Gain Flexibility in Your Hips

During routine exercise and a daily work schedule, hips are often overlooked. Unfortunately for people who work at a desk for hours a day, the hip muscles can be extremely tight, causing sciatica, lower back and knee pain. Stretching the piriformis muscle and hip flexors can help relieve tension and pain. The piriformis muscle is a pear shaped muscle that begins at the base of the spine and extends through the sciatic notch to the femur. The piriformis and other hip rotator muscles allow you to turn your legs outward and keep proper hip alignment. They also protect your knees and your back. You can keep these muscles working properly by incorporating hip stretches into your daily routine. See Step 1 below to start learning how to gain flexibility in your hips.

Steps

Seated Hip Stretch

  1. Sit on an exercise mat or soft, carpeted surface. Make sure you are wearing loose-fitting or elastic clothing for these stretches.
  2. Bend your knees out to the sides as though you were going to sit cross-legged. The outside of your legs should be flush with the floor at all times.
  3. Place the bottoms of your feet together and bring them toward your groin, on the floor, as much as possible.
  4. Sit up very straight and lean forward until you feel a stretch in the inner sides of your groin.
  5. Hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat. Increase the duration of the stretch as you become more flexible and are able to bend further forward.
    • This exercise is especially helpful to anyone training to do side or front splits.

Laying Hip Stretch

  1. Lay flat on your back on either an exercise mat or a weight bench. Your legs should both be as straight as you can get them.
  2. Bend your right leg, and then put both hands behind the back of your right thigh, near your knee.
  3. Pull your thigh in toward your chest.
  4. Hold your thigh in place for 10 to 30 seconds. Slowly return your right leg to the bent position.
  5. Gently straighten your right leg, and then bend your left leg. Repeat the stretch on your left side.
  6. Repeat the stretch 2 to 3 times, working toward holding the stretch for a longer period of time.

Kneeling Hip Stretch

  1. Kneel with your left leg on a pillow or cushioned mat on the ground. Your right leg will be in front of you, bent with your foot parallel to your hip.
  2. Flex your left buttock. The act of flexing this muscle will relax the hip flexor so it can be stretched. Place your hands on your right knee and keep your back straight.
  3. Move your right leg forward into a lunge position and keep your left knee on the pillow, allowing your left leg to stretch forward. Push gently off your right knee with your arms and keep your back straight. Keep your knee behind or in line with the ankle. Hold the lunge stretch for 10 to 30 seconds.
  4. Bring your right leg back to return to the neutral starting position. Bring the right knee in so that you are on your knees on the pillow, and then switch legs, bringing your left leg forward.
  5. Repeat the stretch twice on each side, holding for 10 to 30 seconds each time. Increase the duration of the stretch as your flexibility grows.

Standing Hip Stretch

  1. Find a table or bar that is at your hips' height. It should be a very sturdy table.
  2. Put your weight on your left leg and bend your right knee and place it on top of the table.
  3. Turn your right knee so that your right knee is in front of your right hip but your right foot is in front of your left hip. Your right leg should be at a 90 degree angle.
  4. Support yourself by placing both hands on the table to the side of your right knee and right foot. Stand up very straight.
  5. Exhale and slowly bend forward toward your right leg, while keeping your back straight. Keep your hips level and your left leg straight.
  6. Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, and then return to neutral position slowly. Switch legs and repeat with your left leg. Do this stretch twice on each side. As you gain flexibility, hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds.



Tips

  • Breathe deeply as you do the stretches, or your body will tense up, your blood pressure will increase and you will not feel the full benefit of the stretches.
  • Don't stretch too far. It's a common misconception that stretching your muscles more will make them more flexible. This just leads to injury. It's better to stretch for longer and do it more frequently, even if it's not a very intense stretch.
  • Pay attention to the tightness of your muscles. Each side is not equal, and you will likely find that 1 side is tighter than the other. Hold that stretch longer or do another repetition of each stretch on the tighter, weaker side to try to equalize the 2 sides.
  • While all stretches aim to increase flexibility in your muscles, stretches to increase flexibility differ in that they are held longer and more frequently in order to see a significant improvement in flexibility over time.
  • If you are doing these hip flexibility stretches in order to do the splits, by incorporating them with split stretches, you should be able to perform either side or front splits in 6 months to 2 years.

Warnings

  • While stretches will be mildly uncomfortable, they should not cause acute pain. If they are very painful, ease slowly out of the stretch.

Things You'll Need

  • Exercise mat
  • Pillow
  • Loose-fitting clothing
  • Sturdy table

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Sources and Citations

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