Hip Stretches
These hip stretches will help open up the hips, leading to decreased injury, better posture, and increased performance.
The deeper muscles of the hips are often tight and neglected in most people. Don’t neglect your hips! All it takes is a few minutes of stretching after your workout to keep your hips open. Scroll down to learn more…
Just Look at All Those Little Muscles!
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
As you can see, the hip has many different supporting muscles that all work together and with larger muscles such as the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, to allow us to walk, run, jump, and squat.
The problem is, we modern people tend spend lots of time inactive, sitting in chairs. This is not what these structures are built for. As a result, some of these muscles get really tight and some go dormant.
These stretches will address the muscles that typically get really tight, potentially leading to hip, back, and knee problems, not to mention decreased athletic performance.
Hip Stretch Routine
I like to do these stretches after a workout involving any sort of lower body work.
Here is the sequence:
- Piriformis Stretch – 30 seconds each leg
- Adductor / Groin Stretch – 30 seconds for each stretch
- Hip Flexor / Psoas Stretch – 30 seconds each stretch
Click on each link for more detailed and illustrated instructions.
Take 2 or 3 minutes to do these stretches after your workout, and see how your mobility and performance improves!