Fire hydrants exercise: Muscle worked, Health Benefits, How to do?

Fire hydrants exercise is an important exercise to strengthen gluteal and core muscles. It is helps to reduce the Back pain and leg pain and reduce the risk of injury.

What is Fire hydrant exercise?

Fire hydrants have also known as a quadruped hip abductions exercise, this is a body weight type of exercise. It mainly emphasizes the gluteus maximus, and some variations also work on the core muscles.
If you do this regularly, fire hydrants can strengthen your glutes, improve back pain, and decrease the risk for injury.
It is an excellent exercise for your leg, as it targets the hip abductors –specifically, the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, and the neighbor muscles the gluteus maximus, your largest glute muscle.This exercise same like a donkey kick exercise but lifting a leg is in different direction, in a donkey kick exercise you have to move your leg straight but in fire hydrants you have to move your leg lateral side.

Which muscles are used to perform fire hydrant exercise?

• Hip abductors
• Gluteal muscles – Gluteus medius, Gluteus minimus, Glutes maximum
• Core muscles

Health Benefits of fire hydrants exercise.

• Helps to Improves hip mobility
• Helps to increase lower back stability
• Engages hard to reach muscles
• This a Warms up exercise for the hips
• This exercise will Activates gluteal muscles
• Helps to improve joint health
• Helps to tone and strengthen your core muscles.
• Helps to improve posture
• Helps to decrease the risk of lower limb injuries.
• Helps to reduce back and knee pain.

How do fire hydrants exercise in perfect form?

• This is a body weight exercise so you do not need any types of equipment, you will need only a mat.
• For this exercise, you have to take a quadruped position( on your both hands and knees). Put your shoulders on your hands and your hips above your knee.
• Engage your core muscles and your gaze is down. raise your left leg away from the body up to 45 to 50 degrees. your knee should be at 90 degrees.
• Slowly lower down your leg to get the initial position, this is the first repetition.
• You have to complete 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.
• Repeat this exercise with your left leg.

There have different variations of fire hydrants exercise.

When you are mastered in the basic fire hydrant, you can try these modified versions to challenge yourself.

A fire hydrant with a resistance band

How to do it?

• For this variation of a fire hydrant, you have to wrap a resistance band around thighs.
• Then take a quadruped position. slowly open your right hip move the lateral side by stretching the resistance band as much as possible. your knees should be at 90 degrees.
• Hold this position for two seconds and then slowly take your leg down to the initial position.
• Do this same movement for 10 to 15 repetitions and then switch the leg.

A fire hydrant with ankle weights

How to do it?

• This variation will challenge your glutes and legs to work more.
• If you are new to ankle weights, then start with a lower weight. You can increase your weight when you are comfortable. Wrap weight on your ankle joint and get a quadruped position.
• Then move your right leg lateral side by hip joint. slowly lower your leg down.
• Complete 10 to 15 repetitions on one leg then move to another leg.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on both legs.

Fire hydrant kick

How to do it?

• For this variation, you have to take a quadruped position and raise your leg straight and your knee should be extended.
• Slowly take your leg down.
• Complete 10 to 15 repetitions on one leg then move to another leg.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on both legs.

A fire hydrant with pulses

How to do it?

• For this exercise You have to take a quadruped position, the back should be neutral, and the abdominal is contracted.
• Your face should be down so your neck is in line with your spine.
• Don’t arch your trunk. move your knee out to the body side with maintaining the knee at a 90-degree angle.
• Then pulse upward and downward quickly for 4 to 5 times to complete one repetition.
• Complete 6 to 8 repetitions on each leg, then move to another leg.

A fire hydrant with a hand lift

How to do it?

• For challenging your core muscles add hand lift to your fire hydrants. this variation is great for back strength and posture.
• You have to take a quadruped position. contract your core muscles and look down.
• Raise your right leg away from the body at 45 degrees. your knee should be 90 degrees.
• Raise your left hand 1 to 2 inches above the ground. do 10 to 15 fire hydrants while your hands hover continuously.
• Slowly lower your hands to complete 1 repetition.
• Do 2 to 3 sets for 10 to 15 repetitions on each leg and hand.

Standing fire hydrant

How to do it?

This variation does not put pressure on the hand, so it is ideal for people who have hand pain or discomfort.

• For this exercise, you have to stand with a foot hip-width apart.
• Flexed your right leg up to 90 degrees. lean your trunk forward and contract your core muscles.
• Raise your leg to 45 degrees without taking a rest.
• Lower down your leg to the initial position to complete one repetition.
• Complete 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions on each leg.

Alternative exercises of the fire hydrant.

These alternative exercises will work to these similar muscles and add some variety to your routine workout.

Bent knee hip extensions

How to do it?

• You have to take a quadruped position, tighten your core and look down and squeeze your glutei muscles.
• Lift your right leg, your knee should be at 90 degrees.
• You do this continuously until your right thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Lower your leg down to complete one repetition.
• Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on both legs.

Clamshell exercise

How to do it?

• For this exercise, you have to lie on the right side and place your hand on your right arm. rest your left hand on your left hip.
• Bend your both knees up to 45 degrees, then lift your knee towards the ceiling, make sure your foot should be closed together throughout the movement.
• Hold the knee upward for a couple of seconds then slowly lower it down to get the initial position.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on each leg.

Side leg raise

How to do it?

You can do this exercise with or without a resistance band.

• For this exercise, you have to Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• If you are using a resistance band, then place it just above your knees over your thighs. your spine should be straight. then contract your core muscles. With your left knee slightly flexed then lift your right leg lateral side hold for 2 seconds then slowly lower down to the initial position.
• Do 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on each leg.

Quadruped or bird dog exercise

How to do it?

• For this variation, you have to come on your both hands and knees.
• Your hands under your shoulder and knee just under your hips.
• Slowly move your right leg up at the same time move your left arm up towards the ceiling.
• Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds then slowly lower it down your chest and eye look downward.
• Do 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions on each leg and each arm does this movement on the opposite leg and arm.

Donkey kick exercise

How to do it?

• For this variation take a quadruped position. your back should be flat and chin tucked. contract your abdominals. your knee should be flexed up to 90 degrees.
• Slowly lift your right straight and back and up towards the ceiling.
• Hold for a couple of seconds then slowly lower it down.
• Repeat this movement on both legs for 10 to 15 repetitions of 2 to 3 sets.

These common mistakes happen while performing fire hydrant exercises you should avoid these mistakes.

Like most exercises, there have some movements to get wrong. We are not fitness robots, some mistakes happen. Here we describe some of the most common mistakes that happen while doing fire hydrants:

You are twisting your lower back

The entire movement should be starting from shoulder and end with the hips – your shoulders should not rotate, your elbows should not be flexed and your lower back should not turn. To prevent this movement in your body, think about drawing your belly button in towards your spine to engage the core, she adds.

You are going too fast
You should take a rest in between two repetitions.

When did you not do this exercise?

• If you have back pain or leg pain.
• If you are recently undergone hip and knee surgery.
• If your leg bone is fractured.