By Miguel J. Ortiz
The hip complex in general is such a unique bone with two very important hip joints that are responsible for so much of our movement. It’s the foundation for your spine and the anchor for your legs. Playing such a vital role in our day-to-day life, it’s very important to keep your hips mobile and ready to take on the day.
Unfortunately, many don’t realize how important hip maintenance is until it’s too late. The good news is that it doesn’t take the hardest exercises or a lot of time. Because so much of our life consists of routine movements – like sitting or standing – all we need to do is create a little constancy. To do so, I want you to perform these three movements for just 10-15 minutes daily and you’ll be well on your way to healthy and happier hips.
The first move I call an initial hip opener (youtu.be/LYotgCfEM-s). There are two critical muscle groups that heavily affect the hips – your adductors (inner thighs) and hamstrings. With this exercise you’ll be able to target both during different phases of the movement. We want to start in a quadruped position, start by bringing your left leg up close to your left hand. Remove your left hand from the ground and place it on your knee if you need help with a little bit of balance. In this exaggerated kneeling split position, you should feel a stretch in your left inner thigh. Try to keep your chest up and drive your hips toward the ground. In order to target the hamstring of the same left leg, we will transition by sitting the butt back, allowing the left leg to straighten as we do so. This will provide a deep stretch in your left hamstring and, in order to maintain balance, simply place your left hand back on the ground to help maintain stability. Then, return back to that forward kneeling position allowing your left knee to bend.
The second move is a half kneeling quad stretch and reach (youtu.be/dI07ZFMbGs4). Many people find it hard to really stretch their hip flexor, especially because the movement usually starts with reaching back and grabbing your foot behind your back. This isn’t the greatest way to perform this stretch – even though it’s so common. By doing this stretch with assistance (using a bench, couch, chair or wall) you will be able to increase your ability to get deeper into the stretch without compromising your lower back. Start on the ground and lift your right leg until your shoelaces are on the bench. Then, take your left knee and lift it off the ground placing your left foot on the floor, so you are in a split position. Once you begin to sit upright in this half kneeling position you should begin to feel the stretch through the front quad and hip flexor. To get deeper into the stretch and open up the hips further, engage your right glute and reach your hand toward the ceiling.
Our last movement is common and very important because this muscle group is responsible for the strength and stability of the hips. Here we are targeting our glutes, and by utilizing some assistance it will allow us to get much deeper. I give you the elevated pigeon pose and lean (youtu.be/HzCFbnSu3Mk). I recommend using a bench or the side of your bed for assistance. By using elevation, it allows the back leg to drop giving us more room to stretch our front leg’s glute. Start with your hand on the bench for stability and bring one leg up until the outside of your knee and leg are resting on the bench. Once in position, simply by lifting your chest up and squaring your hips forward you’ll immediately feel a glute stretch. To get deeper into the movement try leaning forward and bringing your opposite shoulder across the body.
Have fun with these movements and remember the key to happy hips is consistent and proper mobility. We just need to do these three exercises for 10-15 minutes each day to really feel the effects and have our hips ready to take on the day.
Miguel J. Ortiz is a personal trainer in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a Master Trainer for Pain-Free Performance and a Certified Nutritional Consultant with more than a decade of professional experience. He can be found on Instagram at @migueljortiz. You can find his YouTube channel at tinyurl.com/ORTfitness.
