How to do a Fire Hydrant
- Begin on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Brace your core and keep your back flat.
- Keeping the knee bent, lift one leg out to the side.
- Raise until your thigh is roughly parallel to the floor.
- Keep your hips square and avoid leaning to the opposite side.
- Lower with control and repeat, then switch legs.
Keep in mind
- Open from the hip, keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees.
- Press both hands evenly into the floor.
- Stop where the hips would start to tip.
- Move slowly — this is a small muscle doing precise work.
Common mistakes
- Leaning away to get the leg higher — keep your weight centred.
- The lower back arching — brace your core and lift a little less.
- Racing through the reps — the burn comes from control, not speed.
Breathing
Breathe out as you open the hip, in as you lower.
Take care
Put a folded towel under the supporting knee if the floor is hard.
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