanian Deadlifts).
- Tuesday: Active Recovery or Cardio.
- Wednesday: Lateral Focus Day. This is where the workouts to get rid of hip dips live.
- Side-Lying Leg Raises: 4 sets of 20 (use ankle weights).
- Cable Hip Abductions: 3 sets of 12 (go heavy).
- Seated Abduction Machine: 3 sets of 15 (lean forward slightly to target the upper glute).
- Thursday: Rest.
- Friday: Full Body with a focus on stability (Single-leg deadlifts).
- Weekend: Hike, walk, or rest.
Common Myths That Just Won't Die
"Hip dips are a deformity." False. They are a normal part of human anatomy.
"You can fill them in with 2 weeks of exercise." False. Muscle hypertrophy takes months of consistent loading and enough protein. You need at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight to build the "filler" you're looking for.
"Only women have them." False. Men have hip dips too, but they're often masked by different fat distribution patterns and wider waists.
Actionable Steps for the Next 30 Days
If you're serious about changing the appearance of your hips, stop looking in the mirror every five minutes. It's like watching grass grow. Instead, do this:
First, buy a set of high-quality resistance bands. The rubber ones snap and roll; get the fabric ones. They provide more consistent tension for lateral work.
Second, prioritize the Seated Cable Abduction or the Abductor Machine at the gym. These allow you to use "progressive overload." If you did 50 lbs last week, try 55 lbs this week. You can't progressively overload a bodyweight floor exercise forever.
Third, eat. You cannot build a "shelf" out of thin air. You need a slight caloric surplus or at least maintenance calories with high protein. If you are in a heavy deficit, your body will not prioritize building glute medius muscle; it will just try to survive.
Lastly, embrace the "pump." The temporary swelling you get after a targeted workout is a preview of what permanent muscle growth will look like. Take note of which exercises give you that specific "burn" in the outer hip—that’s your body telling you which movement is hitting your specific anatomy most effectively. Everyone’s hip socket is angled slightly differently (the femoral neck angle), so a side lunge might feel amazing for your friend but "meh" for you. Experiment.
Focus on the feeling of becoming stronger and more stable. Ironically, the stronger your lateral glutes get, the better your balance becomes and the less likely you are to have knee or lower back pain. Even if the dips don't disappear entirely, your body will move and look significantly more athletic.