Before we dive into the specifics, let’s first understand why we should do hip flexor stretches if you can not kneel. We often tend to forget the importance of stretching, or we do not have enough time for it. Stretching is important because it helps to ease the tension and stiffness in your muscles.
I am here on holiday in Victoria, British Columbia, and I just stepped out to do this quick video for you. It’s a continuation of the other video I did about a couple of tweaks you can do for a common hip flexor stretch to change the stretch and different target areas and make it more effective.
Now when it comes to that stretch that I talked about, a common thing I hear from clients is that they cannot do the stretch because they can’t kneel. So kneeling ends up bothering them.
They may have osteoarthritis in their knee joint or have patellofemoral pain syndrome; hence, they can’t kneel on their kneecap.
So these are variations they can end up doing to get an effective hip flexor stretch but not kneel. Also, it’s a great example of a hip flexor stretch that you can do easily at work, especially if it involves a lot of sitting.
Here I am just using a park bench. What I will end up doing is finding a chair and sitting on the edge of the chair. I will sit at the end of the park bench or the chair, so I’ve got half of my body, the left side of my body, my left leg out front, and I am going to bring my right knee back.
90/90 Position
So I am almost in that 90/90 position, but I am not kneeling. I will tighten up my abdominal area, which will maintain the curve in my back and lock the pelvis. And then I can bring myself forward to intensify that stretch.
If I don’t feel anything, I can relax and bring that knee back, tighten up my abdominal area, contract my glute, and bring my body forward. I am keeping my upper body nice and upright. And I am keeping that foot and knee in good alignment. I keep the other knee, hip, and foot in good alignment. I’ve got that glute and the hamstring contracted, and then I am moving forward. I am looking at getting a stretch really through that rectus femoris muscle.
I can ease it up and give it a rest. Tighten that abdominal area, tighten up that glute and hamstring, and look at stretching through that rectus femoris muscle. Get back and do it again.
As I go through several repetitions, I can progressively go back further, bracing, contracting the glute, and intensifying the stretch.
Straddle Standing Hip Flexor Stretch
The straddle standing hip flexor stretch targets your hip flexors and helps improve your posture. So, if you work at a desk job or sit for long hours, this stretch will help. This stretch is done in two stages. In the first stage, you will be in a wide stance with your feet pointing outwards. Then you will bend forward, placing your hands on your knees or the floor. You will shift your body weight to one foot in the second stage. While doing so, make sure that you are standing on your toes.
I would end up recommending starting with two repetitions held for about 20 seconds, and then you can progress from there. I can end up doing 3 to 4 repetitions holding for 30 seconds.
Make sure to head down below and hit LIKE, and leave me a comment about what you think about this video, the information I am providing, and if you have any questions.
If you are looking for a program to help with your tight hip flexors, I created a program that targets that and helps overcome tight hip flexors. You can see it below or click HERE to get more information.
Take care and bye-bye.
Rick Kaselj, MS
