Hip Opening Stretches You Should Do Before Every Workout

If your hip flexors constantly feel like two rubber bands ready to snap, you’re not alone. Whether you work out regularly at your local gym or are an avid runner, there’s a good chance you struggle with tight hips. Chances are, you skip over important hip-opening stretches for a few hip kicks, hamstring stretches, and arm swings.

Here’s the thing: Half-assed stretching doesn’t just make you bad at yoga; lack of flexibility can have serious consequences for your health and your ability to lift heavy metal. When you sit all day—on the bus, train, subway, car, office chair—your hip flexors shorten and tighten, which means they’ll need some persuading to lengthen and relax when you finally stand up again.

When added to a thorough warm-up, hip-opening stretches (and hip flexor exercises) can improve exercise performance and reduce your risk of injury, according to a review published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and MetabolismWhen your hips are loose, you can sink properly into deep squats and hinge properly during deadlifts. Your performance won’t suffer and you won’t wobble like the Tin Man.

To combat tight hips, Joe Holder—Nike Master Trainer and founder of The Ocho System—turns to five essential stretches. These dynamic moves will keep you loose, flexible, and ready for anything.

Directions

Start with soft-tissue work to release any knots and tension. Holder suggests using a foam roller or a lacrosse ball to work on your quads, adductors, hips, and more. Before you get started, learn how to do a self-massage and check out the best foam roller moves . Then move on to these hip-opening stretches.

Just remember: “You can do all the hip openers you want, but if you’re not seeing any improvement in tightness in your hips, it’s more likely that your glutes are protecting you from an inefficient core and/or glutes,” says Holder. Be warned: Your tight hips may be masking an issue elsewhere in your body, and you may need to address those imbalances and weaknesses to create synchronicity in your body.

1. 3D Hip Opener

What is the use of

Hip flexors, lower back, and trunk.

How To

1. Start in a half-kneeling position, with your left leg in front of you, your foot on the floor, and your right knee down.
2. You can place a pad under your knee if needed.
3. Make sure your right hip is at a 90-degree angle and your left knee is under your hip.
4. Maintain a neutral position (don't allow your back to arch) and tighten your abdominals, gently pushing toward your front knee.
5. Make sure your torso remains upright and that you are not just leaning forward toward your front knee. Open your back hip as well.
6. Starting on either side of your legs, raise your arms in a scooping motion, reaching your hands toward the ceiling.
7. Wait 20 seconds.
8. Return to starting position.
9. From here, reach your left hand toward your right heel and extend your right arm overhead as you lean slightly to your left side.
10. Wait 20 seconds.
11. Return to the starting position again.
12. Gently push your front (left) leg forward again as you slowly rotate your torso to the left for 20 seconds.
13. This is 1 rep.
14. Complete 3 reps, then repeat on the other leg.

2. “90-90” Drill

What is the use of

Internal/external rotation of your hips and glutes. “This is one of my favorite flow-style hip openers,” says Holder.

How To

1. Begin in a seated position with your left leg extended in front of you, knee bent 90 degrees (outer side of knee touching floor and pointing away from your body).
2. Bend your right leg so that the inside of your knee touches the floor and touches your left foot.
3. Your knee should also be bent at a 90-degree angle and behind you.
4. This will look like a steeplechase.
5. Place your chest over your left knee.
6. Turn slightly and lean forward and down toward your left side.
7. Wait a few seconds.
8. Change the position by opening your legs, getting back into a butt-on position, and alternating which leg is in front and which is behind.
9. Now your right leg will be in front and your left leg will be behind.
10. Place your chest on your right knee.
11. Turn slightly and lean forward and to your right side.
12. Wait a few seconds.
13. Continue switching back and forth.
14. Repeat for 1 minute.

3. Crotch aka “Frog” Rockers

What is the use of

Your adductors and groins. “A lot of people forget the importance of the adductors for proper hip extension and their relationship to the glutes,” Holder says. “Basically, if they’re too tight, then it can impair your glute function, which is a problem for all athletes and people in general.”

How To

1. Start on all fours (on your hands and knees).
2. Open your knees slightly and position them just outside your hips.
3. Turn your feet outward and lean on the insides of your feet.
4. Exhale with control, then lower your hips toward your heels.
5. Make sure to “close” your hips (i.e. relax them) and sit into the stretch.
6. Keep your spine and neck neutral.
7. Maintain the bottom position for three controlled breaths.
8. Go back to the beginning.
9. You will “rock” back and forth from the very beginning of the stretch to the very end.
10. Complete 5 reps.

4. “Spider-Man” Rotations

What is the use of

Adductors, hamstrings, and hips.

How To

1. Start in plank position.
2. Step your left foot toward the outside of your left hand.
3. Pause, then pivot onto your left foot, bringing your left forearm toward the ceiling as you do so.
4. Back to the beginning.
5. Repeat for 12 reps, then switch sides for 2-3 sets.

5. Hip Lift with Bands

What is the use of

Hip flexors, quadriceps, gluteal activation.

How To

1. Find a “power band” and attach it to a pole, squat rack, or other sturdy object.
2. Place your right leg inside the band and assume a lunge position with the banded leg behind you.
3. The band should be at your “gluteal crease” or “gluteal ligament”—the area of ​​your upper leg where your hamstring and glute meet.
4. Place your foot back enough to create tension in the band and tighten.
5. Begin to lower into a downward lunge position.
6. Do not allow your back to arch excessively or your hips to collapse.
7. Do 10 reps on each side.

Bonus 6: Pulse Goblet Squat

What is the use of

“After you’ve done these mobility exercises, it’s crucial to learn the basic movement patterns or exercises that explain why your hips are tight in the first place,” Holder says. That means stimulating your core and torso. You want to wake up your glutes (which, for most people, are dormant from all that sitting), which house the largest muscle in your body and power your biggest lifts.

How To

1. Start with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outward.
2. Holding a light kettlebell, lower into a goblet squat position.
3. As you do this, imagine screwing your feet into the floor and maintaining tension in your hips.
4. Move your pulse up and down, keeping the range of motion to a minimum.
5. Do 3 sets of 30 seconds of exercises.