Why You Should Be Doing the Clamshell Exercise Regularly
Reading Time: 6 minutes
BY: ISSA
DATE: 2022-08-03
The clamshell exercise is more often used in physical therapy than physical fitness. What personal trainers know that they wish more clients knew is that this simple exercise goes a long way toward treating and preventing pain and injuries.
The clamshell works the hips and glutes, helping to stabilize the pelvis and hips, and correct gain when running and walking. Learn how to do this exercise correctly and consider adding it to your or your client’s regular workout routine.
What is the Clamshell Exercise?
The name of this exercise is an excellent descriptor. Picture a clam shell hinging open and shut. This is what you do during a clamshell exercise.
Lying on one side, with your ankles together, you lift the top knee up and then lower it back down to the bottom knee. Like a clamshell, you hinge at the hip and ankle and open up at the knee.
A clamshell is a simple, easy exercise that you can do anywhere. It doesn’t require any specific equipment, and there is no impact on your joints. Learning to do it correctly is essential, and when you do, it will provide several benefits.
Which Muscles Does the Clamshell Target?
The clamshell is a small, controlled movement that targets the glutes and hips. It’s not a showy exercise, like a squat or lunge. It looks deceptively easy too. If you’re doing it right, though, you should feel the burn, especially in the gluteus medius.
What we refer to as glutes is actually a group of three muscles:
gluteus maximus
gluteus medius
gluteus minimus
The gluteus maximus is the big glute muscle that tends to get all the glory. This is the largest by far and is important for keeping the body upright during standing, walking, and running.
These big muscles generate a lot of force during certain movements, like standing up, jumping, running, and climbing. Many of the glute exercises you do primarily target this largest part of the glute group.
The gluteus medius is often overlooked in big strength moves that recruit the gluteus maximus. The medius muscle keeps the pelvis stable and prevents it from dropping on the opposite side when standing, walking, and running. It lies between the other two gluteal muscles. You can feel it at the top and outside of your buttocks, close to the hip and lower back.
Targeting this small but important stabilizing muscle is the main goal of the clamshell, but the exercise also strengthens hip muscles.
Here’s another simple exercise (lateral band walk) that will build stronger gluteus medius muscles.
Benefits of the Clamshell
So, why should you do this funny little exercise? First of all, it helps you hit those overlooked glute muscles. There are many other benefits of strengthening the gluteus medius and the other muscles this exercise targets:
Reduce Injury Risk with the Clamshell Exercise
Studies have proven what many fitness experts have long known: this small, seemingly easy exercise is one of the best movements you can do to prevent and treat injuries.
It all comes down to stability. The small medius muscle plays an outsized role in stabilizing the pelvis and hips during all kinds of exercises and functional movements. When the gluteus medius is too weak, it can’t do its job.
Poor stability due to weak medius muscles can result in injuries because the body isn’t moving correctly. It can also cause other muscles to take over, triggering pain and overuse injuries. Using the clamshell to strengthen the gluteus medius can help you heal from existing injuries and prevent future injuries.
Run Stronger and More Safely
The clamshell is especially important for runners. When the hips and gluteus medius muscles are weak, it can cause instability and injury in anyone, but runners are most at risk. These muscles stabilize the hips during running.
Poorly stabilized hips can wreak havoc on a runner. The more miles you put in, the bigger the risk of injury. One of the most common sources of pain for runners is the knee. Unstable and tight hips lead to a running gait that can cause runner’s knee and other problems. In fact, pain in the ankles and feet also often originate in the hips. Clamshell exercises are perfect for glute and hip strengthening and stabilization to avoid pain and injury when running.
Check out this detailed guide to pelvic tilt to find out if you have an imbalance that could be corrected with specific strength training exercises.
Relieve Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is a common problem, especially for people who sit most of the day. So much sitting weakens the glutes and tightens the hip flexors. This weakness and stiffness forces the lower back to do more work than it was designed to handle, resulting in pain.
