Hip Aeroplane Exercise: Strengthen Your Low Back & Hips

When most people think about fixing their back pain, they jump straight to stretches or core exercises. But there’s one overlooked area that can make a huge difference - your hips.

That’s where an exercise called the hip aeroplane comes in. It’s perfect for improving hip mobility, stability, and balance, all of which directly affect how your lower back feels.

Why your hips matter for a healthy back

Your hips and lower back are very much connected. When your hips move well and stay strong, your lower back doesn’t have to overcompensate. But when your hips are stiff or unstable, your back ends up doing more work than it should.

And this can lead to pain.

The hip aeroplane works three key muscles that protect your back:

• Glute Max – your main powerhouse muscle in the buttocks.
• Glute Medius & Minimus – smaller muscles around the sides of your hips, that control stability and side-to-side movement.

When these muscles are strong and active, they take pressure off your spine during walking, standing, lifting, and twisting.

The full hip aeroplane exercise

The hip aeroplane is done by balancing on one leg, bending forward slightly, and rotating your hips in and out (internally and externally). You can put your arms out to the sides for balance if you need to (that’s where the idea of the aeroplane comes from).

To perform the exercise correctly, you need to make sure you’re in a balanced position. Rotate your hips fully outward (external rotation) while keeping your shoulders and hips in line.

Then rotate your hips fully inward (internal rotation), all the time keeping your knee soft, your back leg straight and your core engaged.

The aim is slow, controlled movement. No rush.

Take a look at the short video to see a live demo.

The hip aeroplane is brilliant for hip control, but unfortunately it’s not always easy for beginners.

You need:

• Good balance
• Strong hips
• Enough mobility to rotate smoothly

If you’re finding it tricky or wobbling all over the place, I recommend starting with simpler versions below and working up to the full movement.

Step 1: The static hip aeroplane (beginner friendly)

This is designed to help you get comfortable with the position.

1. Stand on one leg with a soft bend in the knee.
2. Lean forward slightly, keeping your back straight.
3. Make sure your hips stay level - don’t let one side drop or tilt.
4. Hold this position. Use your arms out to the sides if you need balance.

This will help your body learn the position and strengthens the stabilising muscles before adding movement.

Step 2: Add small movements

Once you feel steady holding the position, you can start adding gentle hip rotations.

You have two main options:

• External rotation first: rotate your hip so the pelvis opens outward, then return to the middle.
• Internal rotation first: rotate your hip so the pelvis turns inward, allowing your airborne leg to pass behind the other, then return to the middle.

You don’t need to do the full range of motion at the start, short movements are fine and then you can build up gradually to the full hip aeroplane above.

How does the hip aeroplane help your back?

The hip aeroplane isn’t about your lower back directly - it’s about making sure your hips become strong and mobile and are able to do their job properly.

This will help to:

• Improve your balance when standing and walking

• Take stress off your lumbar spine
• Support everyday movements like bending, twisting, and lifting

When your hips work better, your back doesn’t have to pick up the slack.

If you’re looking to build a resilient low back through functional, low-impact training this could be the part of the puzzle you’re missing.