Let’s go over five stretches to loosen tight hips
Looking for stretches to loosen tight hips? You’ve come to the perfect place as we’ll be covering a simple and straightforward set of stretches to aid your tight hip flexors. First, we advise to start with the Thomas Test, a stretch that measures the flexibility of our hip flexors.
You can begin the Thomas Test by laying down with your back on a flat surface. Then, bring both knees to the chest and hold the right knee while straightening the left leg. Lower the left leg as far as you can, then switch and repeat with the other leg. If you are unable to completely lower either leg down on the flat surface, then your hips are considered tight. This completes the Thomas Test!
If you’ve been sitting all day, it’s most likely that your hip flexors are also a bit tight, and you might be feeling a bit of pain in other areas of the body such as your lower back. We encourage you to take a few minutes out of your day to step away from the chair and practice stretching. Check out the following stretches to loosen tight hips and prevent tightness and pain all around the body.
Butterfly Stretch
One of our favorite stretches to loosen tight hips, especially after a long period of sitting.
- Sit on floor with legs straight in front
- Bring soles of feet together
- Mobe heels as close to body as possible
- Lean forward while keeping back straight
- Hold for 30 seconds
Foam Roller Stretch
The foam roller is one of the best tools used for stretching.
- Lie face down with foam roller below left hip.
- Place right leg to side with right knee bent 90 degrees.
- Rest forearms on ground, taking weight away from hip.
- Stretch left leg straight out behind with tops of feet flat on ground.
- Slowly move forward and back on foam roller for 30 seconds.
- Reset, switch hips and legs, and repeat.
Hip Flexor Stretch
We highly recommend hip flexor stretches to loosen tight hips.
- Kneel with left knee.
- Place right foot on floor with right knee at 90 degrees.
- Move hip and torso forward while keeping the back straight.
- Hold for 30 seconds, repeating 3 times per leg.
Pigeon Stretch
Yoga practitioners frequently use this stretch to increase hip flexor mobility.
- Lie hands and knees on floor.
- Bring left knee forward and place behind left wrist.
- Place left ankle in front of left hip.
- Straighten right leg behind.
- Keep right knee straight and hips square.
- Slowly lower yourself to ground and hold for 10 seconds.
- Reset to starting position by pushing from hands and lifting hips.
- Switch sides and repeat.
Spider-Man Stretch
The last on the list of stretches to loosen tight hips, but definitely not the least.
- Start in push-up position.
- Step forward and bring right foot to outer side of right hand.
- Stretch hips forward and hold for two seconds.
- Reset and repeat five times for one set.
- Switch feet and repeat five times.
- Repeat two more sets on each side.