How to Get Rid of Hip Dips

Do you have hip dips? Do you know what the term hip dips means? If you want to know how to get rid of hip dips, you need to understand the term and what can help reduce their appearance.

By the time you read this whole article, you will know what hip dips are, what causes them, how to fix them, how to get rid of them, and how long it can take to get rid of them.

What Are Hip Dips?

Hip dips are those depressions found along the side of your hip below the hip bone. You may hear them called violin hips. They are notches with rounded edges that work across the lower areas of your hips.

These notches, or indentations, can be either obviously noticeable, hardly noticeable, or so subtle that they aren’t noticeable at all other than by you.

Is It Bad to Have Hip Dips?

Having violin hips is neither good nor bad. Hip dips are just part of your anatomy and are related to the shape of your pelvic area.

The idea that women should have perfect hips that are symmetrical is unrealistic. Most women don’t have a “perfect” hourglass figure.

What Causes Hip Dips?

Violin hips are caused by three main factors.

Bone Structure

The two bones that form the hip are the femur and the ilium. How far apart these bones are play a role in if you have hip dips. Where these bones are wide apart, hip dips are more likely to form. If these bones are close together, there is less chance of indentations forming on your hips.

Muscle Weakness and Strength

The stronger your muscles are, the larger the muscle will appear, while the weaker muscles are smaller. If your hip muscles are weaker than their supporting muscles, it will leave noticeable hip dips on the side of your hips.

Natural Body Fat Distribution

The human body is designed to store fat around your abdomen and below your hips, so the distribution of this natural fat contributes to hip dip formation.

Hip dips are caused by genetics and are a natural part of your anatomy. When your hip bone is more prominent than your femur bone, muscle and fat will turn inward, creating the indentations.

If the distance between your femur bone and your hip bone is longer, there is more chance of hip dip.

Are Hip Dips the Same As Love Handles?

Love handles, also called muffin tops, are not the same as violin hips. Love handles are higher than hip dips and are fat found on each side of your abdomen, which has nothing to do with your bone structure. 

Can Violin Hips Be Fixed?

You can change your appearance somewhat with exercise, but you cannot totally get rid of hip dips. Exercises specific to violin hips can help reduce the appearance of side hip indentations.

The goal of such exercises is to lose fat while building muscle in that area. It’s possible, but challenging. If exercises don’t help fix hip dips, you can opt for hip dip surgery as a last resort.

Plastic surgery for bone structure modification is still new in this industry.

How Can You Get Rid of Hip Dips?

It’s unrealistic to think that you can learn how to get rid of hip dips totally. What you can do is use muscle-building exercises to reduce the appearance of the indentations.

Even bodybuilders and people who regularly work out have hip dips due to the pronounced muscle tone in those muscles. You may even hear hip dips called dancer’s dents due to all the leg, hip, hamstring, and glute squeezing dancers do.

Therefore, you cannot “fill in” hip indentations. You may be able to build muscles where there are muscle weaknesses, which can reduce the appearance of violin hips, but since hip dips are part of your personal anatomy, they are part of you.

What Are Some Exercises That Will Reduce Hip Dips?

Lower body exercises are the focus for strengthening the outer thigh and hip area.

You can add ankle weights or dumbbells to these exercises for a better workout.

1. Squats

Squats are effective for toning the hip, buttocks, and thigh areas. Keep your back straight and your toes facing forward. You can add dumbbells to this exercise if you choose.

• In the standing position, place your feet slightly apart, a bit wider than your hips.
• Breathe in deeply as you lower your body to a chair.
• Breathe out.
• Breathe in again while you stand.
• Breathe out.
• Perform at least 12 reps if you can.
• During the last repetition, hold the lower position of the squat and pulse your squat up and down at least 12 times.

2. Fire Hydrants

Fire hydrants open the side hip area and target your hips, side buttocks, and outer thoughts. It’s important to try and keep your weight evenly distributed during this exercise.

