How to Get Bigger Hips Naturally And What Actually Works?

The shape and size of your hips depend on many factors like heredity, bone structure, hormones, body composition, and muscular mass. Although it is impossible to alter the width of your pelvic bones once you reach adulthood, it is always possible to exercise the muscles surrounding your hips and the glutes to give your body a more defined look.

That is why so many people looking for information about how to get bigger hips naturally are actually trying to figure out how to build up their glutes and overall body strength and shape.

Fortunately, there is an effective way to do it without using any unreliable pills, creams, or other types of supplements. But you will have to be patient, because nothing you eat or train can affect the size

Can You Get Bigger Hips Naturally?

Absolutely, but first you have to know what "wider hips" means.

The hip region consists of bone, muscles, fat, and connective tissues. The bone structure of your pelvis determines mostly your hip width, and no exercises can make it bigger.

Nonetheless, you can train the muscles of the hips region, specifically such muscles as:

Gluteus maximus: the largest muscle of your buttocks
Gluteus medius: it is situated on the outer side of the hips
Gluteus minimus: it participates in forming your hips

Training of these muscles can help you make your buttocks rounder and give additional contours to the sides of your hips.

Consequently, if your desire is to make your hips wider in a natural way, the best strategy for you is to train your glutes and other muscles of the hips region.

What Determines Hip Size and Shape?

It is necessary to know the reasons why each person has a unique body shape before beginning any physical activity or nutrition program.

1. Genetics: Genetic makeup affects your bone structure, fat deposits, and ability to build muscles and your body shape in general.

Two individuals can have identical physical activity and nutrition regimen but end up looking completely different.

2. Bone Structure: Your hip proportions depend on the structure of your pelvis bones which cannot be changed with exercise after reaching skeletal maturity.

3. Muscular Development: The size of glutes can be increased with resistance exercise. Growing gluteal muscles is one of the best ways to create a voluminous lower body look.

4. Fat Deposits: The places where your body stores fat deposits depend on your genetic makeup and hormonal system. You cannot influence the places where you lose and gain fat.

This is also the reason why attempting to gain weight just to increase the volume of your hips will likely fail.

Best Exercises for Bigger Hips and Glutes

For those whose objective is to gain their hips and glutes in a natural way, resistance training has to form the cornerstone of their workout plan.

Below is a list of exercises that involve muscles that will add up to your lower body growth.

1. Squats: One of the most recognizable exercises for your lower body is a squat.

Primarily, it targets your quadriceps and glutes; however, it uses a number of other muscles that aid your stabilization.

In order to perform a regular squat, follow these steps:

Stand with your legs spread at shoulder-width distance.
Maintain an upright posture and a strong core.
Bend your knees and move your hips backwards.
Sink into your squat maintaining control.
Push yourself to the starting position using your feet.

When you become more advanced in doing squats, you may start adding some weight by doing goblet squats or barbell squats.

2. Hip Thrusts: A great exercise for developing gluteus maximus is a hip thrust.

It is performed by lying on your back with your upper back on a bench or any similar object, having your feet planted on the floor, pushing your hips up using contraction of your glutes.

Do not simply arch the lower portion of your back in order to do the exercise. Instead, you must work on hip extension and use your glutes actively.

3. Glute Bridges: Glute bridges are a simpler replacement for hip thrusts and can be done at home without any equipment.

Lie on your back, bend your knees and place your feet firmly on the ground. Raise your hips while squeezing the glutes and hold the position momentarily before slowly lowering yourself.

Once you get used to bodyweight bridges, you can gradually add resistance to the exercise.

4. Bulgarian Split Squats: This single-leg exercise will target the glutes and the thighs while also requiring you to maintain good balance and stability.

Put your foot behind you onto an elevated surface and lower yourself down with the use of your front leg.

As this exercise is quite intense, beginners should master the form first before moving on to the weighted version.

5. Lunges: Lunges will help strengthen the glutes and the legs while also training lower-body stability.

You can choose from the regular, reverse and walking lunges. Reverse lunges can prove to be an easy way of beginning for novices as they will make it easier for individuals to keep themselves in control.

6. Hip Abductions: For those who want to work out the muscles on the outside of their hips, hip abductions may prove to be useful.

These can be done using resistance bands, a cable machine, or hip-abduction machines at a gym.

Hip abductions work mainly on the muscles that cause the movement of the leg away from the midline of the body and include the gluteus medius muscle.

7. Step-Ups: Another useful exercise for building lower-body strength is step-ups.

Using a stable object, one can step up with one leg and pull the other leg up and then step down.

The height of the object must allow one to perform the exercise without any trouble.

How Often Should You Train Your Glutes?

Doing more exercises does not necessarily lead to muscle growth at a faster rate.

The muscle needs recovery from the resistance training process. For the majority of people, doing the glutes twice or thrice a week should be an effective way to start off as long as the muscle has enough recovery time between the sessions.

The most crucial thing here is not how many exercises you do but whether you are progressively challenging yourself.

That is called progressive overload. You may start to do that by, for example,

Adding more resistance
Doing more controlled reps
Doing more sets
Improving your exercise form
Going up in the progressions.

You should not add all of those things at once.

Can Food Make Your Hips Bigger?

