Hip dips (also known as violin hips) are the natural inward curves on the sides of your hips, caused mainly by your bone structure, specifically the shape of your pelvis and femur. They’re extremely common, completely normal, and show up on people of every fitness level, including athletes and models. There’s nothing wrong with your body, and hip dips can’t be fully erased because they’re skeletal. What you can do is make them far less noticeable by building the gluteus medius and the muscles around it for a fuller, rounder look.
This guide covers the real causes, the exercises that actually build that muscle, sensible nutrition, and quick styling tricks so you feel stronger and more confident in your shape.
What Exactly Are Hip Dips? (And Why You Have Them)
Hip dips are the natural inward depressions on the outside of your upper legs, just below the hip bone, and they come down to your skeleton, not your weight. They form where your skin attaches to the deeper bone, over the gap between your pelvis and the top of your thigh bone.
Before you try to fix something, it helps to understand what it is. The bony point you can feel on the side of your hip is the greater trochanter at the top of the femur, and that is exactly where the gluteus medius muscle inserts, right at the dip. How wide your pelvis sits, the angle of your femur, and how much muscle and fat sit over that gap all decide how deep the curve looks. Skeletal proportions vary a lot from person to person, which is why some people have a barely-there dip and others a prominent one.
Because it’s bone structure, having them doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy, overweight, or out of shape. Plenty of professional athletes and fitness models have very prominent hip dips!
Can You Really Fix Hip Dips Completely?
The short answer is no. You can’t fully erase hip dips, because no workout or quick fix changes your skeleton. What you can change is how deep they look, by building the muscle around them and managing your overall body composition.
Here’s how you actually manage them:
- Ignore the fast-fix myths: Plenty of posts promise to make hip dips vanish, but you can’t exercise away your bone structure. Anyone selling that is selling a fantasy.
- Build the surrounding muscle: You fill in the area around the dip by building the muscles in your glutes and thighs. That lifts and rounds the whole lower body so the inward curve reads as much softer.
- Manage overall body composition: Keeping your body fat in a comfortable, healthy range helps smooth the silhouette so the dip doesn’t look deeper than it is.
[COACH NOTE: a 1-2 sentence real story here is the strongest E-E-A-T line on the page. e.g. a client who came in wanting to “erase” her hip dips and how you reframed the goal. Drop it in and I’ll weave it.]
The most effective mindset is to stop trying to fix your skeleton and start building a stronger, healthier lower body.
The Best Exercises for Hip Dips
The exercises that work best are the ones that load the gluteus medius, the muscle on the upper-outer edge of your buttocks that sits just above the dip. Not every “glute medius” exercise pulls its weight, though, and the research is surprisingly clear about which ones do.
A fine-wire EMG study measuring gluteus medius activation ranked common exercises by how hard they actually fire the muscle. Resisted hip abduction-extension lit up the posterior glute medius the most at about 69% of a maximum contraction, single-leg squats hit roughly 48%, and side-lying hip abduction reached about 43%. The side-lying clamshell, a classic “hip dip” move, came out near the bottom and was not effective at recruiting the muscle. Here’s how that translates to what you should prioritize:
| Exercise | Glute medius activation (EMG) | Why it helps your hip dips |
|---|---|---|
| Resisted hip abduction-extension (band or cable) | Very high (~69% MVIC) | Loads the exact part of the muscle that fills the dip |
| Single-leg squat | High (~48% MVIC) | Builds the upper-outer glute and trains hip stability |
| Single-leg glute bridge | High (~44% MVIC) | Same target area with very little joint stress |
| Side-lying hip abduction (side leg lifts) | High (~43% MVIC) | Directly trains the side of the hip, easy at home |
| Side-lying clamshell | Low | Fine as a warm-up, but won’t drive growth on its own |
Here are four simple exercises you can do at home or at the gym, ordered so the heaviest hitters come first:
- Side Leg Lifts (side-lying hip abduction): Lie on your side with your legs straight. Slowly lift your top leg toward the ceiling, toes pointed forward, then lower it under control. This hits the side of your hip directly. Do 3 sets of 15 reps each side, and add an ankle weight or band once it feels easy.
- Banded Hip Abduction: Loop a resistance band just above your knees. Standing or on all fours, drive one leg out to the side against the band, squeeze, and return slowly. This is the highest-activation option in the research, so make it a staple. Do 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps each side.
- Glute Bridges (progress to single-leg): Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Push through your heels to lift your hips toward the ceiling until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, and squeeze hard at the top. Once two-leg bridges feel easy, switch to single-leg bridges for far more glute medius work. Aim for 3 sets of 20 (or 10 to 12 per side single-leg).
- Squats: Stand with feet a little wider than hip-width. Bend your knees and push your hips back like you’re sitting into a chair, chest up, back straight, then drive back up. Squats build your whole lower body, and single-leg variations like split squats raise glute medius involvement even more. Do 3 sets of 15.
Clamshells aren’t useless, they’re just oversold. Keep them as a quick activation move before your main sets, not as the thing you count on to fill the dip.
[COACH NOTE: a client before/after, a typical timeframe you give people (“most clients see a visible change in ~X weeks of consistent training”), or your preferred weekly structure would make this section uniquely yours.]
