Our hips seem to always need a little more TLC. Whether you are working a desk job sitting down for long periods, or regularly hitting lower body in the gym (some of you are probably doing both!) the hips, glutes and lower back are probably needing some serious attention right?
If this is a resounding YES for you… read on!
In my last 5 years of personally training clients from all walks of life, it has become very apparent that our hips often get neglected in our training. They are more of an afterthought…
You may start to experience (or are experiencing) a tight or sore lower back, hips, glutes or hamstrings - in which you head to the Physio for them to tell you “you need to stretch and strengthen your hip flexors”.
To hopefully save you some of the time, energy and money with the above scenarios, here are a series of my favourite (and most effective) hip mobility and strengthening exercises.
Our hips seem to always need a little more TLC. Whether you are working a desk job sitting down for long periods, or regularly hitting lower body in the gym (some of you are probably doing both!) the hips, glutes and lower back are probably needing some serious attention right?
If this is a resounding YES for you… read on!
In my last 5 years of personally training clients from all walks of life, it has become very apparent that our hips often get neglected in our training. They are more of an afterthought…
You may start to experience (or are experiencing) a tight or sore lower back, hips, glutes or hamstrings - in which you head to the Physio for them to tell you “you need to stretch and strengthen your hip flexors”.
To hopefully save you some of the time, energy and money with the above scenarios, here are a series of my favourite (and most effective) hip mobility and strengthening exercises.
MOBILITY - forward lunge with rear foot elevated. First set yourself up in a 90 degree lunge position with both legs. Then using a ledge or other elevated surface, place your back foot on the ledge and try to push your knee as close to the ledge as you can. If you can, bring your upper body into an upright position. Otherwise a slight lean forward is okay too. You should feel a stretch through the front of the hip on the rear leg. This one is prescribed to a lot of runners. For the more experienced ‘stretcher’ gently push the hip of the kneeling leg out to the side for a cheeky ITB stretch.
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STRENGTH - Straight leg rainbow raises. In a seated upright position with legs extended straight out in front, the aim is to lift one leg straight up and out to the side a few inches, tap the ground and then rainbow it back to the starting position. All of this should be done while keeping the rest of the body still and upright (try not to lean back!)
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MOBILITY - 90/90 hip wipers - In a seated position extend the legs out in front of your body, feet flat on the floor and knees bent to about 90 degrees. (If this is sticky in the inside hip for you, you can do this in a laying position.) From here drop both knees to one side so they both land on the floor (your back knee should land just inside your front foot) Then lift the knees back through centre and drop to the other side. To make this harder try without using your hands, or also add the knee stand at the end of the movement.
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STRENGTH - 90/90 clam - in the same position as above (when both knees have fallen to one side) Try to lift the back knee a few inches off the floor without moving the rest of the body, then lower back to the floor. Aim for 2 sets of 10 reps each side.
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STRENGTH - 90/90 clam - in the same position as above (when both knees have fallen to one side) Try to lift the back knee a few inches off the floor without moving the rest of the body, then lower back to the floor. Aim for 2 sets of 10 reps each side.
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MOBILITY - Cobra with single frog leg. Come into a prone position and use your hands to push you up into a cobra position. Now bend one leg up and out to the side towards the same hand. If this is too much on the wrists or lower back, you can lay face down on the floor or come down onto your elbows. Stretch for 30-45s before moving to the other leg. Repeat x 2 each side.
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STRENGTH - Single leg stand with knee lift + leg extension. In a standing position, balance yourself on one leg. Now lift the opposite knee up towards your chest (while keeping a straight spine), then extend the leg as straight as you can while keeping the leg lifted. Bend the leg back in and lower back to the ground. Stay on one side for 10 reps then switch to the other side. Repeat x 2.
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I know hip strength and mobility can feel like a bit of a chore so I treat it as a primer for my workouts. It gets the hips, lower back and glutes warmed up for a strong workout! Start by adding in these exercises twice a week, it should only take about 10 minutes at a time.
If you have any questions or need further assistance with your training reach me at:
Website: www.haloeffect.com.au
Instagram: @thehaloeffect__