Hip Flexor Stretches: Know the Why and How

A hip flexor is a set of muscles on both sides of your body. The movement of your lower body is dependent on the hip flexors. This includes the rectus femoris, psoas, and sartorius muscles. This set of muscles helps move our hips and lift the knees. Because it is such an important part of the body that governs a large amount of motion, it is important to eventually stretch the area. A good hip flexor stretch will help you feel better and might reduce any pain in that region. The hip flexor stretches are very beneficial if we add them to our daily workout session. If you practice yoga, various asanas can help you stretch your hip flexor muscles.

If you are a dancer or a professional who requires flexibility in the body, a hip flexor is one of the most important parts of the body that you should consider stretching. Even if you are not a very active person, you can still do a few stretching exercises daily. This will strengthen the lower part of the body. There are many cases where we feel our hips being tighter and unrelaxed. In such situations, stretching can help relieve any muscle tension. It is encouraged to do these scratches every day, no matter your age group. It also has a long-term benefits and will provide better posture even when you get old. More about the anatomy and function of hip flexors can be viewed in the study by NCBI.

Benefits of Flexor Stretches

The hip flexor muscles are responsible for our locomotion ability. It helps our lower body and gives the freedom of movement. The more movement you can do with the lower body, the better stretches you can do, and the more strength it becomes. The importance of stretching the hip flexors can also be seen in the study by NCBI.

There are several benefits to practicing hip flexor stretches. We have mentioned some of the benefits here. A few of the benefits are as follows:

1. Helps improve posture

The pelvic tilt of the body is useful in determining the posture of the body. Since the hip flexor muscles directly control the lower body, it has a significant role in the body posture you have. Due to excessive sitting or being inclined to stand for a long time, this pelvic tilt shifts in a particular direction. This forms a kind of posture and does not keep your body straight.

To correct the pelvic tilt, it is important to help flexor stretches. It helps the pelvic region return to its original position and improves the body posture.

2. Increases flexibility

Stretching helps you loosen the muscles. The hip flexor muscles determine the movement of the lower body. If you stretch your hip flexors it will keep the muscles loose and will help improve flexibility in the pelvic area, hips, and upper thighs. The range of leg movement will increase. You will be able to visibly note the changes in your flexibility.

The split performed by many dancers is only possible by stretching the flexor muscles. And anyone who has attained the required range of motion and does a split with no difficulty. All you need to do is practice your stretch every day.

3. Helps improve hip mobility

The hips require a wide range of movements every day. Even if you are not an active person, you are required to walk, and sometimes run, or climb the stairs. The hip flexor governs all these movements. Stretching the hip flexor muscles helps ensure your hips stay healthy and provide a full range of motion.

4. Helps alleviate pain

If you ever feel stiffness or soreness in your hip flexor, it will be resolved by stretching. Many times a muscle gets pulled due to some activity, in such cases stretching the region relieves the pain to a large extent. Hip flexor stretches will help you decrease the hip flexor strain and alleviate back and hip pain.

5. Keeps your lower body stronger even after aging

As we age, our body becomes weak. It is said that in old age the body is the result of how you treated it at a young age. It is advised to exercise every day and lead a healthy life so that the body becomes strong. The stronger you make your body, the better it will remain as you age. It will help you keep a good body posture and provide the strength to walk as you age.

Types of Flexer Stretches

There are various flexor stretches. According to the research by NCBI, hip flexor stretches contribute to the lengthening of the hip flexor muscle. We will discuss 10 stretches in this article.

Easy at-home stretches

Here we have a few simple exercises that you can practice at home, on a flat surface. This is for those who are not very involved in daily exercise. You need to be able to perform a minimum of these exercises. These are very basic and need no special equipment. Try to do these exercises, once you have mastered these, you can move on to the more advanced stretches mentioned in the next list.

1. Bridge exercise

This is a very easy exercise. Follow the below steps to carry out this exercise.

Lie down on the floor with your back.
Fold your legs, so the knees are facing upwards.
Keep your hands straight on the ground.
Place your arms in a palm-down position, near your hips.
Gradually lift your hips with the help of your legs and take a little support from your palms.
Once the hips are at their maximum position, slowly bring it back to the floor.
Repeat this for 10 counts.

2. Kneeling stretch

Steps for Kneeling stretch are as follows:

Come to a kneel-down position.
Place your left knee on the floor.
The right foot needs to be ahead of the left knee, touching the floor.
Make sure that the right knee makes a 90-degree angle, and that your upper body is straight.
Place your hands on your waist. This will help you form the balance.
Do this on both sides, reapest for 10 counts on each side.

3. Standing lunge stretch

This exercise is similar to the previous one. The only difference is that the knee should not touch the ground. The steps for the exercise are as follows:

Stand straight by keeping your arms on your waist, as in the previous stretch.
Put your right leg forward.
Bend the right knee so that it makes a 90-degree angle.
Make sure to keep your left leg straight during this stretch.
This stretch will also help you improve your balance.
Repeat the stretch for 10 counts on each side.

4. Side-lying stretch

You can do this exercise even on your bed. It is a simple exercise to improve the side hip muscles. The steps are:

Lie down on one side of the body.
If you are lying on the left side keep the forearm straight on the ground with the palm facing down.
Keep your body straight, do not bend any part of the body.
During this stretch, only your left arm and leg will touch the floor, and your head needs to be in the air.
Fold the right knee.
Grab the right foot with your right hand and give it a nice stretch for 5-10 seconds.
Repeat this 10 times on both sides.

