Increase Mobility with The 3 Most Effective Exercises for Developing Hip Internal and External Rotation

Improve Your Hip Internal and External Rotation Strength: A Step-by-Step Guide

External and internal hip rotation involve a range of flexibility, mobility, and strength exercises. Flexibility exercises focus on the ability to move your hips in a full range of motion without discomfort or restriction; mobility exercises that incorporate dynamic movements to strengthen and stabilize muscle groups around the joint; and strength exercises focused on strengthening supporting muscles such as glutes and hip external rotators.

Hip rotation can take place in:

• An anatomical position
• In flexed hip position
• In abducted hip position
• And of course, any position in between these three.

When it comes to hip rotation, there are two kinds: internal and external. Internal hip rotation involves muscles that help to turn the thigh bone inwards while external hip rotation uses muscles to rotate the thigh bone outwards. This movement can be seen during both adducted and extended hip positions, though it is more frequently seen during the extended position.

In hip movement, there are two types of rotation—external and internal. External hip rotation is when the femoral head (hip) rotates outward from the midline of the body and internal hip rotation is when it rotates inward towards the midline. Certain muscles play a larger role in moving the hip depending on its position—flexed or extended/abducted—such as the piriformis muscle which can act as either an external or internal rotator depending on whether the hip is flexed or not.

Internal and external hip rotation are essential for athletic performance and general movement. While in some sports, such as martial arts or dance, these types of rotations are regularly practiced and understood, others may not explicitly focus on them. Despite this, it is important to practice both internal and external hip rotation for athletes or people looking to improve their mobility.

Internal vs. External Hip Rotation

Hip Rotation rotation is easy to understand when the leg is straight.

• The external rotation is when the leg is turned out. From a standing position, toes point out to the side.
• The internal rotation is when the toes rotate in and the kneecap rotates and points towards the opposite side of the body.

The hip rotation, both internal and external, can get a little bit confusing with the knee bent.

When it comes to external and internal hip rotation, the main difference is the direction of the knee. Internal hip rotation involves bending the knee towards the opposite side of the body while externally rotating involves bending the knee outwardly. This causes the foot to move in different directions, leading some people to confusingly mistake an internal rotation for an external one.

Rotating the hip is an important movement involved in many sports and daily activities. It can involve both external rotation, turning the hip outward; and internal rotation, turning the hip inward. Typically, the hip is rotated in conjunction with other motions such as bending or extending the hip, horizontally flexing or extending it, or adducting or abducting it.

3 Types of exercises are needed to improve your Internal and External Hip Rotation:

To improve your internal and external rotation three types of exercises are needed. They are:

• Flexibility exercises
• Mobility or range of motion exercises
• And strength exercises.

If you want to increase your range of motion and flexibility, check out the demonstration of unique exercises below! We start off with unique flexibility exercises then move onto mobility exercises and polish it off with strength training for the internal and external rotation of the hip. Learn more about which muscles are involved by reading the short description underneath. Otherwise, feel free to skip this part if kinesiology isn't your thing!

Kinesiology of Hip Rotation (Muscles involved in rotation of the hip)

The hip's kinesiology is complex and unique, involving a network of various muscles all working together. Each muscle within the hip has its part to play in hip rotation; some are primary rotators, whereas others provide weaker or auxiliary support. Whichever type it is, all muscles have a role in rotating the hip both inwards and outwards.

Adductors of the Hip

 There are four adductors. They are:

• Adductor Magnus
• Adductor Longus
• Adductor Brevis
• Gracilis

The adductors are a group of four muscles located on the inner thigh. These include the adductor magnus, longus, brevis, and gracilis, which all generally act to medially rotate the hip. There are exceptions to this general rule, but for most people these muscles primarily medially rotate the hip joint.

Gluteal Muscles

There are three gluteal muscles. They are:

• Gluteus Maximus
• Gluteus Medius
• Gluteus Minimus

The gluteal muscles are those muscles located on the buttocks and are essential for hip movement. These muscles can act as either lateral or medial rotators of the hip depending on the stretched fibers. For instance, Gluteus maximus is usually a lateral rotator, although some fibers of this muscle can also do medial rotation. Both Gluteus medius and minimus are thought to be primarily medial rotators, though some of their fibers may do lateral rotation.

