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This article was co-authored by Souad Gharib. Souad Gharib is the Founder of Female Trainer, a boutique women's gym based in West London, United Kingdom. Souad specializes in helping women reach their goals through exercise, nutrition, and counseling. Female Trainer offers personalized training sessions delivered by Souad and her experienced team of female trainers.
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This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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Stars like Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara have made the hourglass figure increasingly appealing. While a narrow waist is important, increasing your hip size is just as effective in achieving the look. If you'd like to have wider hips, here are some steps to help you look curvaceous.
Steps
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Do exercises that target the hips. Complete lots of lower body workouts such as squats, lunges, curtsy lunges, deadlifts, and glute bridges. Train your lower body 2-3 times a week, doing 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps each. Side leg raises, hip raises, and squat kicks are also good options. The mac-daddy of hip-widening exercises may be the side lunge with dumbbells. This is a beefed-up version of a traditional lunge that allows for more resistance, and therefore, more potential muscle growth and hip width.[1]
- To do the side lunge, plant your feet a little more than two feet apart. Turn your toes out slightly. Bend your right knee and come down into a lunge position. Your left leg will be completely straight and act as a pivot [2]
- Come down until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Clench the butt muscle. Then using hip power, push yourself back up, straightening your right leg. Do not put your feet back together. You are going to maintain the 2-foot distance between your feet during the entirety of this exercise.[3]
- Now, lunge down to the other side. Come down until your knee is bent at a 90-degree angle and then push back up. Again, straighten your legs and keep both feet in place. This posture protects your knees, lets you keep tension on the muscles better and use heavier resistance.
- Add two dumbbells. Hold one dumbbell in each hand. As you lunge down to the right, the right-hand dumbbell should be on the outside of your right hip. The left-hand dumbbell should be held in front of your body down between your legs. Reverse your hand positions for the other side--left dumbbell on the outside of your left hip as you lunge to the left, right dumbbell down in between your legs.
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Try yoga. There are many yoga poses designed to open your hips.[4] This will build muscle and allow for greater flexibility, which in return will make other hip exercises easier. The Frog, the Pigeon, the Lizard and the Cow Face are all poses you'll want to get familiar with.Advertisement
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Sit on your butt. You can get bigger hips (and a larger derriere) by simply sitting. According to a study published in the journal Cell Physiology[5] , researchers determined that the pressure placed on the buttocks and hips from too much sitting can generate significant fat build-up in those areas. Cells respond to their environment. As one researcher explained, fat cells that are compressed by extended periods of sitting "produce more triglycerides (the major form of fat stored in the body), and at a faster rate."[6]
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Give birth. While you certainly wouldn't get pregnant for this sole purpose, a woman's hips will widen to make it possible for her to give birth. In some cases, hips will return to pre-pregnancy size with time, but in other cases, bigger hips become a permanent part of a woman's physique.[7]
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Consider surgery. If you're willing to go under the knife to achieve a Kim Kardashian look, there are procedures worth investigating. You can have the fat removed from various areas of your body via liposuction and then transferred to your hips. Or you can also get hip implants in which "slices" of silicone are placed under the skin and substructures to give you a more curvaceous appearance.[8]
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Wait it out. Turns out our hips get wider as we age. Research findings suggest that it's not necessarily added weight that causes hips to look bigger as we grow older, it's pelvic growth. In a study that used participants ranging in age from 20 to 79, researchers found that the width of the pelvis, the distance between the hip bones and the diameter of the hip bones all increased as people got older and that the pelvic width of the oldest people in the study was, on average, about an inch larger than the youngest.
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Pad your hips. You don't have to actually widen your hips to get the look of a fuller, more feminine hips.
- Purchase hip-enhancing briefs. You can buy an undergarment that comes with removable, foam pads that add inches to your hips.
- Use silicone hip pads to create fuller hips. Plan to hold the pads in place with adhesive or tuck them into an undergarment made from a tightly woven microfiber or a pair of pantyhose or tights.
