Trainer, author, and fitness model Kirk Charles, NASM-CPT CES, knows that as you get older, life can get more complicated. But that shouldn’t prevent you from being on top of your game. He’ll help to answer the tough training questions that come with age so you too can be Fit Beyond 40.
A few years ago I was in a stretch class led by a yoga teacher. He helped everyone individually, and although I had been working out a ton, I was having trouble with the hip stretches. That experience made me realize that you can be in great physical condition in some ways, but tight hips can still limit your activities and performance. The yoga teacher suggested I work on the half pigeon stretch to help unlock my hips. Since that time, it’s been one of my go-to stretches.
To do the stretch, get onto your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and feet hip-width apart. Bend your right knee and bring it forward to place it next to your right wrist, then lower your hip down to the ground. Your right shin should also be on the ground, with the bottom of your foot facing away from you. Extend your left leg all the way back behind you, and if you can, place the top of your left foot on the ground. From there, walk your hands out lower your torso down to the floor as low as you can go.
As you’re lowering yourself you will feel a stretch in your right hip. Ideally your left quad and knee should be flat on the floor. Your right leg should lie flat on the floor (on its side because your knee is bent underneath you) and you should be able to lower your chest down to your knee. After taking a few controlled breaths, shift your position to repeat the same steps using the other side of your body.
Getting into this position might be tough to start. Tightness in the hips makes it difficult to lower your torso to the floor, or even to sit with your legs flat against the ground. In that case, you can use an implement like a yoga block or even a couch cushion to support your weight. You can simply put the block under the glutes of your forward leg and sit on it. That elevates your hip so you don’t have to lower so deep into the stretch. This makes it easier to swing your right leg under and across your body and keep your left leg straight back in perfect alignment.
The half pigeon pose is a great stretch before or after any activity. I especially use it a lot to help loosen up my hips before running. Try 3 sets on each side of your body, and holding stretch for 30 seconds.
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