Deep Six Lateral Rotators of the Hip

There are six lateral rotators of the hip known as the Deep Six. They are:

• Piriformis
• Obturator Internus
• Obturator Externus
• Gemellus Superior
• Gemellus Inferior
• Quadratus Femoris

The term 'deep six' is used to refer to the outside rotators of the hip joint, also known as lateral rotators, which rotate the hip outward. These muscles include Piriformis, Obturator internus, Obturator externus, Gemellus superior, Gemellus inferior and Quadratus femoris. They are considered lateral rotators regardless of the position of the hip joint.

The Hamstrings Muscles

There are three hamstrings muscles. They are:

• Biceps Femoris
• Semitendinosus
• Semimembranosus

The hamstring muscles, made up of the Biceps Femoris long head, Semitendinosus and Semimembranosus are involved in rotating the hip inward or outward. Although not the strongest rotators, these muscles do play a role in aiding medial and lateral rotation of the hip joint.

The Hip Flexors

There are six hip flexors. They are:

• Pectineus
• Tensor Fasciae Latae
• Rectos Femoris
• Sartorius
• Soleus
• Iliacus

The hip flexors are a group of six muscles that play an essential role in moving your leg. They are the Pectineus, Tensor Fasciae Latae, Rectus Femoris, Sartorius, Soleus and Iliacus. These muscles help to flex and rotate your hips, allowing you to move your thigh inward and outward. The pectineus and tensor fasciae latae are medial rotators while the rectus femoris is a weak lateral rotator. The sartorius and both Soleus and Iliacus help with outside rotation of the hip or lateral rotation of the hip.

Zaichik Stretching Techniques - Unique Flexibility Exercises for Internal Hip Rotation & Hip External Rotation

Want to increase your flexibility in the hip area? Doing passive exercises like PNF is a great way to stretch and help improve range of motion, but to really target each muscle group, specialized movement-based exercises are needed. By using specific drills and techniques, you can detect which muscles are limiting your hip rotation and take steps to improve them.

Isolating muscles is key to the EasyFlexibility system as it allows you stretch your muscles effectively. Take a look at two of the rotation exercises offered by this system: one for internal rotation of the hip and another for external rotation of the hip. This is likely something you have not experienced before, unless you are already familiar with EasyFlexibility's unique approach to muscle stretching.

~Confidence~ ZST (Hip Internal Rotation)

The following Zaichik Stretching Technique (ZST) is taken from the EasyFlexibility Internal Hip Rotation program. This ZST works on Internal Hip Rotation. *Note that there are subtitles in the video, to see subtitles click on the cc button on the video itself.

To perform ~Confidence~ ZST:

To perform ~Fulfillment~ ZST:

• Lie down on the side.
• Rotate the bottom hip out.
• Flex the bottom knee to about 90 degrees.
• Keep the top leg straight.

 

Leverage 1

Use the top leg to press the shin forward, while keeping the bottom knee from sliding. This way rotating your bottom hip outward. 

 

Target 1

As your top leg moves slightly back and the hip rotates slightly inward roll the top hip closer to the floor. 

 

Leverage 2
Use the top leg to press the shin forward, while keeping the bottom knee from sliding. This way rotating your bottom hip outward. 

Target 2
As your top leg moves slightly back and the hip rotates slightly inward roll the top hip closer to the floor. 

 

 

Leverage 3
Use the top leg to press the shin forward, while keeping the bottom knee from sliding. This way rotating your bottom hip outward. 

 

Target 3
As your top leg moves slightly back and the hip rotates slightly inward roll the top hip closer to the floor.

 

Please note that what we've shared with you is only 2 ZST's from the EasyFlexibility system of over 100 programs. To get full benefit for your hip turnout and internal hip rotation it several ZST's or Zaichik Stretching Techniques to work on all the muscles involved. Here we've shared with you only one ZST for lateral rotation and one ZST for medial rotation. To learn more about the Hip Turnout Program please click here. To learn more about the Internal Hip Rotation Program please click here.

 

 Hip Internal & External Rotation Mobility Exercises

And now let's take a look at the range of motion exercises with lateral medial rotation.

1. Standing Lateral hip rotation

 

Let's start with the mobility exercises. First in an anatomical position.

• Stand vertical
• Lift your toes (of one leg, either right or left)
• Keep your heels on the floor
• Rotate your leg out by bringing your toes to the outside
• Rotate it back in to starting position

This is a simple lateral hip rotation or outside hip rotation mobility technique.