• Position yourself on the floor on your hands and knees for this exercise.
• Align your hands with your shoulders and your knees with your hips.
• Breathe in deeply as you lift your right or left leg to a 90-degree angle, keeping the opposite knee bent.
• Slowly return the lifted leg back to the bent position on the floor.
• As you lift your knees, pick them up first and hold before lifting them to a 90-degree angle.
• Perform 15 repetitions.
• On the final repetition, as you lower your leg, pulse it 10 times at the top of the exercise.
• Repeat on each side.

3. Lunges

Lunges can be more challenging, but they focus on the whole side of your legs. This will add definition to your buttocks and hip muscles.

Always make sure to face your toes forward and your feet right under your hips in the standing position.

• Take a wide step with your left or right leg, holding the other foot grounded to the floor.
• Place your foot on the floor before lowering your buttocks.
• Your lunged leg will be bowed, but your other leg will be straight out to the side of your body.
• Maintain a solid stance while you do this exercise.
• Pull your legs together and do the same thing on the other side.
• Perform 12 lunges on each side.

4. Back Kick Lunge

This back kick lunge primarily targets your hip flexors, quads, and glutes, and secondarily targets your calves, abs, and hamstrings.

• In a standing position, place your feet hip-width apart.
• Step forward with your right leg to lunge.
• As you return to the center position, kick your right leg backwards while squeezing your glutes.
• Come back to the starting stance and repeat using your left leg.
• Alternate right leg and left leg until you have performed 12 lunges on each side.

5. Curtsy Lunge

Curtsy lunges, also called crossover lunges, engage the side muscles of the butt, working your glutes and your abs.

Crossover lunges also aid in improving mobility and help to stabilize your tensor fasciae latae, your outer hip muscles and pelvic area.

This is a compound, full-weight bearing exercise that involves the hip joint, lower body, spine, ankles, and knee joints.

• Stand up straight with your feet together.
• Raise your left leg in front of your right leg.
• Perform a curtsy lunge using your left knee.
• Place your left foot in front of your right foot.
• Alternate sides and repeat 15 times per side.

6. Standing Side Leg Raises

Standing side leg raises are good for strengthening the side muscles of your buttocks and hips is imperative for reducing hip dips. You will also feel the stretch in your inner thigh.

Be sure to maintain controlled, smooth movements while keeping your body straight.

• First, stand with your right side against a chair, wall, or table while facing forward.
• Stabilize your right foot, lifting it slightly off the ground, relying on your right hand for support and balance.
• Breathe deeply and then slowly raise your right leg to your side.
• While exhaling, lower, and crossover with your left leg.
• Do 12 repetitions for each side.

7. Side-to-Side Squats

Another standing exercise is the side-to-side squat, which works the sides of your hips, legs, and backside. You need to keep your backside down low during this exercise.

Try to squat a little lower with each squat as you put your feet together. Instead of coming back up all the way, just come up a little bit.

• Stand with your feet close together
• Move into a squatting position.
• Step to the left with your left foot.
• When your right foot is in front of your leg, bring both feet together.
• Now, extend your right foot to the right.
• Cross your left leg to meet your right leg.
• Do 10 repetitions on each side.

8. Lying Leg Lifts

When you do lying leg raises, you are building your core and exercising your upper and lower abs, and enhancing your flexibility across your hip flexors and back extensors.

• Lying on your side (either side), align your body straight.
• Bend your elbow and use your hand to support your head.
• Place your opposite hand in front of your body on the floor for support.
• Slowly raise your leg (right or left according to which is on top) into the air.
• Now, lower your leg without bringing it all the way down to your other leg.
• Perform 20 repetitions for both sides.

9. Glute Bridges

The glute bridge exercise is for improving your posterior chain strength via hip extensions. This is a common exercise runners use to improve their running game and improve control of their pelvic area.

Glute bridges are known to build a strong core as it mostly targets the gluteus maximus (butt muscle). Your hamstrings will be engaged since this is a hip extension move.

• Lying on your back, bend your legs, and place your arms beside you.
• Spread out your feet wider than your hips.
• Breathe deeply and slowly as you raise your butt and hips.
• Lower yourself down as you exhale.
• Perform 15 repetitions, holding the final lift for at least 10 seconds.
• Finish by slowly spreading your legs apart and bringing them together 10 times.

