Our body contains one of the largest and most crucial joints, known as the hip. This joint is also very stable thanks to the muscles and ligaments that surround it. Its role in maintaining stability when standing, walking or running is of utmost importance, and its proper function plays an important role in reducing low back pain. Like other parts of the body, our hips are designed for movement, but our modern lifestyle often leads to prolonged periods of immobility in this area. If you spend many hours sitting every day, it is very likely that your hip mobility will be affected, resulting in weakened gluteal muscles and shortened hip flexors.
Therefore, in this article we are going to tell you which are the best hip flexibility exercises.
Improve hip mobility
Maintaining proper body posture depends on having adequate hip mobility. Additionally, this crucial attribute serves as a preventive measure against lower back and knee injuries, as well as relieving associated pain. Performing exercises aimed at improving hip mobility is beneficial for people who lead sedentary lifestyles, athletes, those facing mobility challenges and people looking to increase overall flexibility and mobility.
Both in our daily activities and in our sporting efforts, these exercises help us prevent injuries and improve performance. By promoting proper body alignment and stability, they effectively minimize the chances of experiencing back and leg discomfort or pain.
By activating and strengthening the hip muscles, we can improve both our stability and overall body balance. Besides, These exercises improve coordination and promote biomechanically efficient postures, which is especially beneficial for activities such as running, as it prevents a compromised and less energetic stride, as well as during squats.
For people who have a sedentary lifestyle or engage in minimal physical activity, Stretches and postures targeting the hip region can effectively relieve muscle stiffness and tension. This is especially beneficial for those who spend long periods of time sitting.
Hip stretches and postures
Couch Stretch
This stretching exercise is extremely comprehensive and highly efficient in its ability to relieve tension in the hip flexor region (iliopsoas) and improve flexibility of the back, trunk and hips. We need to incorporate this exercise into our regular training regimen, especially if we have a sedentary lifestyle that involves prolonged periods of sitting.
frog pose
The yoga pose known as “frog pose” is a popular position that involves stretching and opening the hips and inner thighs. This yoga pose Targets the core, hips and inner thighs, providing a comprehensive body workout. It engages the shoulders, lower back, hips and adductors, offering a holistic approach to strengthening and flexibility. By improving hip mobility and strengthening the back, it has the potential to relieve back pain and sciatica.
90/90 Hip Switch
The 90/90 Hip Switch is a popular exercise that involves changing hip positions in a controlled manner. Improving hip mobility, particularly in terms of rotation, is an incredibly valuable practice. The ability to rotate the hips is necessary for a multitude of everyday tasks, such as walking, dressing, bending and even various sports activities such as running and lifting weights. By performing this exercise, you can effectively achieve external and internal rotation of the hip, covering the entire range of motion.
pigeon pose
Pigeon Pose targets the hip flexors, glutes, and piriformis muscles, effectively improving hip mobility. Besides, Helps strengthen the muscles that support the hips and lower back. This particular pose offers relief from lower back pain and sciatica by lengthening the muscles and tendons surrounding the spine.
Bretzel Stretch
A very versatile exercise that targets multiple joints and promotes flexibility in the hip, knee, lumbar spine, lat and shoulder regions. This exercise effectively stretches several muscles, including the quadriceps, glutes, piriformis, transverse spinous muscles, and pectoralis major.
Strength exercises for the hip
Hip extension
The goal of this exercise is to target and strengthen the hamstrings, lumbar extensors, and gluteus maximus muscles. It is particularly beneficial for people who spend long periods sitting with their hips flexed.
hip flexion
During this activity, we focus on improving the strength of two key muscles: the iliopsoas and rectus abdominis. Considered among the most robust muscles in the human body, the hip flexors play a vital role in running mechanics and can greatly contribute to improving speed by increasing stride frequency. Consequently, it is crucial to not only prioritize stretching these muscles but also actively engage and strengthen them throughout their range of motion.
hip abduction
The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and piriformis muscles. The level of impact on each muscle will vary depending on the position of the backrest and the rotation of the hips during the exercise. To ensure optimal activation of the gluteus medius, it is recommended to externally rotate the legs while keeping the backrest in a horizontal position. It is important to consider people with trochanteritis, piriformis syndrome, and gluteus medius syndrome, and reduce range of motion if any discomfort arises to prevent symptoms from worsening.
hip adduction
The goal of this training is to improve the strength of the adductor longus, which It is used in sports that involve rapid changes in direction and speed, such as ball or racket sports.. These muscles are particularly vulnerable to injury due to the lateral movements involved in these activities.
leg press
During this exercise, we focus on strengthening the strength of the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteus maximus. This exercise It is very complete since it involves two joints simultaneously, the knee and the hip. It gives us the opportunity to target each leg independently, thus addressing any muscle asymmetry. It is essential to maintain proper alignment of the knees and hips throughout the movement, ensuring that they do not collapse or diverge. In the final position we must maintain a slight bend in the knees.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the best hip flexibility exercises.