Exercise · mobility
Clamshell
Clamshell is a beginner-friendly mobility movement that trains glutes, hip_rotators, done with no equipment or a resistance band. It's an isolation-style movement — useful for targeted work once the bigger compound lifts are done. Typical rep range is 12–20 reps, tempo 1-1-2.
The most common mistake is rolling the hip backward to open wider. If no equipment or a resistance band or the movement itself doesn't suit you, Band lateral walk or Hip abduction machine or 90/90 hip stretch cover the same pattern. It doesn't carry a specific contraindication flag in this database, but form always matters more than load.
Form cues
| # | English | हिंदी |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lie on your side, knees bent, feet together | करवट लेटो, घुटने मुड़े, पैर साथ |
| 2 | Open the top knee like a clam, hips stay stacked | ऊपर वाला घुटना खोलो, कूल्हे पीछे मत घूमने दो |
| 3 | Pause at the top, lower slowly; add a band to progress | ऊपर रुको, धीरे नीचे, बैंड लगाओ तो कठिन |
Equipment & who it fits
Needs no equipment or a resistance band, rated beginner. Search "clamshell exercise glute" for a form video.
Substitutes
Programs that use this pattern
Questions people ask
- What muscles does Clamshell work?
- Clamshell primarily trains glutes, hip_rotators, using a mobility pattern with no equipment or a resistance band.
- What's the most common mistake with Clamshell?
- Rolling the hip backward to open wider
- What can I do instead of Clamshell?
- The closest substitutes in this database are band lateral walk, hip abduction machine, ninety ninety hip, which train the same pattern with different equipment.