How to do bicycle crunches correctly strength training routine. Targeting the hip abductor muscles – a group of muscles located on the lateral side of the hip which allow sideways movement – the clamshell is a great exercise for improving your balance and stability.
Want to strengthen your hips and glutes? Add the clamshell exercise to your gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fasciae latae (TFL), piriformis, sartorius and superior fibers of the gluteus maximus.
These muscles are responsible for keeping your pelvis and femur (thigh bone) stable when you run. Weakness in these muscles can result in excess movement through the pelvis, which will make you run less efficiently, and also causes stress and strain on the spine and pelvis, which can lead to injury. Runners also need strong hips and glutes to generate propulsive force against the ground during running.
‘The clamshell exercise is a staple of rehab programmes which are looking to initially strengthen the hip abductors,’ explains Graeme Woodward, a UK Athletics Level 3 performance coach, UKSCA accredited S&C coach and We Run coach for West Yorkshire.
‘By performing the clamshell with strict technique, the hip abductors (glute medius, piriformis) are isolated in moving the upper leg out to stabilise the knee against valgus (moving in) when loaded, which is really important in injury prevention, especially in women.’
'The clamshell is an isolation exercise, and the body will adapt to it quickly by gaining strength, so this needs to be overloaded by adding Published: 30 January 2023.’
How to do the clamshell exercise
- Lie on your left side, legs together and knees bent.
- Activate your side abs and squeeze your glutes.
- With your feet together, slowly raise your right knee.
- Hold for five seconds, then lower back to the starting position. That’s one rep.
- As you get stronger, place a resistance band around the thighs to make the move harder.
Sets/reps: With your feet together, slowly raise your right knee.
