
There are a variety of modifications and variations of the fire hydrant, to change up the difficulty and muscles worked.

As this is an exercise that helps people to balance while in motion, it is very effective at improving balance. The fire hydrant exercise also helps to improve balance and coordination.

The hip flexors are stretched which improves joint health. The hamstrings are strengthened which helps them to be more active in stabilizing the pelvis. It improves core strength and stability which helps stabilize the spine. The fire hydrant exercise is also great for injury prevention.

Keep your arms and remaining leg locked in place and your back straight for the movement, so only your right leg is moving.
#FIRE HYDRANT WORKOUT HOW TO#
How to do the Fire Hydrant?įollow along to the step by step guide below to master the fire hydrant exercise. You can also do this exercise with a resistance band too, if you want to create more resistance and turn it into more of a toning and strengthening movement. This is because you will be putting more emphasis on the glutes. When doing the fire hydrant exercise, you should try to keep your knee from going past your toes. This is because you can’t fire the glutes properly if your hip flexors and hamstrings are tight. It is also great for people who have problems with tight hip flexors and hamstrings. The good news is that the fire hydrant exercise is simple to do, and as a beginner you can give it a go and focus on small movements until you feel comfortable to rotate your hips higher. It can be used as part of a warm-up, stretching routine or mobility drill. The fire hydrant is particularly effective at opening up the hips too, which improves flexibility and mobility in the lower body. This can be really useful for creating effective stretching routines. From the fire hydrant position, you could naturally flow into the Bird Dog yoga pose, for example.

Once in the quadruped position, there are a whole host of movements and exercises that can help strengthen and tone your core, glutes, hamstrings and quads. It also lends itself very well for general prehab exercises or as a warm-up.įire hydrants are a quadruped exercise, which simply describes a movement on all fours. It’s an exercise that is used a lot in rehabilitation programmes for people who have had lower back problems. The fire hydrant is a great exercise for people who have trouble activating the glutes. In this article, we explain everything you need to know about fire hydrants, with a clear step by step instruction on how to master the movement. Fire hydrants also promote better hip mobility and range of motion, helping improve all sorts of movements. Weak glutes can impact all sorts of lower body movements and cause other muscles to compensate, often resulting in injuries down the line. This seemingly simple exercise is a staple for strengthening and toning the glutes. They are called “fire hydrants” because the exercise resembles a dog urinating on a fire hydrant, lifting its back leg from a “quadrilateral” position. Fire hydrants are a form of bodyweight exercises that primarily work the gluteus maximus (the butt muscles).
