Clamshells
Opening the knees on your side like a clam. Activates the hip abductors. It works mainly the hip abductors, with help from the glutes.
In Flawless, Gold, the third of eight ranks, starts at 10 reps in one set for men aged 23–39 and 8 for women.
How to do Clamshells
- Lie on your side with the knees bent to about 90 degrees, feet together and the hips stacked.
- Tuck the pelvis slightly and keep the top hip from rolling back.
- Lift the top knee as high as you can while the feet stay together, feeling the side of the glute work.
- Lower slowly and repeat; a band above the knees adds resistance once it gets easy.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Hip abductors | Gluteus medius |
| Secondary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Outer hip — the stabiliser nobody trains
- Keeps the knee tracking where it should
- Support for every single-leg movement
Rep standards for Clamshells
| Rank | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start |
| Silver | 5 | 4 |
| Gold | 10 | 8 |
| Platinum | 15 | 12 |
| Diamond | 20 | 16 |
| Obsidian | 25 | 20 |
| Painite | 30 | 24 |
| Antimatter | 50 | 40 |
Numbers are reps in one set, for ages 23–39.
Flawless ranks Clamshells by the most reps you managed in one set; the rank updates after every workout. Women’s limits are 20 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Clamshells work?
It works mainly the hip abductors, with help from the glutes.
How do you do Clamshells?
Lie on your side with the knees bent to about 90 degrees, feet together and the hips stacked. Tuck the pelvis slightly and keep the top hip from rolling back. Lift the top knee as high as you can while the feet stay together, feeling the side of the glute work. Lower slowly and repeat; a band above the knees adds resistance once it gets easy.
How many reps of Clamshells is good?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 10 reps in one set for men aged 23–39 and 8 for women, Diamond at 20 and 16.
Try it free
Free on Google Play and the App Store. The whole log is free; PRO is optional.