How to Unlock your Hips (Best Hip Mobility Exercises)
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Have you ever seen a baby squat all the way to the ground? They have perfect ass-to-grass form. How do they do that? Well, the short answer is that they have not done anything to worsen their joint mobility.
As adults, most of us spend a large portion of our days sitting down. Whether we are sitting at a desk for work, driving, flying, or vegging out in front of the tv after a long day. This constant seated position is detrimental to our overall posture and mobility.
Hip mobility is an important function to maintain, especially if you are an active individual building strength in the gym. Poor hip mobility can lead to poor posture in many lifting movements (ex: squat, deadlift, lunges, etc.). And having poor posture with these movements can greatly increase the risk for injury.
Not only can poor hip mobility effect many movements in the gym, but also movements of daily life! For example, getting in and out of a car, picking up a child, going up large steps, squatting down to give your pet a kiss. These are things we may not think about while we are doing them, but repetitive movements with poor mobility can have lasting negative effects.
There are countless flexibility and mobility exercises available to target tight hips, but these are a few of my personal favorites that have exceptional success rates with my clients:
This is a great exercise to begin with, regardless of your current level of mobility. The goal of this exercise is to provide a light stretch to the joint capsule and promote joint fluid in your hip (basically like W-d 40 for your joints). This exercise is best done with a thick resistance band (like ROGUE and Theraband), but a towel can work okay when needed.
Begin by fastening the band to an anchor near the ground, then take a seat facing the band. Wrap the band around your ankle by placing the heal of your foot on the loop and cross the band over the top of your foot. Place a foam roller or yoga block under your leg just above the knee for support (a rolled up towel can also work), then scoot back as far as you can away from the band. This places a slight distraction at the hip. Then rotate your hip internally and externally while keeping your butt flat on the ground. You shouldn’t feel much more than maybe a light stretch in your hip. Use this video demonstration for reference.
This exercise is specifically designed to improve hip internal rotation. Again, this exercise is best completed with a thick resistance band (ROGUE and Theraband). Begin by anchoring the band to a sturdy structure at hip height. Step one foot through the band and bring the loop as close to the hip joint as possible. Stand perpendicular to the band anchor with feet about hip width apart. Take a small step away from the band to provide a little bit of resistance. Now, with the banded leg remaining stationary, rotate the opposite leg in front to make the letter “T” with your feet. Then step back to the starting position. Continue rotating back and forth, trying to rotate a little further with each repetition. Then repeat on the opposite hip. Use this video demonstration as a reference.
The first thing to know with this exercise, is that it may be very difficult and awkward to get into the first time you try it. Don’t worry, I promise it will get easier over time! The goal of this exercise is to simply create movement within the hip joint itself. This movement helps stretch out the joint capsule and promote joint fluid secretion.
Begin seated on the ground with your feet out in front of you, and hands on the ground behind you for support. Bring your left leg in front of you to make an “L” shape, then bring your right leg up behind your left, also making an “L” shape. You should now be seated with both hips and knees bent at a 90-degree angle as pictured. Now, while using your arms for support, slowly rotate towards the opposite side, keeping your feet in place and butt on the ground. Continue this motion back and forth for about 10 repetitions. Use this video demonstration as a reference.
Ideally, these exercises should be done at least three times a week. The best time to complete these exercises is before your workout as a warmup, and after as part of your cool down (along with static stretching).
It is always best to do your dynamic stretching and mobility before your workout, and static stretching after your workout.
We’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions about this topic, or related topics, please send BodyWork an email here: rebecca.bodywork@outlook.com