 

2. Standing Medial Hip Rotation 

 

• Stand vertical with your feet a foot apart
• Lift your toes
• Keep your heels on the floor and rotate your leg in so that your toes move in the direction of the opposite foot
• Rotate it back out to parallel position

This is a simple medial hip rotation or inward hip rotation mobility technique.

 

 3. Combined Lateral/Medial Hip Rotation Mobility Exercise

 

 

You can also combine the two.

• Stand vertical with your feet one foot apart
• Lift your toes
• Keep your heels on the floor and rotate the leg out so that your toes point out to the side
• And then rotate the leg all the way back in

This exercise helps to develop the range of motion, but it also strengthens the muscles that are used for rotation.

 

4. Standing Toe Pivot Lateral Hip Rotation

Now you can do invert and outward rotation.

• Stand vertical with your feet a foot apart from each other
• Lift your heel
• Keep your toes on the floor and rotate the leg out by bringing your heel forward

This is a simple lateral rotation pivoting on the toes instead of the heel mobility technique.

 

5. Standing Toe Pivot Medial Hip Rotation

 

 

• Stand vertical with your feet a foot apart from each other
• Lift your heel
• Keep your toes on the floor and rotate the leg in by bringing your heel out

This is a simple inward rotation pivoting on the toes instead of the heel mobility technique.

You will notice that the range of motion on a lateral rotation is greater than on the medial rotation. Here you will see a comparative range of motion for the medial and lateral rotation.

 

6. Flexed hip straight leg neutral to lateral hip rotation

 

Next, let's do the hip rotation exercises in the flexed hip position.

• Sit on the floor (or a yoga mat)
• Both legs straight in front of you
• Keep toes up
• Drop your toes out to the sides
• Keep your heels together
• And bring them back to the starting position.

 

7. Flexed hip straight leg neutral to medial hip rotation

• Sit on the floor (or a yoga mat)
• Both legs straight in front of you
• Keep toes up
• Bring your toes towards each other by rotating your legs inward
• Keep your heels a foot a part from each other
• And bring them back to the starting position

This is your medial rotation of the hip.

 

8. Flexed hip combined inward and outward hip rotation

And you can combine the two by rotating your toes out and then rotating your toes
in.

• Sit on the floor (or a yoga mat)
• Both legs straight in front of you
• Keep toes up
• Keep your heels 2 feet apart from each other
• Rotate your toes out
• And now rotate toes in

 

 9. Sitting Flexed Hip Inward Rotation with bent knees

 

 

You can do the same thing with your knees bent.

• Get a hold of a sturdy chair
• Sit in a chair
• Lift your feet off the floor a little bit so that they are hovering above the floor
• Without moving your thighs medially rotate your hips by bringing your feet out to the sides.

This is your internal rotation. You can do this one leg at a time, or with both legs at a time.

 

10. Sitting Flexed Hip Outward Rotation with bent knees

 

• Get a hold of a sturdy chair
• Sit in a chair
• Lift your feet off the floor a little bit so that they are hovering above the floor
• Without moving your thighs laterally rotate your hips by bringing your feet inward

This is your outward rotation. You can do this one leg at a time, or with both legs at a time.

 

11. Supine Bent Hip Outward Hip Rotation

 

These exercises can also be done lying on the back. To do this with straight
legs:

• Lie down on your back
• Bring your feet up to the ceiling
• Keep your heels together
• Rotate your hips out by bringing your toes apart
• And come back to the starting position

This is your lateral rotation. You can do this one leg at a time, or with both legs as demonstrated.

 

12. Supine Bent Hip Inward Hip Rotation

 

 

These exercises can also be done lying on the back. To do this with straight
legs:

• Lie down on your back
• Bring your feet up to the ceiling
• Keep your heels together
• Rotate your hips in by bringing your toes toward each other.
• And come back to the starting position

This is your medial rotation. You can do this one leg at a time, or with both legs as demonstrated.

 

13. Supine Flexed hip, flexed knee, Medial Rotation

To do this with bent legs.

• Lie down on your back
• Bend your knees while you are on your back
• Keep your knees together
• Bring your feet apart from each other.

This is your internal rotation.

 

14. Supine Flexed hip, flexed knee lateral rotation

 

• Lay down on your back
• Flex your hips to 90 degree angle
• Flex your knees to 90 degree angle
• Now criss cross your legs at the shin level thus performing a lateral rotation.
• And come back to the starting position.