- Keep in mind that your new, fuller figure may make it difficult to fit into your favorite jeans, so a shopping trip might be necessary.
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Revamp your wardrobe. You can use dress in ways that emphasize your hips and give the illusion of greater fullness.
- Make your waist the focal point when dressing. Use belts or sashes to cinch in your waist. This will give you the look of an hourglass figure.
- Pay attention to cut and color. Faded denim and pants in lighter colors accentuate the hips. Choose jeans that have defined waistlines to accentuate your waist or go with a straight cut. Look for styles that feature front pockets and smaller pockets in the back.
- Buy skirts with ruffles or multiple layers of fabric to add width to your hips.
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Adjust your posture. Stand with your back straight, shoulders dropped and back and your weight on one leg, hips thrust out. This creates an S-shaped curve in the body. Place your hands on your hips with thumbs facing forward and fingers pointed back behind you.
- To create this S-curve when you're sitting, simply cross your legs or put your weight onto one hip.
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Swing it, sister. Swinging your hips when you walk draws attention to this area and gives out a feminine vibe that can't help but draw a little male attention. Keep your back straight and pull your shoulders down and back. Relax your body. Put one foot in front of the other as you walk and let your arms swing naturally. You can emphasize the swing in your hips a bit as you walk, but don't overdo it. If it's too highly exaggerated, it could come off looking comical.
- To enhance the effect, put on a pair of heels. Heels cause your hips to sway without you having to force the movement.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat exercise widens hips?
Community AnswerMany exercises work, but squats and lunges have the fastest and largest impact on the hips. -
QuestionDo these exercises really help widen your hips?
Incredible_VirkCommunity AnswerYes! The most efficient one is doing squats. The whole weight of body gets shifted towards the lower part of body, which helps to strengthen the muscles on and around hips. -
QuestionDo these exercises mess up a woman's figure?
Community AnswerNot at all! In fact, if you're mainly doing (for instance) squats, the reward is a more toned body and bigger hips and glutes.
Video
Tips
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Use heavier weights to build muscle (10 lbs to 15 lbs should work for most women).Thanks
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There are several other exercises that are good for the hips. Vary your routine, so that you will not get bored with one exercise.Thanks
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Don't be discouraged if you don't see results immediately. This process takes time and dedication to show the effects.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/calisthenics/
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/elementary-exercises.html
- ↑ https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/getting-started/your-exercise-solution/lower-body-movements/hips-and-buttocks-movements
- ↑ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-benefits-of-yoga
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/yoga-stress.html
- ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/chair-exercises-and-limited-mobility-fitness.htm
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/5186-pregnancy-having-a-healthy-pregnancy
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11009-liposuction
About This Article
The width of your hips depends a lot on factors like your bone structure, your age, and where your body naturally stores fat and muscle. However, there are a few things you can do to enhance those curves. For instance, try doing exercises that target the muscles in your hips, butt, and thighs, such as side-lunges with dumbbells, squat kicks, and hip raises. Some yoga poses can also open up your hips and help strengthen and define the muscles in the area. Supplement your workout routine with poses like Frog, Pigeon, and Cow Face. If all else fails and you’re still determined to get the curvaceous hips of your dreams, you can always consider surgical options. For instance, a cosmetic surgeon may recommend implanting silicone implants under the skin on your hips to bulk them up, or removing fat from another part of your body, such as your belly, and injecting it into your hips. If you’re just trying to enhance the look of your hips without actually changing your body, try wearing hip-enhancing briefs, which are made with padding that creates the illusion of bigger curves. Clothes with defined waists and flares or ruffles at the hips can also make your hips look wider. Even changing your posture a little can make a difference. Try standing or sitting with one hip thrust out to create an S-curve, and swing your hips when you walk to help them stand out. Wearing high heels is a great way to naturally enhance that slinky, hip-swaying walk and make your hips look wider. For more tips, including how to make your hips seem wider by adjusting your posture, read on!
Reader Success Stories
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"To achieve it, you really need to have exercises relating to it. and eating calories really helps. The squats and push ups especially help, think I will do that day and night."..." more
