Fire Hydrants
Fire Hydrants
Muscle Group Stretched: Adductors
Muscle Group Strengthened: Glutes
Type of Stretch: Active Dynamic
Difficulty: All Levels
Suggested Prerequisites: none
Along with other hip abduction exercises like Spidermans, I love glute strengtheners like these to prepare hips for open-hip positions like straddle and middle splits. Strengthening our glutes in this hips-flexed position helps us build the strength and control to open our legs wider in middle splits.
How To
Step 1
Start in a tabletop position, kneeling with hands on the floor underneath your shoulders.
Step 2
Keeping both hip bones pointing towards the floor (they’re going to want to tilt!), lift one knee out to the side. Make sure the hip bone doesn’t lift along with the leg, only the leg should be moving. (Ironically that means - despite this exercise being called “fire hydrants” - if you were a dog you should stay peeing down on the ground by the base knee, not actually out to the side on an imaginary fire hydrant). Hold for just a moment, then drop the knee back down toward the floor. That’s one rep.
Repeat for 8-12 reps.
Modifications
Need to make it easier?
Place a block under the base knee (the leg that’s not moving). While this doesn’t technically change the range of motion at all, it can feel easier to lift the working leg
Want to make it harder?
Hold the leg elevated in the air for a second or two before dropping it back to it’s starting position.
Related Content
Flexopedia: Fire Hydrants with Foot Drop
Flexopedia: Straddle Leg Opens
Blog Post: How to Flatten Your Middle Splits
Blog Post: 10-Minute Middle Split & Straddle Routine
