Do you find yourself sitting most of the day? Do you have any tightness or tension in your hips? When you go to workout do you feel sore before the workout? If you answered any of these questions with a “yes”, then chances are you aren’t taking the time out of your day to stretch your hip muscles.
Research shows that no matter how much you exercise, sitting for excessively long periods of time is a risk factor for health problems. It also can inhibit your exercise performance. For example, you can’t sit for eight hours at work and then get up and run five miles without it affecting your body. Today’s focus is on the muscles in the hips and what stretches & exercises you can do to lengthen and strengthen them.
Hip Flexors are a group of muscles near the top of your thighs that are key players in moving your lower body. They let you walk, kick, bend, and swivel your hips. The hip flexor muscles include:
- the iliacus and psoas major muscles, also known as your iliopsoas
- the rectus femoris, which is part of your quadriceps.
How do you know if you have tight hips? Tight hip flexor muscles can impact several other areas of your body, so you might have:
- Tightness or an ache in your lower back, especially when standing.
- Poor posture and difficulty standing up straight.
- Neck tightness and pain.
- Pain in the glutes.
Stretches to Loosen up Tight Hip Flexors
Pigeon Pose: On your hands and knees, pull the right knee forward. Bend it under your chest and stretch out the left leg behind you. Lay down on top of your bent knee as much as you can. With tight muscles, it may take some time before you can do this fully, so take it slowly.
Low Lunge: Perform a deep lunge with the right leg forward. Gently let the left knee rest on the ground and straighten that leg as much as possible. Hold a few seconds and repeat on the other side.
