Tight Hips? Tips To Loosen Your Hip Flexors
What’s long and hard and as stiff as a plank of wood? Get your mind out of the gutter…I’m talking about your hip flexors. Tight g Hip p Flexors can be a big g problem, and so easy to get. In a previous post, Pain At The Desk, we saw how sitting down affects ff your hip flexors. f I know when I sit at the computer too long I tighten up very quickly, long, quickly and after a long flight from Down Under to Europe II’m m as tight as a drum.
Where Are Your Hip Flexors? The ‘Hip Flexors’ are a group of muscles that, well, flex the hip. There are quite a few muscles that actually flex the hip, hip but two that are specifically referred to as hip p flexors. The Illiopsoas p group g p consists of the Psoas and the Iliacus.
Both attach to the femur. However the psoas attaches to the lower back, back whereas the Iliacus attaches to your hipbone. p Sitting g down p puts these muscles in a shortened position, and as a result leaves them pretty tight. The Psoas attaches to the lower back, if it’s tight, it can pull your back forward, and d is i a common cause off back b k pain i
ď ś A tight hip flexor will also go a long way to inhibiting your bum bum, which means whatever work you are doing for it, you probably p y aren’t getting g g the desired results. No bum means you are susceptible to many more injuries, and have a lack off power in simple things such as walking.
What Can I Do To Loosen Them? Well there are a couple of ways to get Well, these babies loose again. Massage, Acupuncture Foam Rolling Acupuncture, Rolling, Self Massage are all great ways to loosen up your hip flexors. These should always y be accompanied with strength exercises and hip flexor stretches.
Exercises When you think of loosening a muscle, muscle stretching automatically comes to mind. However you can also loosen your hip However, flexors through exercises. It works by taking gy your muscles through g their range g of motion dynamically. I’ll outline some of my favourite exercises for loosening your hi hip flexors, fl there th are a few f more, and if you want to add your favourite, please leave a comment. comment
ď śOverhead Lunges ď śThis is possibly the best exercise you can do for opening up your hip flexors. It is basically a normal lunge lunge, but you hold a medicine ball, or a light plate above your head. Out stretch y your arms, keep p them straight, directly above your head, and complete the lunges.
ď śYou have something that is called fascia; it’s it s basically a sheath that runs over your muscles. Your fascia is a big issue in hip flexor tightness, g , and often when that is loosened, the muscle is too. Holding something above your head whilst lunging stretches this fascia f out, and you get the added hip flexor stretch.
ď śReverse Lunges ď śSame as a forward lunge, lunge but done in reverse! When you step back into the reverse lunge, lunge you are recruiting your bum. Recruiting your bum inhibits your hip p flexors, meaning g they y will relax. Stepping back straight away puts the hip flexors on stretch, and as you do the exercise, i you ttake k them th through th h a large l range of motion.
ď ś Overhead Squat ď ś Performing a squat whilst holding a bar overhead, opens up your hip area, and promotes hip flexor range of motion. When most people attempt this to start, the lower they get, the more they will want to bend forward. If you picture the hip flexors, they attach from the upper thigh, onto the lower back, if these are tight, as you try to get l lower, your hip hi fl flexors will ill pull ll you fforward. d By holding the bar above your head, you have to stay y up p straight, g , basically y lengthening g g your y hip flexors during a dynamic movement.
Hip Flexor Stretches Stretching is an obvious and essential way to loosen those babies. I’ve just taken a picture of my favourite stretch. I’m not sure if I made it up or where I got it from, but for now until someone tells me otherwise, I’ll claim it. it I often make up stretches just trying to pin point an area. Basically you get down on one knee,, stretch your y arms up, p, then try and touch your opposite hand to opposite foot behind you. Check these pictures to aid my terrible explanation. explanation
ď śIf you have tight hip flexors and suffer from hip pain pain, start adding these exercises and stretches into your workout,, and you y will see a difference. If you have some favourite exercises for loosening your hips, leave a comment and we’ll discuss them.
Self Massage Being able to stretch your hip flexors will loosen them a lot, but taking it one step further and releasing them manually will be even more effective. Use a combination of the two and y you can’t go g wrong. Hitting your Hip Flexors isn’t the easiest task, and takes a few little tricks. If you have h a tennis t i ball b ll att home, h then th you have the tools.
ď śLying on your stomach, you can place the tennis ball directly under your Psoas, Psoas which you will find about 1.5- 2 inches to the right g or left of y your belly y button. It helps to raise the ball up with a book, or something substituting as a block.
ď śYou should hold that position for at least 30 seconds seconds, or until you feel a release release. For more information on how to release all the muscles in y your hips p plus p many y many more, make sure you check out my new self releasing guide! ď śhttp://www.laurensfitness.com/