If you have tightness in your hips, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s super common for people to struggle with discomfort after prolonged periods of sitting or when first waking up in the morning. But it’s tough to know exactly how to loosen up, especially for guys who don’t consider “pigeon pose” and “happy baby” part of their daily vernacular.
That’s why we’re offering you “The Fix” for your achey hips, as physical therapist Daniel Giordano, DPT, PT, CSCS and Cameron Yuen, DPT, PT, CSCS, demo five stretches you can include in your daily routine to help with hip mobility.
5 Stretches for Better Hip Mobility
Also known as a spider stretch. While on your hands and feet, bring your right foot outside your right hand. While doing this, lift your other leg, squeeze your glutes, and feel the stretch on both sides of the hips. Do five of these on each side, pause, feel the stretch and switch.
You can do this coming directly out of your spider lunge. Coming down with one knee down on the ground and the other foot planted in front of you in a lunge pose. Push your hips forward and tighten that back glute with the leg that is down on the ground. Put your hands above your head to stretch the psoas muscle. Pause for a few seconds and switch. For people who spend the bulk of the day sitting, it’s really key that you’re targeting the anterior aspect of the hip. “We want to make sure that this area is mobile so that there’s less pressure on the anterior capsule of the hip,” says Giordano.
On your hands and feet, put your right foot outside the right hand. You can do a modified version by keeping your left knee on the ground. Tighten your left glute to stretch the anterior aspect and then drop your right elbow towards the ground, feeling the stretch on the back of the thigh. Rotate with your right arm up to the ceiling and follow your hand with your eyes to avoid stress on your neck. Be sure to tuck that bottom rib under and squeeze your shoulder blades as you do this. Drop down and rotate up five times on each side. Don’t worry about holding each rep for too long, you just want a temporary increase in the range of motion, an increase in blood flow and circulation, and to open up the mobility of your hips. Be sure to maintain that glute tightness throughout
- Inner Thigh Groin Stretch
This long adductor stretch is done with one knee on the ground with your hip directly over the knee and your hands on the floor. Extend one leg to the side with your foot flat on the ground and rock your hips backwards, so you feel the stretch on the inside of your thigh and inner groin (don’t rock all the way forward). For this active stretch, you’ll work both the adductor on one side while you target hip flexion on the other, trying to make sure that the joint is moving through the full range of motion without restrictions. Do this on each side five times.
- Posterior Capsule Stretch
On your hands and knees, cross one foot over the other and lean to the side, so you feel the stretch on the outside of your hip. If that proves challenging, move your back foot a bit more. Like the World’s Greatest Stretch, this active pose temporarily increases the range of motion, as well as blood flow and circulation. It also takes the pressure off the posterior capsule (the outside of your hip), as the name of this stretch implies. Switch sides.
“Those are my five favorite hip mobility exercises. You can do them as a flow as we did, or you can pick them out individually if those ones help you throughout the day,” Giordano says. “Be consistent, use them as much as you want. The better hip mobility we have, the better, your movement quality will be”
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