Do squats make your hips wider?
Emily Sparks
Published Jan 23, 2026
The tensor fascia latae gets worked when you move your thigh outward in what's called abduction, and when you move your thigh upward. This upward motion is called hip flexion. Being that the squat involves hip extension and flexion, it works the glutes and tensor fascia latae, which in turn makes them bigger.
Do squats make your hips bigger or smaller?
Squats will help add muscle mass to your hips and glutes, helping you achieve that peach shape. This is a versatile exercise which will impact your butt depending on its shape and strength. So, for instance if you have a big butt, squats will help burn fat and reduce its size.
Why are my hips getting wider from working out?
Newly strengthened muscles retain water, and for good reason. Weight training exposes muscles to stress to strengthen them, and the resulting soreness causes the surrounding tissues to swell until things calm down.
Do squats widen the waist?
Squats and deadlifts technically will thicken your waist somewhat as a result of building up your lower back musculature, but this won't lead to a wide or “blocky” appearance and there's no need to avoid them for that specific reason.
What do squats do to your hips?
Done properly, squats take the pain out of your hips: The glute muscles are external rotators and they take the pressure off the hip joint. So if you have achy hips or arthritic hips, stronger butt muscles actually literally open up the hip joint and take the pressure off the hip pinching.
20 related questions foundDo squats increase thigh size?
Strength-training exercises like lunges and squats prevent the muscles in your thighs from atrophying and can increase the size of your thighs. Therefore, they're not an effective way to make your thighs smaller.
Do squats slim thighs?
Among other things, squats can ensure slimmer thighs, sexy legs and toned butt. Experts say that if you want to reduce thigh fat, squats should be an inseparable part of your fitness routine.
Do squats slim your waist?
With that said, squats are such a good exercise for burning body fat and building lean muscle that if you're doing them regularly, you're highly likely to start dropping body fat all over, including the belly and thighs.
What exercises make waist bigger?
Good examples of exercises that target the midsection are weighted twists, air swimming, barbell side bending, a decline weighted crunches, reverse crunches, and deadlifts. Weighted squats and lunges are great for making thighs bigger.
What exercises thicken the waist?
Ab Exercises to Whittle Your Waist
- Lying leg raise.
- Decline sit-up with twist (unweighted)
- Hanging leg raise.
- Stability-ball pot stir.
How do you get a smaller waist and bigger hips?
11 exercises to build hip muscles
- Side lunges. This classic exercise will sculpt your hips by challenging your glutes to accelerate and decelerate your abductors, all while building strength. ...
- Curtsy lunges. ...
- Squats. ...
- Squats with sidekicks. ...
- Bulgarian split squats. ...
- Sumo walk. ...
- Clamshells. ...
- Hip lifts.
What exercise makes my hips smaller?
Wall sits, also known as wall squats, are great for working your thighs, hips, and lower abs. They can be a great move to build core strength, test your muscle endurance, and lose weight. Stand up straight with your back pressed against a wall and your legs a few inches away from the wall.
Can your hips get wider?
No, you're not just imagining it: Your hips really do get wider as you get older, according to a new study. Even though most people stop growing in height by the time they hit age 20, researchers have found evidence that the hip bones can keep growing even as people enter their 70s.
Can I grow my butt by just doing squats?
More often than not, squatting will really just shape up your glutes, making them firmer instead of bigger or smaller. If you are losing body fat on top of performing squats, then your butt will likely shrink. If your glutes are building muscle, however, then your butt will appear larger.
How can I get an hourglass figure?
Fire hydrant exercises, also known as dirty dog exercises or hip side lifts, target your hip area and glutes. This exercise also uses your core muscles for stability. Try to do at least a couple sets of 10 repetitions on each side, and add more as they get easier.
Does plank make your waist bigger?
1) Doing planks will shrink your waistline.
As the transversus abdominus gets stronger from doing planks, it will tighten your waistline all the way around in a way that crunches never could.
Do planks slim your waist?
Did you know doing a plank is a full body exercise? It's one of the key moves to help shrink your waist, tone your arms and improve your entire core! Unlike a traditional sit-up that focuses on just the abdomen the plank works the whole core including your abs and lower back.
What are the disadvantages of squats?
Squat cons
- There's a risk of back injury, from leaning too far forward during the squat or rounding your back.
- You can strain your shoulders if you're supporting a heavy barbell.
- There's a risk of getting stuck at the bottom of a squat and not being able to get back up.
What makes your butt bigger?
Squat and Tone
The squat tops every list of butt-sculpting exercises. It directly works the glutes. You can build bigger bottom muscles by adding hand-held weights. Form: Slowly lower the hips as if sitting way back in a chair, trying to keep your knees from moving forward toward toes; then return to standing.
Should I stop doing squats?
People with back injuries should avoid squatting. Squats can put a lot of tension on your lower back and can lead to an injury if performed with an improper form. Squatting with back problems is asking for trouble.
How do you get a big butt without getting big thighs?
Here are some examples for glute-specific exercises to get that round toned butt without growing your legs.
- Barbell glute bridges. ...
- American deadlift. ...
- Pull-throughs and kettlebell swings. ...
- Single leg foot elevated hip thrust. ...
- Hip abduction movements.
What happens when you do squats everyday?
Squats use every leg muscle and will primarily tone your lower body. They will help in improving the strength of your calves, hamstrings and quadriceps along with other muscles to improve your balance. It is also the best exercise to tone your legs.
What causes hip fat?
When you eat a diet filled with processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and sugary drinks, it results in stubborn fat on your abdomen, hips, and buttocks. These types of foods lead to insulin resistance, which leads to increased fat storage, ending in fat that's hard to lose.
Will running make my hips smaller?
While running won't specifically target fat loss on your hips, it can help you burn calories to lose fat throughout your body. This means that to trim fat from your hips, you need to trim fat from your body as a whole. According to Yale Scientific, running is an effective way to burn calories and shed fat.
How can I make my hips and legs thinner?
These 10 activities will help you on your fitness journey towards stronger thighs and healthier life!
- Go to an indoor cycling class. ...
- Find a set of stairs. ...
- Take it to the sand. ...
- Do ballet-style workouts. ...
- Pick up a sport. ...
- Increase resistance training. ...
- Do bodyweight squats. ...
- Work your inner thighs.