Tag: Hip Stretch

Wall Straddle Stretch Hip Mobility Exercise

Hip Adductor Stretches

How to do the best hip adductor stretches to decrease knee and hip pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercises to improve flexibility! Open your tight hips to prevent knee caving during wide stance Squats and Sumo Deadlifts!

Wall Splits
Wall Squat

Wall Splits

Purpose:

Improve Hip Abduction
Improve Hip External Rotation

Focus:

Hip Abduction (Adductors/ Inner Thigh Muscles)

Lay on one side with your hips flexed 90 degrees and legs extended, close to a wall.
Scoot yourself up towards the wall so that you are sitting against it sideways.
Raising your legs, rotate so that you are sitting against the wall with your legs directly over your hips and back pressed into the floor.
While keeping your back pressed into the ground and legs fully extended, allow them to slide down the wall in opposing directions until you feel a stretch in your inner thighs.
Relax into this position, allowing your legs to fall as far as they can.
To increase the stretch, flex your glutes to abduct your legs further or use contract and relax techniques.

Wall Squat Hip Stretch

Purpose:

Improve Squat Mobility
Improve Hip Flexion
Improve Leg Abduction

Focus:

Hip Flexion (Upper Hamstrings)

Lay on your back about 6 inches from a solid wall (avoid drywall).
Place your feet flat against the wall in your squat stance while still staying relaxed with no stretch.
Before you begin, brace your core and press your spine into the ground so that you lay completely flat with your hips down throughout the stretch.
To begin, start walking your feet down the wall slowly until you no longer can without assistance from your hands.
In this position, you can press into the wall to increase the stretch or use your arms to press your knees out farther.
Next, use your hands to assist in pulling your feet down lower on the wall or reset closer to the wall.
Your feet should always be flat against the wall.

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Weightlifting Hip Flexor Warm-Up Exercise

Hip Flexor Warm-Up Exercise

How to do the exaggerated lunge hip flexor warm-up exercise to decrease knee and hip pain before Olympic Weightlifting!

Purpose:

Improve Hip Extension
Strengthen Hip Extended Positioning

Focus:

Hip Extension (Hip Flexors)

How To Do The Exaggerated Lunge Stretch

While keeping your hips square, place one foot on a raised surface (12-20 inches high) in front of you and the other behind you.
Keep your front foot pointed forward and slightly internally rotate your back foot as you extend your leg behind you.
Keep your torso vertical, core braced and tension on your rear glute as you bend your front knee to initiate the stretch.
When you feel the tension in your hip flexor, hold that position.
To increase the stretch you can flex your glute to further press your hips forward or flex and extend your posterior knee slightly to find other tense positions to hold.

View our Complete Warm-Up Guide for more!

Learn how to decrease pain, improve performance and prevent injury with mobility exercises specific to your workout!

Be ready for any workout in 15 minutes or less!

Learn more!

Learn How To Use A Foam Roller!

All Mobility Exercises >>

hip Flexor quad Couch Stretch Mobility 5

The Couch Hip Flexor Stretch

How to do the Couch Hip Flexor stretch to decrease knee and hip pain, fast! The best, simple at-home mobility stretching exercise to improve flexibility!

The Best Hip Flexor Mobility Exercise

Purpose:

Increase Hip Extension
Increase Knee Flexion

Focus:

Hip Extension (Hip Flexors)
Knee Flexion (Quadriceps)

The Couch Stretch is one of the most important mobilization exercises for anyone who needs the proper hip function for their sport.

It was originally named for its ability to easily be done on a couch. Ironically, sitting for long periods is also what causes the need for the Couch Stretch.

When you sit for long periods your hip flexor muscles become shortened and tight. This decreases your overall hip function and is especially problematic for those looking to run faster, jump higher, and deadlift more as it affects these movements directly through decreased hip extension power.

Improper hip extension can have an effect on all other areas of the hip complex, legs, and lower spinal column. By practicing the Couch Stretch you can regain normal hip range of motion, and will be able to better utilize your hips for power and stability.

The two levels of the Couch Stretch are meant to focus on separate areas of the anterior hip-leg connection.

*Level two can only be performed safely will proper level one range of motion.

The Couch Hip Flexor Stretch – Level 1

Focus:

Hip Extension (Hip Flexors)

hip Flexor quad Couch Stretch Mobility 6

hip Flexor quad Couch Stretch Mobility 7

hip Flexor quad Couch Stretch Mobility 8

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hip Flexor quad Couch Stretch Mobility 1

hip Flexor quad Couch Stretch Mobility 2

Begin on your hands and knees in front of a raised surface, in which your foot can dorsiflex over.
First, place one foot over the raised surface or flat against a wall and then set the other foot in front of you near your hands. Ensure that your hips stay in line with your shoulders as you flex forward.
Initiate the stretch by flexing your raised leg’s glute to push your hips forward slightly.
With control, flex in and out of the stretch holding for at least 2 seconds in each position.
To further increase the stretch, place your opposite hand on your raised knee and rotate away from the stretched leg while maintaining tension on your glute.
For an increased stretch, maintain a neutral spine and raise your torso until it is vertical.
From here you can shift slightly forward and back to increase the stretch. Maintain tension on your glute.

The Couch Hip Flexor Stretch – Level 2:

Focus:

Hip Extension (Hip Flexors)
Knee Flexion (Quadriceps)

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hip Flexor quad Couch Stretch Mobility 4

Begin on your hands and knees with your feet placed flat against a wall behind you.
First, set one knee in the corner of the wall, with your shin vertical, and place the other foot out in front of you near your hands.
Then, push your hips back against your raised foot and then extend your torso against the wall while maintaining tension on your glute.
Lean forward and back under control, while holding each tense position for at least 2 seconds.
To further increase the stretch, maintain a vertical torso and neutral spine as you push your hips forward.

Note: If you feel tingling, burning, aching or any unnatural sensation stop immediately and reset or move to an easier mobilization exercise.