There is no single food item that helps build hips specifically. Nutrition has an important part to play when building muscles.
If you are engaging yourself in strength exercises to work out your glutes, then your body requires sufficient amount of energy and nutrients to help your muscles grow.
Eat More Proteins: Proteins are the source of amino acids required by your muscles for repair and maintenance.

Good sources are:

Eggs
Fish
Chicken
Lean meat
Milk and yogurt
Beans
Lentils
Chickpeas
Soymilk and Tofu
Nuts and seeds

Vegetarian people have the option of combining various protein-rich foods.

Eat Enough Overall: Cutting your calorie intake severely will likely impede muscle growth.

If you want to build muscle mass, sufficient calorie intake is key. Depending on your needs and your physique, it might be okay to be in a slight caloric surplus.

But intentionally overeating in order to grow your hips will result mainly in an excessive amount of fat accumulation, not muscle hypertrophy in the targeted area.

A registered dietitian or other nutrition experts will help you find out which way works best for you.

What About The Foods That Will Give You Bigger Hips?

Sometimes you might come across posts in social media telling you that some kind of specific foods (fruits, seeds, or other substances) will grow your hips.

Unfortunately, there is no proven scientific food that would allow fat or muscle accumulation in specific areas of the body, in this case in the hips.

Foods provide nutrients but cannot target specific areas of the body. Be especially careful when dealing with products that promise the following effects:

"Natural" hip enlargement pills
Hormonal boosters
Herbal enlargers
Hip enlargement creams or oils
Unregulated weight gain boosters

"Natural" does not mean safe or effective.

Can Massage or Creams Increase Hip Size?

Massage could help with better circulation or relaxation of the skin, but currently, there are no scientific proofs about any impact of the use of regular creams or oil on the increase of hip muscles or bones.

Additionally, topical preparations are not able to build specific gluteal muscles.

Be careful about any promises of dramatic hip enlargement without physical activity, proper diet, or medical procedures.

How Long Do You Need to Develop Your Hips and Glutes?

There is no definite timeframe. It depends on many individual aspects such as:

Genetics
Initial muscle mass
Experience in training
Consistency in workouts
Diet
Recovery and sleep
Age
Hormonal aspect
Quality of training

Some people might see strength increases after a few weeks of training. The development of the muscle mass will take more time and proper training.

Progress pictures or measurement taken every couple of weeks could be more helpful than daily body check.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Doing Only One Exercise: As your glutes have several functions, limiting yourself to squats or any one exercise is not going to allow you to achieve your full potential.

Your lower body workout regimen could comprise hip extension, squatting, single-leg exercises, and hip abduction.

Exercising Every Day: It must be remembered that muscle building takes place during recovery as much as during workouts, and continuously working out the same muscle groups without giving them proper recovery may prevent you from achieving your goals.

Ignoring Nutrition: Unless your diet contains sufficient amounts of protein, calories, and other nutrients, you cannot hope to build muscle.

Changing your Training Program All The Time: Following different workout routines one after the other prevents you from keeping track of your progress. Let your program work and give yourself enough challenges.

Expecting Genetics to Change: Though exercise will allow you to get better at building your muscles, it will not alter the way you look in terms of the skeletal system.

Can You Get Bigger Hips Without Going to the Gym?

Yes. There are several good exercises you can do to work on your glutes at home using only your bodyweight or simple things like resistance bands and dumbbells.

For example, a simple routine might look something like:

Squats
Glute Bridges
Reverse Lunges
Step Ups
Side Lying Leg Raises
Resistance Band Hip Abductions

But the reality is that eventually, as you get stronger, you will need more resistance to keep making progress.

This is a basic principle: your muscles need progressive overload.

When Should You Talk to a Doctor or Specialist?

Body shape changes are often nothing to be worried about, although there are some cases that should be taken to the doctor.

Talk to your doctor if you have:

Unexpected body weight change
Menstrual period changes
Changes in hormones
Muscle weakness without an explanation
Hip or lower back pain
Pain that prevents you from exercising
Diet, body image, and weight worries.

When choosing to use any type of supplement, hormone therapy or cosmetology procedure to help your body take a better shape, consult with a properly qualified doctor.

What If Exercise Doesn't Give You the Shape You Want?

Exercise is known to make the muscles bigger and more toned, but exercise does not alter your actual skeletal structure.

In some cases, this can mean that some people will find out that their ideal physical appearance cannot be accomplished by means of exercise alone.

Body contouring or fat transfer surgery might be possible alternatives for some. Yet, this is a medical procedure that has certain risks associated with it, along with recovery and eligibility criteria.

When it comes to body contouring surgery, a consultation with an expert is always recommended before making a decision.

Bottom Line

When looking for ways to get bigger hips without resorting to surgery, remember that the changes must be natural and achievable by your body. You will not be able to make your pelvic bones wider; however, you will be able to develop the muscles in your hips and buttocks through regular resistance exercises including squats, hip thrusts, glute bridges, lunges, step-ups and hip abduction exercises.

Proper nutrition is an essential part of the equation as well. Make sure you have enough protein and a balanced nutrition plan. Do not forget about rest and recovery. More importantly, stay away from quick fixes and products that promise you big hips in an instant. There is no magic food, cream, pill or exercise routine that can change the structure of your body.

The only thing that is possible is building strength and supporting muscle development. Set realistic goals and be ready to work for them. If aesthetics is your main concern and you are interested in body contouring procedures, consult with a professional to see which treatment options, if any, are available for you.