Like all things in our bodies, hips fall victim to the reality that we sit WAY too much in our daily lives. Sitting has consequences to hip mobility by tightening and even shortening the muscles around our hips. Fear not these hip stretches will help sort that.
Coupled with inactivity or over training is our lack of stretching and warming up when it is time to use our hips for exercise or sport. Tight hips can cause low back pain, IT band syndrome, torn labrums, and the big one… misalignment.
Practising Yoga is a wonderful way to make flexibility and mobility a dedicated practice. If you cannot dedicate time to doing a yoga class then from our friends at Fabletics, here are five of our favourite hip stretches that will not only make you feel better but perform better as well.
5 HIP STRETCHES TO BOOST MOBILITY
1. HALF PIGEON STRETCH
Begin in a Downward facing Dog. Reach your Left leg up behind you. In a sweeping motion bring your left foot to the inside of your right wrist. The left knee should be as close to the left wrist as possible. The outside of the shin should be flat on the floor. Drop the right knee to the floor and tuck your toes under. Engage the core and keep the chest upright. Hold this position for at least 1 minute per side.
Pro Tip: Rotate the torso towards the hip being stretched and then walk the hands around to the opposite side to hit all the sticky corners in the pelvis.
2. 90/90 INTERNAL ROTATION STRETCH
Start this stretch with one leg bent at 90 degrees in front of you. The shin should be perpendicular to the torso. The back leg will also be bent at 90 degrees with the quad and knee in line with the torso. The goal is to put both butt cheeks on the floor and hold. You will feel a stretch through the glute on the front leg and the Hip Flexor and TFL on the back leg. Hold for 1 minute and then simply rotate the legs and torso over to the opposite side.
3. PIRIFORMIS STRETCH
The little Piriformus muscle group allows the pelvis to rotate . It contains small muscles but very important for good range of motion. Begin in seated position with the legs in front of the body. Cross one leg over the other and pull the heel of the foot as close as possible to the body. The foot should be flat on the floor. Rotate the torso toward the leg that is crossed. Trap the leg with the opposite elbow or forearm. Keep the chest upright and core tight as you elongate the spine and rotate more and more with each breath.
4. SAMSON LUNGE
This is a great stretch to do daily, especially if you are a runner as it is likely you’ll be using those hip flexors a lot.
Begin in a lunge position with the front knee over the front ankle. Drop the back knee to the floor and tuck the toes under. The shin of the back leg should be as close to the floor as possible. Interlace the fingers over the top of the head and shrug the shoulders up to the ears. While Elongating the spine, reach up and over the body away from the back leg. You will feel a stretch through the hip and oblique.
5. SIDE PLANK LEG LIFTS
Stretching the hips is important but so is making sure you are strengthening them as well. This exercise is great in your warm up routine to help activate the muscles of the hip and core.
Begin in a side plank with shoulder stacked over the elbow. Ensure that the elbow is perpendicular to the body and the hips are perpendicular to the floor. Stack the feet on top of one another and bridge the hips up to ensure a straight line down the body. Keep the top foot turned inward and the toes flexed, and slowly raise the leg up. Hold the position for 2 seconds. Lower the leg and repeat for a total of 10 repetitions. Switch sides. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps on each side for optimal activation and strengthening.
Now that you’re feeling limber and well stretched, it’s time to lock in your Tough Mudder adventure. See you in the mud.
