HWN #007: 4 Tremendous Hip Stretches to Avoid Stiffness and Pain
Jul 29, 2023
In a world where we sit far too often (1 in 4 US adults sits 8+ hours a day!), improving hip mobility is critical for functional and pain-free movement.
I don't know if I would go as far as saying that sitting is the new smoking, but sitting has certainly become an issue in our world, leading to various issues.
As you can predict, having a tight muscle or group of muscles can impede full range of motion. Lack of full range of motion will lead to movement deficiencies, which can lead to a host of issues.
Therefore, it's important to understand that improving your hip mobility
will not only increase performancein all aspects of life, but can
also help preventlower back pain/injury and improve movement quality.
None of which does anyone want to deal with.
So today, I am sharing with you 4 tremendous hip mobility stretches so that you can feel and perform better.
Let's jump in!
4 Tremendous Stretches to Improve Hip Mobility
Here are my 4 favorite hip mobility stretches that everyone should be doing;
- Pigeon Stretch
- Spiderman Stretch
- 90/90 Hip Rotations
- Adductor Rocks
Pigeon Stretch
The Pigeon stretch targets the hips and the glutes, making it a great exercise to combat the effects of sitting for a long period of time.
The stretch is a great overall hip opener because it has a huge glute emphasis (front leg) with a great hip flexor/quad emphasis (back leg). It's important to maintain good posture (no rounding of the back) throughout the duration of the stretch.
I would recommend 30-60 seconds each side prior to exercise and on off days from the gym.
Here is a video of the Pigeon Stretch.
Spiderman Stretch
The Spiderman stretch targets the hip flexors and quads to improve hip flexion and well as hip external rotation and hamstrings. Without a doubt, the Spiderman stretch is one of the biggest bang for your buck stretches.
The stretch also has the added bonus of helping with thoracic spine mobility, something that is also needed by most in todays world due to excess sitting.
I would recommend 30-60 seconds each side prior to exercise and on off days from the gym.
Here is a video of the Spiderman Stretch.
90/90 Hip ER/IR
The 90/90 stretch is phenomenal for hip mobility. The 90/90 stretch targets many of the muscles surrounding the hip capsule, including your glutes, hip flexors, hip abductors, and adductors. It hits a lot!
The movement puts one hip in external rotation will simultaneously putting the other hip into internal rotation, allowing you to move more efficiently, both of which are extremely important for a properly functioning hip.
I would recommend 10 full rotations prior to exercise and on off days from the gym.
Here is a video of the 90/90 Hip Switch.
Adductor Rock
The Adductor Rock stretch is my favorite stretch to target the groin (adductors) as well as the medial portion of the hamstrings.
By simply rocking back (again, keep your back flat), the stretch will place a huge stretch on the groin of the leg kicked out (which should be straight --- I have trouble due to tight adductors).
I would recommend 5-8 rock backs on each side with a 5-10 second hold in the stretch position both prior to exercise and on off days from the gym.
Here is a video of the Adductor Rock.
In Summary
Improving hip mobility helps you improve performance, avoid injury, and live pain free, all of which is imperative to living a healthy life. Now you are armed with 4 tremendous stretches to improve hip mobility.
In health,
Craig
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