Tight hips can be painful and affect the low back, knees and ankles. These four effective exercises can all be done from the floor and will help loosen up your hips.
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1. Rotate Legs In & Out
Lie straight on your back relaxing your upper body and maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips and legs. Place both arms at your sides and feet about shoulder-width apart. Focusing on your thigh area, rotate your legs in and then rotate them back out. Repeat the movement.
To make the exercise more challenging, you can move your legs to 45 degrees and then go through with the movement.
Rotate Legs In & Out
Start off with one set of 5 repetitions in each direction. Perform the exercise in a smooth, controlled movement with a quick stop at the end position. Intensity is light. The purpose of the exercise is to loosen up the internal and external rotators of the hip, which helps to loosen up the hips overall.
2. Bridging on the Floor
Begin the effective exercises to loosen tight hips, lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place both hands on your sides. Tighten up the abdominal area and then push from your heels to lift your hips up, keeping your knees, hips and shoulders in a straight line. Hold the position for a couple of seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement.
Bridging on the Floor
Start off with one set of 5 repetitions. Perform the exercise in a smooth, controlled movement with a good stop at the end position. Intensity is light to moderate. The purpose of the exercise is to activate the glutes and stretch the front of the hips.
3. Side Line Quad Stretch
Lie on your side with your head resting on your outstretched arm and keeping a good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips and legs. Bring your top leg toward your seat. With the hand on the same shoulder side, grab the front of the foot to bring the heel toward the seat. Hold the position for a couple of seconds.
To make the exercise more challenging, you can bring the top knee back further to intensify the stretch on the hip.
Side Line Quad Stretch
4. Bridging Exercise With a Foam Roller
Begin the effective exercises to loosen tight hips, lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place the foam roller against the pelvis area and then straighten one leg out. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
Bridging Exercise With a Foam Roller
Start off with one set of 2 repetitions on each side. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement, ideally holding the end position for 20 seconds. Intensity is light. The purpose of the exercise is to stretch the front of the hip.
If you want to instantly release your hip flexors for more strength, better health and all-day energy, then check out the Unlock Your Hip Flexors program, here!