10. Clamshells

You will be building your hips, glutes, and pelvic strength by doing clamshells.

It’s recommended that you use a light resistance band for more control and support, and to further strengthen the gluteus medius and minimus muscles.

• Wrap your light resistance band around your knees and lie on your side.
• Bend your knees, placing your feet right on top of each other.
• Now, rotate your upper knee to the ceiling, keeping your heels together.
• You should feel a pleasant and warm sensation in your butt muscles.
• Repeat for 10 repetitions or more, pausing for a second between each rotation.

11. Curtsy Step Down

The curtsy step down has some similarities with the curtsy lunge, except you get a broader range of motion from the step down. This engages the thighs and glutes.

• Stand on a bench or firm platform that can withstand your full weight.
• Engage your core while squeezing your glutes together.
• Take a step down off the platform/bench and cross your leg behind the other.
• Be deliberate and slow with this exercise, bending the knee you have on the bench/platform.
• Reverse this exercise and then return both feet onto the bench or platform after both feet have alternately touched the floor.
• Perform 8 to 10 repetitions on either side.

12. Leg Kickbacks

Performing leg kickbacks not only helps with hip dips, but is also a total body exercise for strengthening all the posterior chain muscles.

The primary target of this exercise includes the hamstrings and the glute muscles. The secondary focus is on the abs and shoulders.

More benefits of leg kickbacks include support for your lower back, a strong and engaged core, and you will get a butt lift from this.

• Put your body on the floor and get on all fours.
• Place your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips (aligned).
• Straighten your left or right leg out behind you, slowly raising it as high as you can go.
• Bring your leg back to the floor without touching the floor.
• During the final repetition, pulse your leg in short up and down movements 15 times before bringing it back to the floor.
• Perform 15 repetitions of this exercise on both sides.

13. Side Lunges

All lunges play a major role in building and strengthening the muscles around the buttocks and hips. This exercise also provides definition in these areas.

Side lunges work the whole leg to promote the same muscle-building and strengthening in the right places to diminish noticeable hip dips.

Step your right foot to the side while leaving your left foot for support.

• Place your foot on the floor before moving your butt down.
• Keep your left leg straight and right leg bowed.
• Keep your feet firmly rooted to the floor.
• Bring both feet together.
• Perform 12 repetitions for each side.

Hip Dip Surgery

It’s essential to know that plastic surgery for bone structure modification is still new to the cosmetic surgery sector.

Only if exercise doesn’t help reduce the appearance of hip dips should you consider surgery. What happens in hip dip surgery?

This surgical procedure is the only way to “fill in” your side hip dips. The procedure is called fat transfer surgery where liposuction and fat injection or fat grafting are used to remove fat from one area of the body and inject it into another area.

Surgeons also call this a Brazilian Butt Lift, or BBL, when fat transfer involves an injection. When fat transfer involves grafting fat onto the buttocks and hip areas, it’s called a Mini Brazilian Butt Lift, or Mini-BBL.

Are There Other Ways to Reduce the Appearance of Hip Dips?

When exercise doesn’t work, and you don’t want to undergo surgery for hip dips, you can hide violin hips with apparel and poses in photographs if it bothers you that much.

Apparel

For instance, peplum tops cover up the area where violin hips occur, fit and flare dresses are more flattering if you want to hide hip dips, and avoiding anything that’s too clingy across the hips will help.

Picture Posing

When posing for a picture, just push one hip out to your side, relax the muscles a bit, and then bend your hip joint, which will move your torso closer to your thigh. This pose will close the gap a little.

The above process is how influencer Danae Mercer hides hip dips.

Pointing one hip at the camera creates a dramatic effect while hiding violin hips. The other hip isn’t being seen since it’s out of the camera’s view. 

Remember that your body is built the way it is for a reason. People are not likely to notice your hip indentations as much as you think. 

Now you know how to get rid of hip dips with exercise, surgery, or without.