Hips! Hips! Hips! One of the most important parts of your body that you need to maintain and keep that mobility flowing. Your hips are contracted every time you’re sitting, so if you work at a job where you are sitting down all the time - it is super important to look after them.
Working on hip mobility isn’t just for the sake of your hips, tight hips can actually trigger many other problems around your body, causing a domino effect. This means that having mobile, flexible hips are extremely important and critical for injury prevention and day-to-day movement.
We’ve put together a few stretches that you can do anywhere at any time to keep those hips going like a well oiled machine.
Stretch 1: Wide squat with shoulder dips
Benefits: Mobilises the hips, inner thighs, shoulders, and lower back
Looks like:
How to:
Begin in a wide second stance and bend your knees into a deep squat aiming to have your thighs horizontal to the floor.
Place your hands on your knees and ensure they are tracking in line with the middle toes.
Lower your right shoulder down in front of you as you rotate through the spine to face the left.
Return to centre and repeat with the left shoulder dipping and you rotating to the right.
Repeat, alternating sides for between 1 to 3 minutes.
Stretch 2: Half split
Benefits: Mobilises the hips, hamstrings, calves, and lower back
Looks like:
How to:
Begin in a lunge with your right foot forward and your left knee on the ground.
Place your hands on the floor on either side of your right foot under your shoulders
Then shift your hips back over your left knee and slowly straighten your right leg, flexing your foot and pulling your toes toward your shin.
Keep your back as straight as possible as you walk your hands forward and hinge at your hips until you feel a stretch in the back of your right leg.
Hold and breathe for 1 minute each side.
Stretch 3: Cross-Legged Forward Fold
Benefits: Mobilises the back, shoulders, hips, piriformis, knees and ankles
Looks like:
How to:
Sit cross-legged with your knees stacked over your ankles and relax your feet and thighs as much as you can.
Press your sit bones into the floor and then slowly walk your hands forward, hinging at your hips with your head and spine aligned.
Then round forward and allow your head to drop between your arms and rest your forehead on the mat.
Hold for 1 to 2 minutes
Change the cross of your legs halfway through.
Stretch 4: Lizard Lunge
Benefits: Mobilises the hamstrings, hip flexors, quads and lower back
Looks like:
How to:
Get into a push-up position with your head, hips and heels aligned.
Place your elbows directly underneath your shoulders and clasp your hands together.
Step your right foot up and outside your right elbow with your knee bent 90 degrees and your left leg straight.
Press down into your hands or elbows and right foot to partially support your weight. As your left hip flexor begins to relax, redistribute your weight and pressure appropriately to enhance the stretch.
Hold for 1 minute per side.
Stretch 5: Hip Flexor Stretch
Benefits: Mobilises the hips, and lengthens the Psoas.
Looks like:
How to:
Start in a kneeling lunge position with the right knee on the floor directly below the hip and the left foot in front.
Tilt the pelvis to the posterior, as if you are trying to bring your pubic bone closer to the belly button. This should initiate a stretch in the right hip flexor.
If you want to intensify the stretch, you can move the hips forward slightly without losing the posterior tilt. You can then raise the right arm to the ceiling.
Hold the stretch for 1 minute each side.
If you have time to read this post… you have time to do some daily hip mobility exercises!
You don’t have to do a full on yoga flow every day. It just takes a couple of minutes out of your day to give your hips some TLC. And the benefits for your entire body are worth it!
Get in touch with us if you have any questions, or if you want to give any of our classes a go!
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