Hey loves,

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered why your hips don’t have the perfectly smooth curve you see online?

You train hard, grow your glutes, and still notice an inward curve between your waist and thighs.

We, as a society have an obsession with “perfect” hourglass proportions. Social media has somehow turned a normal anatomical feature into something women feel they need to correct.

The difference between changing your physique and fighting your anatomy is huge. You cannot fight your bone composition but you can work your way around it.

The purpose of the article is to understand hip dips scientifically and to learn what training can realistically do.

What Exactly Are Hip Dips?

Hip dips are the inward curve below the hip bone and above the upper thigh.

Common names for it are:

• Hip dips
• Violin hips
• Trochanteric depression

Contrary to popular belief, these are not caused by being “too skinny” nor are they caused by some type of imbalance or lack, they simply exist as part of your anatomy.

Your silhouette is created by three major factors:

1. Bone structure
2. Fat distribution
3. Muscle development

The Anatomy Behind Hip Dips

Let’s do a deep dive into anatomy:

The Pelvis

The width and shape of your pelvis influence your hip contour. Specifically, the distance between your iliac crest (top of your hip bone) and greater trochanter (upper femur) affects the appearance of the dip.

The Femur

Your femur angle and hip placement vary between individuals. The shape of your upper thigh bone changes how the hip area transitions.

Genetics

Two women at the same body fat percentage can have completely different hip shapes.

Some people naturally have rounder hips while others have more visible indentations. It just depends on your genetics, it isn’t something bad or lacking, social media and the beauty industry just branded it a flaw.

You cannot out-train your skeleton but you can build the muscles around it. This is the best part of strength training, you can create certain illusions by working the upper glutes for instance.

Why Social Media Makes Hip Dips Look Like a “Problem”

A lot of social media is simply posing tricks, lighting, camera angles, body fat manipulation and editing/filters.

Many “perfect” hourglass bodies still have hip dips in natural positions. It is completely normal for the contours to show and that’s definitely not something to be ashamed of.

Fitness influencers often show their best angles, not their everyday anatomy. When I post my fitness content for instance, I always try to get my best angle for my glutes, I wouldn’t post something where they look off.

It’s human nature, we want to showcase our best selves to the world so why would we be seeing all angles of influencers or fitness models?

The goal of strength training is not to erase your structure, it is to enhance what you already have.

Can You Actually Reduce the Appearance of Hip Dips?

What you cannot change:

• Pelvic shape
• Femur structure
• Bone width
• Natural attachment points

What you can influence:

• Glute muscle size
• Side glute development
• Overall proportions

Muscle can “fill out” the area by increasing surrounding tissue. For instance, if one were to train their gluteus medius and maximus, they can create a shelf look that pushes the contours outward rather than inward.

That volume alone could create a fuller hip appearance.

The Gluteus maximus is responsible for overall projection and roundness. The Gluteus medius is responsible for upper/side hip fullness.

Finally the Gluteus minimus contributes to hip stability. Here are the best exercises for each:

Gluteus Maximus:

Best exercises:
Hip Thrusts
Barbell Glute Bridges
Romanian Deadlifts
Deficit Reverse Lunges
Bulgarian Split Squats (glute bias)
Cable Kickbacks
Step Ups (high box, controlled)
Frog Pumps
Squat Variations with a glute focus

Gluteus Medius:

Hip Abduction Machine
Banded Lateral Walks
Standing Cable Hip Abductions
Side-Lying Leg Raises
Curtsy Lunges
Single-Leg Hip Thrusts
Banded Squats
Lateral Step Ups

Gluteus Minimus:

Cable Hip Abductions (slightly forward angle)
Side Plank Hip Abductions
Clamshells
Banded Hip External Rotations
Single-Leg Exercises
Lateral Band Walks
Standing Hip Circles

The Best Training Approach for Building Rounder Hips

In general, your glute program will need multiple movement patterns.

1. Hip Extension Movements

• Hip thrusts
• Glute bridges
• Romanian deadlifts

Their purpose is to build glute max and to create projection.

2. Hip Abduction Movements

• Machine hip abductions
• Cable abductions
• Banded abductions

Their purpose is to target the glute medius and to improve upper/side fullness.

3. Unilateral Exercises

• Bulgarian split squats
• Step-ups
• Single-leg presses

Their purpose is to correct imbalances and to build a complete lower-body shape.

What is important is also progressive overload, training close to failure and having adequate recovery.

Common Mistakes Women Make When Trying to “Fix” Hip Dips

Mistake #1: Doing endless side leg raises without progression

Activation is not the same as growth, muscle needs increasing challenge in order to grow.

Mistake #2: Only training glute medius

A round shape comes from overall glute development not just overtraining one part of the muscle.

Mistake #3: Excessive dieting

Losing too much body fat can sometimes make hip dips more visible as the fat is no longer cushioning that particular area.

Mistake #4: Comparing yourself to edited images

Comparison is the thief of joy. Furthermore, anatomy differs from person to person.

How Long Does It Take to Build Rounder Hips?

Beginner gains are much quicker than advanced lifters. It’s going to require consistency over months and years for the muscle to actually grow.

Genetics also influence the rate of change with certain bodies being more prone to muscle growth than others.

Make sure to take measurements, use progress photos and follow strength progression.

Your Shape Is a Starting Point, Not a Problem

Hip dips are anatomy, not a flaw. Strength training is about enhancement, not correction. You don’t need a different skeleton to have a beautiful physique

Building muscle allows you to create your strongest, most confident version of your natural shape

Your body was never the problem, the expectation that every body should have the same blueprint was.

I hope that you enjoyed this blog post on The Anatomy of Hip Dips: The Truth About Building Rounder Hips, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments section below!