You can relieve lower back pain brought on by sitting by doing any exercises that strengthen the glutes and improve hip mobility. The clamshell should be part of that routine. It strengthens muscles that take pressure off the lower back.
How to Do the Clamshell
The clamshell won’t help you if your form is off. It seems simple enough, but many people do it incorrectly. Here are some tips for getting it right:
Lie on your side, stacking your hips, knees, and ankles. Bend the knees to a 90-degree angle.
Rest your head on your arm or in your hand.
Lift the top knee up, opening up the hip and keeping the bottom leg stationary and flat against the floor.
Lower the knee back down to the opposite knee.
Keep your abs engaged when you do this exercise to stabilize and strengthen the core.
Keep your lower back stationary. The rotation should be in your hips, not your back.
The movement should be small. Don’t rotate so much that your pelvis tips up toward the ceiling. According to one study, 60 degrees maximizes recruitment of the gluteus medius muscle.
If you’re doing it correctly, you should start to feel fatigued in the gluteus medius on the outside and top of your glutes.
Start out doing the basic clam exercise, and progress to greater resistance and variations as you get stronger.
Clamshell Exercise with a Resistance Band
To make this exercise more difficult, add a resistance band around your legs, just above the knees. Start with a looser band and work up to more tension to build strength. The clamshell with a resistance band is good for glute muscle activation and a great way to target your hip abductor muscles. You're also working your hamstring, back, and core muscle groups.
Clamshell with a Hip Raise
For advanced moves, try adding other muscle groups to the exercise. For instance, rest just your forearm on the floor and lift the lower hip up, like you’re doing a side plank. Doing the clamshell in this elevated position works the glutes and core. Use a slower, controlled movement to engage the muscles fully and reduce the risk of injury.
Clamshell Exercise with Dumbbell Rotation
The clamshell exercise with dumbbell rotation is a great way to strengthen the hips and glutes while also engaging the core and upper body. Here's how to do it:
Lie on your side with your legs bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet together.
Hold a dumbbell in your top hand and rest your arm along your side.
Engage your core muscles and lift your top knee up while keeping your feet together and lower leg on the ground. Your feet should remain in contact with each other throughout the movement.
As you lift your upper knee, rotate your arm holding the dumbbell up and back while keeping your elbow against your body. You should feel the rotation in your upper back and shoulders.
Lower your knee and arm back to the starting position.
Repeat for 10-15 reps on one side, then switch sides and repeat.
Keep the hips stacked on top of each other throughout the movement. Use a lighter dumbbell if you feel any discomfort in your shoulder. Focus on keeping the core muscles engaged and the spine in a neutral position.
Expand Your Education
The clamshell is a basic, but essential exercise. Perfect it for yourself, and then show clients how to do it correctly. Regular clamshells will strengthen the outside of the glutes, build up the hips, and restore balance and mobility to prevent injury and pain.
Learn more about strengthening your hips and glutes with these related articles:
To learn more about the best exercises for personal fitness goals, consider enrolling in the ISSA’s Certified Personal Trainer – Self-Guided Study Program. Complete the program at your own pace to become a qualified, certified fitness professional.
Featured Course
ISSA | Certified Personal Trainer
Start your dream career completely online! Take the course, pass the certification final exam, and be guaranteed a job - or your money back!
References
Selkowitz, D., Beneck, G., & Powers, C. (2013). Which Exercises Target the Gluteal Muscles While Minimizing Activation of the Tensor Fascia Lata? Electromyographic Assessment Using Fine-Wire Electrodes. Journal Of Orthopaedic &Amp; Sports Physical Therapy, 43(2), 54-64. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2013.4116
Willcox, E., & Burden, A. (2013). The Influence of Varying Hip Angle and Pelvis Position on Muscle Recruitment Patterns of the Hip Abductor Muscles During the Clam Exercise. Journal Of Orthopaedic &Amp; Sports Physical Therapy, 43(5), 325-331. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2013.4004