The Role of Nutrition and Overall Fitness
Exercise is only half the picture, because what you eat decides whether your body can actually build the muscle you’re training and how your overall body composition sits. You can’t choose where fat comes off, but you can support muscle growth and a healthy overall body fat level.
This is also where the biggest myth lives: targeting fat loss in one spot. Research is consistent that spot reduction doesn’t work, with a 2021 review of 13 studies and more than 1,100 people finding that training one area didn’t reduce fat in that area. No exercise melts fat off the hips specifically, so the play is overall health plus targeted muscle building. If you want your body to build the glute muscle you’re working for, you have to feed it.
- Prioritize protein: Building the gluteus medius needs protein at every meal. Lean on sources like chicken, fish, eggs, beans, or tofu. [COACH NOTE: your actual client protein guidance goes here if you give one.]
- Eat whole foods: A balanced plate of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains supports a healthy body fat level and steady energy for training.
- Stay hydrated: Water matters for recovery and skin elasticity, so keep it coming through the day.
Quick Confidence Boosters: Dressing for Your Shape
If you want to look smoother today while the muscle takes time to build, the right clothes make an immediate difference. High-waisted bottoms and fabrics that skim the hips do most of the work.
Anything that sits right at the dip can pinch and emphasize it. Instead, reach for high-waisted pants, leggings, or skirts that sit above the hip bone, which smooths the line and plays up your natural waist. Pieces that flow loosely over the hips, like A-line dresses, are flattering and comfortable too.
Conclusion
Dealing with hip dips starts with accepting that they’re a normal, beautiful part of human anatomy. No pill or magic workout will change your bone structure, but staying consistent with the right lower-body exercises, eating enough protein, and dressing in what makes you feel great can genuinely transform how your hips look and how you feel about them. Focus on getting stronger, healthier, and more confident, and the results follow.
References
- Healthline: Hip Dips: What They Are and How to Get Rid of Them . This medical review explains the anatomy of the pelvis and offers safe exercise tips. Read more on Healthline
Medical News Today: What to know about hip dips . A great breakdown of why hip dips are perfectly normal and healthy. Read more on Medical News Today
FAQs
What causes hip dips in the human body?
Hip dips are entirely natural and are caused by your skeletal structure, specifically the shape of your pelvis and the way your skin attaches to the deeper bones. If the space between your hip bone (pelvis) and the top of your thigh bone (femur) is naturally wider, the distribution of fat and muscle over this gap creates a noticeable inward depression, meaning they are not caused by weight gain or a lack of exercise.
Can you completely fix or get rid of hip dips?
Because hip dips are tied to your underlying bone structure, you cannot completely erase them or change your skeleton, but you can drastically change their appearance. The experts at Booty Center emphasize that by building the muscles around your hips and managing your overall body fat percentage, you can fill in the surrounding area to make the dips look much less noticeable and achieve a smoother lower-body silhouette.
What are the best exercises to fill in hip dips at home?
To reduce the appearance of hip dips, you should focus on exercises that target the muscles on the outer edges of your buttocks. Booty Center recommends incorporating movements like side leg lifts, clamshells, glute bridges, and squats into your routine, aiming for 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions each to help lift and round out your entire lower body.
Does losing weight make hip dips go away?
Losing weight alone will not make hip dips disappear since they are structural, but managing your body fat percentage plays a massive role in how they look. Carrying extra body fat can sometimes gather just above or below the hip dip, making the inward curve look much deeper, so combining healthy fat management with targeted muscle building is the most effective approach.
Which specific muscle should I train to reduce violin hips?
The primary muscle you need to target is the gluteus medius, which sits on the upper outside edge of your buttocks. Growing and strengthening this specific muscle helps fill in the empty space just above the structural dip, giving your hips a much fuller and rounder appearance.
How do squats and glute bridges help with hip dips?
Squats and glute bridges are highly effective because they build your entire lower body and create a fuller, stronger look. According to Booty Center, pushing through your heels during a glute bridge and keeping proper form during squats will lift the glutes and thighs, which minimizes the visual impact of the hip dip and improves your overall body shape.
What kind of diet helps build muscle around the hips?
To successfully build the gluteus medius muscle and change your body shape, you must feed your body properly by focusing on high-quality protein sources like chicken, fish, eggs, beans, or tofu. Pairing protein with a balanced diet full of whole foods, vegetables, fruits, and plenty of water will support muscle recovery, maintain a healthy body fat percentage, and improve skin elasticity.
Are hip dips normal or a sign of poor health?
Hip dips are completely normal and are not an indicator of being unhealthy, overweight, or out of shape. In fact, they are simply a beautiful, natural part of human anatomy based on your skeleton, and even many professional athletes and fitness models have very prominent hip dips.
What types of clothes should I wear to hide hip dips?
If your hip dips make you feel self-conscious, try wearing high-waisted pants, leggings, or skirts that sit above the hip bone to smooth out your silhouette and highlight your natural waist. Avoid tight clothing that squeezes right at the hip dip, and opt for fabrics that flow loosely over the hips, like A-line dresses, for a flattering and comfortable fit.
What is the most effective approach to dealing with hip dips?
The most successful strategy involves a combination of self-acceptance, targeted fitness, and proper nutrition. As highlighted by the authorities at Booty Center, accepting that hip dips are natural while staying consistent with glute-building exercises, eating a protein-rich diet, and dressing for your shape will completely transform both how your hips look and how confident you feel.