5. Butterfly Stretch

If you are new to stretching, this might be a bit difficult for you. But this is also one of the best stretching exercises. It is advised to follow this exercise every day. This can be done on any smooth surface. The instructions are as follows:

Sit straight with your legs stretched in front.
Pull your left leg so that the foot comes to the middle part of your body.
Stretch the left knee towards the left side.
Simultaneously, do the same for the right leg.
Make sure that the sole of both feet is pressed against each other.
Now for the stretch, push your both knees towards the floor.
The more you can push, the more flexible you get.
The target is to touch both knees to the ground.
Hold the maximum stretched position for 7 to 10 seconds.
Repeat the stretch 10 times.

For active workout

The above stretch routine is for those people who are very inactive in their daily life. This set of workout stretches is for more advanced people, who are generally physically active. Even if you do not have an active workout plan yet, it is suggested that you can try these exercises. If it is doable, it is best to continue with these. It will help you keep healthy.

1. Mountain Climbers

If you are an active person, you might already know about this exercise. This is widely practiced in gyms and is a very helpful exercise. It not only improves the hip muscles but also helps improve the core muscles. This can be done as a part of cardio in your daily workout session. The instructions you need to follow for the exercise are as follows.

Lie down straight on the ground on your belly side.
Place the palms parallel to your shoulders on the ground.
Lift your body to form a parallel with the ground.
And come up to your toes.
You need to make sure that your elbows and knees are straight.
Now bring your right knee towards your right elbow.
Try to bring the leg as close as possible, keeping your feet in the air.
Bring back the right leg, with the toes on the floor.
Do this for the left side as well.
Repeat this for 15 counts.

2. Jump Lunge exercise

Lunges are performed in the standing position. In a simple lunge, we just take our leg forward, bend down and go back up. We continue this for both sides. For a jump lunge exercise, we need to jump every time we come back up. Follow the below steps to carry out this exercise properly.

Keep your palms on your waist. This helps you keep balance.
Take your right leg forward.
Bend down to form a 90-degree on the right knee, keeping the left leg straight.
After bending down, while getting back up you need to push your body upwards.
Take a jump and swap your legs while in the air.
Now repeat the same for the left side.
Repeat this exercise for 10 counts each.

3. Kneeling Side Kick

The exercise will give the best outcome if you do it with bands. Bands provide resistance which makes you apply more effort to the stretch. If you have bands, it is best to use them. Although, you can also do this stretch without bands. Let us look at the procedure for the stretch.

Lie down on your left side.
Keeping your left palm and your left knee on the floor, raise your body.
Keep your back straight
Put your right hand on the back of your head.
Keep your right leg straight.
If you are using the band, place the band above your knee, tying both legs together.
Now push your right leg upwards, keeping it straight.
Repeat this for 15 counts and then switch to the left side.

4. Bulgarian Split squats

This stretch not only helps you strengthen your hip flexors but also provides stretch to the glutes, and calves. For this exercise, you need a bench or a chair that is almost at your knee length. Follow the following steps to complete this stretch.

Position your body in front of the bench, keeping the bench at the back.
Place your right foot on the bench.
Join your palms together to hold the stability.
Bend down your left leg until the left knee forms a 90-degree angle.
You will notice the stretch happening in your right leg.
Hold the bent position for 5 seconds and go back up.
Repeat this for 15 counts, and then switch to the left side.

5. Pigeon pose

This might be the most challenging of all the exercises mentioned here. If you are a dancer or an athlete, you might be familiar with this exercise. But if you are new, you might have not heard about it. The pose is an everyday stretch for ballet or contemporary dancers as they require a large amount of flexibility. If you are new to this it is recommended that you follow the steps slowly and understand exactly what needs to be done. If you are confused, it is best to watch a video rather than do it wrong as it has a large impact on the muscles.

The steps to be followed are:

Place your palms on the ground and form the downward-facing dog position.
From here, you need to pull your right leg forward.
As you do so, turn your leg in a way that your right knee comes below the right elbow, and the right foot comes below the left elbow.
Now you need to slowly side down your left leg.
Keep the foot of the left leg pointed.
Gradually place your hips on the ground.
If you are not able to completely place your hips on the ground. You can stay at your most stretched position.
Stay in the position for 5 seconds and then get back up.
Repeat the same for the left leg.

Conclusion

Now we have the required knowledge about hip flexors. What is a hip flexor muscle, why is it so important to stretch, and how can we practice the stretches? The hip flexor muscle includes the rectus femoris, psoas, and sartorius muscles. This set of muscles helps move our hips, and lift the knees. Because it is such an important part of the body that governs a large amount of motion, it is important to eventually stretch the area. A good hip flexor stretch will help you feel better and might reduce any pain in that region.

We talked about the benefits of hip flexor stretches. These benefits include improving body posture, Increasing flexibility, improving hip mobility, reducing pain due to muscle pull or nerve pull, and keeping the lower body stronger even after aging. With all these factors it becomes evident that practicing hip flexor stretch is very important. A few hip flexor exercises are mentioned here. There are two lists, one for those who are just starting with this journey, and the other one for more active people. You can start from the beginning and switch when you feel comfortable.