If you want to strengthen your legs and hips, I recommend that you do the ClamShells exercise.
Why is the ClamShells exercise called by this name because its movement is similar to the movement of the animal and this exercise helps to increase the stability of many muscles, including the pelvic muscles, and also works to tighten the muscles of the buttocks?
You can do ClamShells exercise anywhere as it does not require a large space, and you can do it in a narrow space or in a small room where all you need is a base and lie down on it to practice the exercise.
What Are Clamshell Exercises?
ClamShells exercise is done by lying on the floor where its movement depends on lying so that your body is flat with your knees at an angle of 45 degrees with you moving your knee up and down while making your hips fixed.
This exercise is among the quick and quick exercises that work to strengthen the glutes, hips, pelvic floor, thighs, and stomach muscles.
Who Should Do Clamshell Exercises?
ClamShells exercise helps many people. Physical therapists use it to strengthen the hips and trunk. You can also use this exercise to get rid of back pain, hip, and knee pain, or you can use it to increase your strength and prevent painful problems.
Some studies have proven that the pain in the lower back area is the result of a weakness in the strength of the hips, and people with knee and thigh pain benefit greatly from strengthening the hips, and there are many sports or exercises that do not require the use of great muscle strength.
Benefits of the Clamshell Exercise
This exercise is a great exercise for your body despite the simplicity and ease of the exercise, and let’s learn together about the wonderful benefits of the Clamshell exercise:
- Glute Activation:
The main goal of doing both squats and deadlifts is to build Glute Activation
And to activate the muscles that will do this exercise, you must do some sets of the Clamshell exercise to activate the muscle and help it make the most of the squat and deadlift.
- Hip Strengthening:
Clamshell exercise helps to greatly strengthen the muscles of the middle butt, and the exercise provides a lot of strength and stability to the hips, and this works to reduce injuries in the lower body and increase stability when doing other exercises.
- Muscle Definition:
When doing the Clamshell exercise, it works to develop the muscles. If you add resistance to the Clamshell exercise, it will burn and tone the muscles of the buttocks wonderfully.
How to do clamshell exercise with proper form
You must do the ClamShells exercise correctly to get the maximum benefit from the exercise and to target the muscles required from the exercise correctly. We will explain the steps for practicing the exercise in detail and I advise you to read these steps.
How to do the exercise:
- Do the exercise by lying on one side with your legs crossed and then bending your knees at a 45-degree angle.
- Put your head on the lower part of your arm and then use your upper arm to stabilize your body. You should make your thigh bones stacked on top of each other with a tilt towards the top of the hip with a swing towards the back.
- Keep your abdominal muscles busy by pulling your belly button and this will help make your spine and pelvis stable.
- Keep touching your feet and then make your upper knee raised to the top as much as possible without moving your hips or pelvis, and you should not move your lower leg off the ground.
- Pause for a few seconds and then return your upper leg to the starting position of the exercise so that you are on the ground. Repeat the exercise 20 times on each side.
Clamshell exercise tips
There are some tips that you should know while doing ClamShells exercise to target the required muscles, to avoid getting injured, and to get the maximum benefit from the exercise.
Some ClamShells exercise tips and tricks:
- Maintain your basic participation, as if you do this, you will target the abdominal muscles and will protect the spine.
- You must isolate the glutes by rotating from the hips side only and not rotating from the lower back.
- Your neck should be neutral in order not to strain your neck.
How Many and How Often Should You Do Clamshell Exercises?
After you have learned about the Clamshell exercise and its benefits, you now have to define your goal of doing the exercise to know the number of sets that you will do, and for that we have collected some tips from trainers and physical therapists to help you achieve your goal with ease
- To Build Strength:
To build strength, all you have to do is do four sets of 6 to 10 repetitions to build great strength, and you can also add a resistance band to the exercise to increase its intensity.
- To Improve Activation:
To improve activation and this is for those who have difficulty getting those strong glutes, all you have to do is 4 sets and each set has 5 repetitions, and you should do the exercise slowly.
Incorporate exercise into your routine to relieve pain, prevent injuries and improve your performance in the exercises you do.
- To Build Endurance:
To build endurance, you should do the three sets of exercises as many as possible without stopping and then rest for 90 seconds between sets to relax the muscles and not cause them to injure.
Muscles Targeted by the Clamshell Exercise
The ClamShells exercise targets the gluteus maximus and this is the abductor that forms the outer edge of the butt and the side of the hip.
You should not exaggerate the importance of the gluteus medius muscles with some of the responsibilities of hip stabilization, balance, and strength.
The strong middle glutes increase stability and work to push you to protect your knees and lower back area from any fatigue or from any exhaustion, by taking on a lot of the workload that occurs as a result of the movement of the lower body.
This exercise also targets the large glutes, and it is the main and main engine in doing the extension of the hips, and it is considered one of the largest muscles in the body, as most players want to do its formation and formation and increase its strength by relying on the squat movement and when you talk about tightening the butt, this is the muscle that It is referred to.
Clamshell Variations
There are many variations of the ClamShells exercise. These exercises increase body strength, target more muscles, and change a boring exercise routine.
ClamShells exercise variations are:
How To Do A Clamshell Exercise With Resistance Bands:
In this exercise or variation, you can use the resistance band in order to increase the tension of the buttock muscles, and also it will help you to see a lot of results quickly.
How to do it:
- Get a resistance band and wrap it around your legs so that they are directly above your knees.
- Lie on the right side with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and your legs on top of each other.
- Make your left knee raised to the top as much as possible without separating your feet or raising your right knee off the ground.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles and buttocks throughout the exercise and when you reach the top, stop for 2 to 3 seconds, then switch on the other side and repeat the exercise again.
How To Do A Clamshell Exercise With Dumbbells:
In this exercise or variation, dumbbells are used, and this will make you target the shoulders and oblique shoulders, and you will also target the muscles of the butt and hips.
How to do it:
- Bring a lightweight dumbbell, and it is preferable to use dumbbells with a weight of 3 to 10 pounds, because you are targeting the muscles in your shoulders, as this muscle does not need to use a heavyweight to train it effectively.
- Lie on your left side with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and your feet and legs on top of each other.
- Hold the dumbbell at the top with your elbow at your side.
- Raise both your arm and kee at the same time to be straight with your upper elbow facing your side as you move the dumbbells up and down.
- When you reach the top, stop for 2 to 3 seconds and then repeat the exercise until the required amount of repetitions is completed, then move to the second side and repeat the exercise.
How To Do A Reverse Clamshell:
How to do it:
- Do the exercise while lying on one side with your knees slightly bent and placing a soft ball between your thighs.
- Bring your feet together as you apply pressure to the inner thighs.
- Repeat the exercise until you finish the required number of repetitions, and then do it on the other side.
How to do Clamshell with stability ball crunch:
This exercise or variation targets the abdominal muscles and works the core significantly.
How to do it:
- Do the exercise while lying on your back with the stability ball between your legs towards the bottom.
- Put your hands behind your head and then make your legs raised from the ground at the same time while you make your shoulders raised from the ground and this will work to target all of the abdominal muscles, hip, and pelvic muscles.
- Pause for a few seconds before returning to the starting position, then repeat the exercise 10 times on each side.
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