The best exercises for hip pain are the ones that strengthen the muscles surrounding the joint without compressing or impinging it through a painful range of motion. Glute bridges, clamshells, hip abduction work, and controlled hinge patterns done above painful depth are where you start. Not rest. Not stretching alone. Strengthening.
I've worked with clients dealing with hip flexor strains, hip impingement, trochanteric bursitis, and SI joint dysfunction. The instinct in all of these is to stop training lower body entirely. That's the wrong call in most cases. Deconditioning the muscles around a painful joint reduces their ability to protect it. The hip needs load, just not the wrong load at the wrong depth.
Understand the Pain First
Location and timing tell you a lot. Pain at the front of the hip during high knee movements or deep squats points to hip flexor strain or hip impingement (FAI). Pain on the outside of the hip, especially when lying on that side, points to trochanteric bursitis. Deep buttock pain that radiates is often SI joint or piriformis. Sharp groin pain with rotation suggests the labrum.
CoachCMFit pain assessment rule: Rate pain during movement on a 1-10 scale. If pain stays at 3 or below and doesn't increase during the set, the exercise is appropriate. If pain spikes above 5 during movement, stop that exercise and substitute. Pain at rest above 4, or pain that worsens hours after training, requires medical assessment before continuing.
If you're dealing specifically with SI joint dysfunction, the hip flexor pain training guide and the full protocols in CoachCMFit's special population research cover the specific stabilization progression for that condition.
The Best Exercises for Hip Pain
1. Glute Bridge
The glute bridge strengthens the glutes and hip extensors with zero spinal loading and minimal hip flexion. It's the safest entry point for almost any hip pain presentation. Start with bodyweight, focus on a strong glute squeeze at the top, and progress to single-leg variations once the bilateral version is pain-free and strong. This is the first exercise CoachCMFit adds when a client reports hip pain during squats or deadlifts.
2. Clamshell
Side-lying clamshells target the hip abductors and external rotators, specifically the gluteus medius, which is chronically underactivated in people with hip pain. Weak hip abductors force the femur to adduct and internally rotate under load, creating impingement and strain patterns. Three sets of 20 reps with a light resistance band, performed before every lower body session, addresses this directly.
3. Goblet Squat to Box (Above Parallel)
A squat that stops before the hip crease passes the knee removes the bottom range where hip impingement occurs. The goblet squat position (weight held at the chest) promotes a more upright torso and reduces hip flexion demand compared to a back squat. Use a box height that keeps the movement pain-free, and progress depth only as pain allows over weeks. The goblet squat form guide covers the setup in detail.
4. Trap Bar Deadlift
The trap bar places the load at your sides instead of in front, which reduces the hip flexion moment compared to a conventional deadlift. It allows a more upright torso and lets you control depth naturally. Most clients with hip pain can perform a trap bar deadlift pain-free at a moderate depth when a conventional barbell deadlift causes discomfort. It's CoachCMFit's default deadlift swap for hip and lower back pain presentations.
5. Reverse Lunge (Short Step)
Reverse lunges reduce anterior knee shear compared to forward lunges and allow better control of hip depth. A short step reduces hip flexion at the front leg. For hip impingement specifically, the short-step reverse lunge is far better tolerated than a forward lunge or Bulgarian split squat. Progress the step length only as hip mobility improves.
6. Hip Flexor Stretch (Kneeling)
Tight hip flexors pull the pelvis into anterior tilt and compress the front of the hip joint. A kneeling hip flexor stretch held for 60-90 seconds per side, daily, directly addresses this. It's not a substitute for strengthening, but it's a necessary companion to the exercises above for anterior hip pain presentations.
Lower Body Session With Hip Pain
Warm-up: 90/90 hip mobility stretch, 60s each side. Clamshells with band, 2 x 20 reps. Glute bridge, 2 x 15 reps. Main work: Goblet squat to box (pain-free depth), 3 x 10. Trap bar deadlift (moderate depth), 3 x 8. Reverse lunge short step, 2 x 10 each leg. Accessory: Cable pull-through (hip hinge pattern, no knee bend), 3 x 12. Side-lying abduction, 2 x 20. This template maintains lower body strength development without loading the hip through painful ranges.
What to Avoid With Hip Pain
| Exercise to Avoid | Why It Aggravates Hip Pain | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Deep back squat | Hip flexion past 90° compresses anterior hip | Goblet squat to box above parallel |
| Conventional deadlift | High hip flexion moment, anterior loading | Trap bar deadlift |
| Forward lunge | Knee travel, hip flexion load at front leg | Reverse lunge, short step |
| Running (hard surfaces) | Repetitive impact loads the hip at high force | Incline walking or pool walking |
| Burpees / box jumps | High-impact hip flexion under rapid loading | Step-ups at controlled tempo |
The avoidance list is temporary. Once hip mobility improves and pain resolves, most of these exercises can be reintroduced with proper progression. The goal is not permanent restriction. It's building a foundation of hip strength and mobility that allows pain-free loading at full range again. You can read more about anterior pelvic tilt correction and hip flexor stretches as companion work.
- Assess pain location and movement triggers. Use the 1-10 scale rule: stay at 3 or below during exercises.
- Add clamshells and glute bridges to every lower body session warm-up. These are non-negotiable for hip stabilizer activation.
- Replace back squat with goblet squat to a box. Find the depth that's pain-free and start there.
- Replace conventional deadlift with trap bar deadlift at a controlled depth.
- Add kneeling hip flexor stretch daily, 60-90 seconds per side. Do this even on rest days.
- Retest painful exercises every 2-3 weeks. Progress range and load only when the previous level is consistently pain-free.