Tight hips are a common problem, especially for those who spend a lot of time sitting. As a writer, I’m definitely guilty of sitting too much, so I’m always on the lookout for lower-body stretching routines. But there are other ways to keep your hips healthy.
“Stretching is great, but to build a solid foundation for running [and other forms of exercise] we also need to strengthen [our hip muscles],” says ultramarathoner and medically qualified personal trainer Yana Strese (Running Yana on Instagram).
Strese recently shared a video of four hip-strengthening exercises — so I decided to roll out my yoga mat and give them a try. You’ll also need a resistance band if you want to try this at home.
Watch Yana Strese’s Hip Strengthening Routine
What I Learned From Yana Strese’s Hip Strengthening Exercises
I have been adding more stretching to my week and have seen some good results; my muscles are less sore and the range of motion around my joints is improving.
But Strese’s routine worked a little differently. Although my stretching sessions created a feeling of stretching, the hip strengthening exercises forced my muscles to work and brought some heat to the area.
The movements were great for recruiting underused muscles. During the hip flexor raise and abduction exercise, I could feel the muscles in and around the groin being brought into play rather than larger muscles in the thigh like the quadriceps and hamstrings.
Harry Bullmore is accompanied by his dog during his hip strengthening routine
(Image credit: Future / Harry Bullmore)
I found the routine genuinely challenging. The internally rotated squat (shown above, along with a curious dog who decided to join me) and shin stretch put hip strength, mobility, and coordination to the test.
I’ve only done this routine once, so I can’t confirm whether or not it has any long-term impact. What I can say is that it definitely challenged my hip flexors and would probably strengthen those muscles if I continued to do it regularly. For this reason, I will add these exercises to the end of my workouts
Importance of strong hips
Your body is designed to function as a cohesive unit, so tension, stiffness, or injury in one area often affects other parts of the body as well. Hips are no different.
Spending much of the day sitting leaves your hip flexor muscles underused, causing them to weaken and shorten. The result, in many cases, is pain and discomfort around the hips as well as the lower back.
This is because the hip flexors play a key role in stabilizing the spine and maintaining posture; So, if these muscles are weak and tight, they can affect the way you move and place excessive strain on your lower spine.
Strengthening your hip flexors compensates for this by improving your mobility, reducing the risk of back pain, and decreasing the chance of injury in this area.
If you want to flex your lower body after a long day at your desk, you can try doing a yoga routine for your hips. Or do a few targeted one-minute hip stretches throughout the day.
Need a new mat for your stretching routine? Our guide to the best yoga mats can help
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Image Source : www.fitandwell.com