Have you ever found yourself wondering how you can stretch and strengthen your hip flexors? Well, we have the answer for you. There are quite a few stretches and exercises that can help you achieve this end goal.
Whether you’re looking to improve flexibility or generally improve your fitness, these stretches and exercises are going to boost your health. Pair them with a nutritious diet, and you’ll notice your mood improving as well.
This is because engaging in good exercise and consuming healthy food directly impacts how you feel.
What Are The Best Stretching Exercises For Hip Flexor
You can try out a couple of stretches and exercises to improve flexibility and reduce the potential of hurting your hips. Each activity serves a specific function: relaxing, strengthening, or stretching.
We recommend doing all of them, so you get the maximum output from your workout.
How To Relax Your Hip Flexors
The first type of stretches and exercises we’re discussing are ones that you can do to relax your hip flexors. It’s essential to do these exercises before any workout because they remove tension from your hips and make sure you don’t pull anything while making higher-intensity moves.
Let’s go through three of the best ones.
Seated Butterfly Stretch
The seated butterfly stretch is super easy and does wonders for relaxing your inner thighs and lower back in addition to your hips. You have to do the exercise on the top. It is preferable to have a yoga mat not to hurt yourself on the hard ground and have some cushioning.
Start by sitting cross-legged on the floor and aligning your hip, heart, and head; this means that you have to make sure these three parts of your body are in one line. In simpler terms, one might say, you need to sit straight. Keep your back straight and engage your abs.
Then bring your legs in front of you and push the soles of your feet together in front of you. Bending your legs at the knees will make a kite-like shape.
Pull your heels towards you and let your knees relax. Take deep breaths and allow your knees to inch closer to the floor after each breath. Hold this pose for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on whether you’re an amateur, intermediate, or expert trainee.
Pigeon Pose
The second way to relax your hips is through the pigeon pose. Start on a high plank. This is when you do a plank on your wrists instead of your elbows. Then lift your left foot and slide it forward, so your left knee is on the ground next to your right hand.
There isn’t an exact position for your foot; just make sure it is aligned with your knee and remains straight. The position changes from person to person depending on flexibility and experience.
While you’re doing this with your left limb, make sure your right leg stays in its position as far back as possible. Then, lower your body and move it towards the flow without compromising your form. Go as far as your body lets you.
Hold the position without letting your chest fall. Stay tall. Stop once you feel like you’ve relaxed your hips. Then repeat the position on the other side.
Bridges
The last way to relax your hips is through the bridge position. We’ve all done it during middle school in P.E. class. However, if you are not familiar with what a bridge looks like, let’s go through how you can do one.
Start by lying down on your back with your arms at your sides. Next, bend your knees with your feet on the floor. Pull them as close to your hips as you can.
Push your hips off the floor. Pressing into your heels can support and distribute your body’s weight evenly. Then move your arms towards the heels of your feet and press them into the floor. This will give extra support.
Stay in this position for a little while. Then come down and repeat the process a few times. Remember to breathe as you go into and come out of a bridge. Many people forget to do so, which can be very harmful.
How To Stretch Thigh Muscles
Stretching is quite similar to relaxing your hip flexors. Most stretches and exercises that reach one end goal achieve the other as well; this means that doing the seated butterfly stretch relaxes and stretches your hip flexors. The same applies to the pigeon pose and bridges.
How To Loosen And Strengthen Hip Flexors
The last type of stretches and exercises we’re going over can strengthen your hips. These popular exercises can also stretch and strengthen your Hip Flexors.
I personally use these exercises to stretch and strengthen my Hip Flexors for running.
Lunges
First, we’re looking at lunges. These are straightforward exercises. All you need to do is stand straight, look ahead and then take a big step forward. Next, bend your extended leg from the knee and focus all your weight on that leg.
Keep lowering yourself until your knee is right above the ground. It’s essential to make sure your alignment is correct. The extended leg’s knee should be right above its ankle.
Then step back into a standing position and repeat the exercise with your other leg. Continue several times while alternating legs. One set can be anywhere from 5 to 20 lunges per leg. As a beginner, stick to one set. You can increase this number as you exercise more regularly.
Mountain Climbers
Start by doing a high plank and pulling your right leg towards your chest. Then, push it back out and pull in your right leg. Continue doing this at whatever pace is comfortable 10 to 20 times. You can start slow and pick up the pace as you continue.
This is the highest intensity exercise in our list of stretches and exercises, so we’d recommend doing it at the end. Good luck with your workout!
Stretch and Strengthen Your Hip Flexors – Wrap Up
I find if I don’t stretch my hip flexors before a high-intensity cardio workout like running I will be so sore the next day. I’ve hobbled around for two days recovering from a long run or the first run in a while.
I never realized how much I use my hips in bodyweight exercises at home or in cardio exercises. Until your body lets you know the next day. Please follow this advice in this article and don’t find out the hard way the next day when you are suffering.
Take care to stay hydrated, stretch and strengthen your Hip Flexors before working out at home or at the gym.