This is your lateral rotation on the back with bent knees. Or you can do one side at a time by bringing the leg across the midline (an imaginary vertical line that runs down the center of your body) while the other leg is flat on the floor, creating an external rotation of the hip.

 

 15. Lying down abduction with lateral rotation

To do rotation together with abduction.

• Lie down on your side.
• Lift one leg up to the side so that the leg is up in the air perpendicular to the floor
• And perform a lateral rotation so that your toes are pointing in the direction of your head. (Because abduction without lateral rotation is not possible past 45 degrees)

This is your lateral rotation.

 

16. Lying down hip abduction with medial rotation

To do rotation together with abduction.

• Lie down on your side
• Lift one leg up to the ceiling as far as you can without turning the leg out
• Keep the leg up in the air and turn the toes inward in the direction of the floor
• And come back to the starting position.

This is your medial rotation in the hip abducted position.

 

 17. Lunge extended hip lateral rotation

If you are feeling adventurous and you want to take your hip rotation in the hip extended position to the next level you can do the following exercise:

• Get into a lunge position
• With the back leg straight
• Keeping the back leg straight perform the lateral rotation of the hip by placing the inner border of your foot on the floor.
• And come back to the starting position.

This would be your lateral rotation when the middle border is on the floor.

 

18. Lunge extended hip medial rotation

• Get into a lunge position
• With the back leg straight
• Keeping the back leg straight perform the medial rotation of the hip by placing the outer border of your foot on the floor.
• And come back to the starting position.

This would be your medial rotation when the outer border of the foot is on the floor.

 

Strength Exercises

Next, let's explore the strength exercises that will strengthen the lateral and medial rotators of your hip. An important note here is that in actual sports applications, very often the hip rotation is combined together with other actions at the same time.

For example, if you think of the soccer kick with the inside of your foot, you're going to have the lateral rotation together with the flexion of the hip. If you think of the martial arts sidekick, you will have hip medial rotation together with extension and/or abduction, depending on how the kick is performed. And if you think of dance, you might have flexion or abduction of the hip together with lateral rotation like in Developpe.

The strength exercises for the rotation are best performed with cables or resistance bands. In some cases, ankle weights are also a good option.

If you're practicing for specific sports skill where you want stabilization from other muscles while the hip rotates, then an exercise such as sit in hip rotation would be good for you. Below you will see the demonstration of sitting hip rotation with resistance bands.

Doing this for purely isolation purposes, keeping the heel on the floor allows the weight of the body instead of the stabilizing muscles to keep the leg in place. So if you want to isolate the rotation movement with a bent knee, performing this exercise on the floor would be better for hip rotation isolation.

 

19. Isolated medial rotation with ankle weights

• Place an ankle weight on your top foot (if you're laying on your right side down, your left side is your top)This can also be done with resistance bands, but it's more challenging to do
• Lie down on the floor on your side keeping your legs and body in straight line
• Bend your top knee to 90 degrees and rotate the leg in by lifting your foot toward the ceiling.
• Notice the range of motion in this exercise will be small unless you have hypermobile joints.

 

20. Isolated lateral rotation with ankle weights

• Place an ankle weight on your bottom foot (if you're laying on your right side down, your right foot is your bottom foot and your left foot is your top foot) This can also be done with resistance bands, but it's more challenging to do.
• Lie down on the floor on your side keeping your legs and body in straight line.
• Bend your bottom knee to 90 degrees, flex your top knee to get it out of the way by bringing your knee a little bit forward and across the floor and rotate the bottom leg outward by lifting your foot off the floor.

 

The floor functions as a stabilizer in these exercises and the hip joint movement becomes focused on the rotation, both medial and lateral.

 

 

 

About the Author:

Paul Zaichik is an Exercise Science Expert, author of multitude of books, and the creator of Zaichik Stretching Technique (formely known as Kinesiological Stretching Technique). His speciality is flexibility training as well as body weight conditioning. His innovative method is designed to have maximum carry over into specific athletic techniques. Paul is the author of books and DVD’s on the topic of flexibility, martial arts and bodyweight training. Over the years, Paul Zaichik has worked with a variety of individuals including athletes, entertainers, and military personnel. His ElasticSteel Method of Athletic Conditioning programs, EasyFlexibility Programs and Zaichik Stretching Techniques are used world wide by both professional and amateurs with great success.