Unlock Your Hips: 7 Essential Moves to Relieve Tight Hip Flexors
At a Glance
Feel that nagging ache in your lower back after a day at your desk? Or maybe your hips just feel stiff and locked up, limiting your movement in workouts and everyday life. You're not alone. In our modern, chair-bound world, tight hip flexors are an epidemic, contributing to everything from poor posture to persistent pain.
Your hip flexors are a group of powerful muscles at the front of your hips, responsible for lifting your knees and bending at the waist. When we sit for prolonged periods, these muscles are held in a shortened, contracted state. Over time, they become tight and weak, pulling on the pelvis and leading to discomfort. The good news? You have the power to change this. With consistent, mindful movement, you can release tension, restore balance, and unlock a new level of freedom in your body. This guide will walk you through seven essential stretches and mobility exercises to get you started on your journey to happier, healthier hips.
High Knees
This isn't a static stretch, but a dynamic warm-up. High Knees activate and warm up the hip flexors, glutes, and core. By getting blood flowing to the area, you prepare the muscles for deeper stretching and reduce the risk of injury.
How to
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your core engaged.
- Begin by jogging in place, focusing on driving one knee up towards your chest as high as you comfortably can.
- Quickly switch legs, bringing the opposite knee up.
- Use your arms to help propel you, swinging them in opposition to your legs.
- Aim for a light, springy motion on the balls of your feet.
Watch Out
Leaning back too far to get the knees higher. Rounding the spine or letting the core disengage.
High Knees
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Dynamic Quad Stretch
This move actively stretches the quadriceps and the rectus femoris, a key hip flexor muscle that crosses both the hip and knee joints. Performing it dynamically improves mobility without the strain of a long, static hold.
How to
- Stand tall on one leg, engaging your core for balance.
- Grab the ankle of your other leg and gently pull your heel towards your glute.
- Feel a stretch in the front of your thigh and hip. Keep your knees close together.
- Hold for just a second or two, then release and switch legs.
- You can perform this standing in place or as a walking movement.
Watch Out
Arching the lower back to pull the heel closer. Letting the knee of the stretching leg flare out to the side.
Dynamic Quad Stretch
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Kneeling Psoas
This is a classic for a reason. It directly targets the psoas, one of the deepest and most powerful hip flexors. By stabilizing your body in a kneeling position, you can achieve a deep, effective release.
How to
- Start in a half-kneeling position, like a low lunge, with both knees bent at 90-degree angles.
- Engage your core and gently tuck your tailbone under (a posterior pelvic tilt). This is the key to the stretch.
- Without arching your back, gently press your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the back leg's hip.
- For a deeper stretch, raise the arm on the same side as your back leg straight up towards the ceiling.
Watch Out
Dumping into the low back by arching it instead of tucking the tailbone. Pushing the hips too far forward and losing the pelvic tilt.
Kneeling Psoas
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Lizard
Lizard Pose is a deep hip opener that provides an intense stretch for the hip flexor and quad of the back leg, while also opening the groin and hamstring of the front leg. It's a fantastic, multi-purpose pose for hip mobility.
How to
- From a low lunge position, place both hands on the floor to the inside of your front foot.
- Heel-toe your front foot out to the edge of your mat.
- You can stay here, pressing through your hands, or for a deeper stretch, lower down onto your forearms.
- Keep your back leg engaged if the knee is lifted, or let the knee rest on the mat.
Watch Out
Letting the front knee fall open too far. Rounding the upper back and collapsing in the chest.
Lizard
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Pigeon
While famous for stretching the glutes of the front leg, Pigeon Pose is also a phenomenal passive stretch for the psoas and hip flexors of the extended back leg. It allows you to relax into the stretch and let gravity do the work.
How to
- Start on your hands and knees. Bring your right knee forward and place it behind your right wrist.
- Angle your right shin so your foot is somewhere in front of your left hip. The shin does not need to be parallel to the front of the mat.
- Slide your left leg straight back, keeping your hips square to the front.
- You can stay upright on your hands or walk your hands forward and fold over your front leg.
Watch Out
Rolling onto the hip of the bent leg. Forcing the front shin to be parallel with the mat, which can strain the knee.
Pigeon
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Camel
Camel pose is a powerful front-body opener. It creates a deep stretch across the entire front line of your body, from your thighs, through your hip flexors and abdomen, and up into your chest. It's an excellent counter-pose to all the sitting we do.
How to
- Kneel on your mat with your knees hip-width apart and shins parallel.
- Place your hands on your lower back, fingers pointing down, as if you're putting them in back pockets.
- Inhale to lift and open your chest. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Begin to arch your upper back, keeping your hips pressed forward, stacked over your knees.
- You can stay here, or if it's accessible, reach back one hand at a time to grasp your heels.
Watch Out
Crunching the neck by letting the head fall back completely. Pushing the hips way back instead of keeping them over the knees.
Camel
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Kneeling Quad
This pose provides a very intense and targeted stretch for both the quadriceps and the hip flexors. Because you are actively pulling the leg, you have complete control over the intensity of the stretch.
How to
- Start in a stable low lunge with your back knee on the ground.
- Place your left hand on the floor or your left knee for support.
- Bend your back (right) knee and reach back with your right hand to grab your right foot or ankle.
- Gently pull your heel in towards your glute until you feel a deep stretch in the front of your right thigh and hip.
- Keep your chest lifted and core engaged.
Watch Out
Twisting the torso to grab the foot. Forcing the stretch and causing pain in the knee joint.
Kneeling Quad
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