Clam Exercise

This exercise is called the Clam and its aim is to strengthen the muscles on the outside of your hip, specifically the gluteus medius and minimus.

Start by lying on your side with the hip you are intending to work at the top. The first important step is to make sure your pelvis is at 90 degrees to the floor, pointing directly upwards. Move your knees in front of you so your hips are flexed to roughly 45 degrees and that both knees are bent to roughly 90 degrees. From here you want to move the knee of your top leg upwards towards the ceiling whilst keeping your feet together, this will cause your hip to rotate outwards. Make sure to keep your hips steady and at 90 degrees to the floor. Slowly return to the start position making sure not to allow your leg just to simply collapse back down.

Follow the suggested reps and sets in your rehab programme as a guide. You should feel the muscles on the outside of your hips working to produce this movement.

By focusing on the position of your hips and ensuring they remain steady will make sure that you feel it in the correct place, as a common mistake is to generate the movement using the muscles on the front of your hips, or by rotating the torso.

If you find this exercise too easy you may find it suitable to wrap a resistance band around your knees when performing the exercise. If you still find it too easy, you may find the Monster Walk exercise more appropriate. An alternative movement if you struggle with the movement could be the side lying hip abduction exercise. We have videos for both of these exercises on our channel.

EXERCISES 🎦