Hip flexor tightness can be chronic and limiting. Hip flexors refer to a group of muscles in and around the hips that are key players to moving your legs and trunk. More specifically, these muscles function to flex the hip or bring your knee closer to your chest. I often see people constantly stretch their tight hips without getting any relief. That’s because often these tissues just need strengthening. While the stretching might feel good, it’s not going to produce lasting changes.
Here are some keys to help you fix your anterior hip tightness: Strengthen your hip flexors regularly, along with your glutes and other surrounding hip muscles. Perform regular hip mobility exercises, bringing your hips through a full range of motion as tolerated. Keep in mind that some stretching of the hip flexors is appropriate if it’s done properly and followed by plenty of strengthening.
These 3 exercises listed below will help you to tip the scales from tight and limited hip flexors to strong and high-performing hip flexors.
- Alternating Spiderman: This is a great catch-all mobility drill that especially targets your anterior hips. Shoot for 1-3 sets of 5-10 repetitions.
- 1-Leg Bridge w/ Tennis Ball: Targets hip flexor endurance by squeezing the tennis ball in place, as well as posterior hips and core from the bridge action. Shoot for 2-4 sets of 5-8 repetitions.
- KB Standing Sprinter w/ 3s Iso: Targets high hip flexor strength. Shoot for 2-4 sets of 6-12 repetitions.
As you perform these exercises, keep in mind that there is no one move that will resolve your hip tightness once and for all. The key here is to find the exercises and movements that work for you, and gradually progress them so you may continue to see results. If you are unsure of how to progress the exercises or if you want some more specific guidance, reach out to our team at TD Athlete’s Edge. Get started with our online training by filling out THIS intake form today!
