You wake up in the morning to run or hit a Spinning class-yay!-but then you spend the entire day sitting, hunched over a computer or phone. We all do it, and that’s why it’s so common to spend happy hour bemoaning your super tight hips or begging your yoga teacher to “please please please let us spend extra time in Pigeon pose today.”
In order to have happy hips, you need to be stretching and strengthening them-same goes for the muscles around your hips, too. While dynamic stretches are great-like a kneeling hip flexor stretch-they’re not always enough. So we enlisted Brynn Fessette, DPT, FAFS, physical therapist and clinical director at Finish Line Physical Therapy in New York City, to break down the best-and worst-exercises for tight hips to help prevent current and future pains.
Do these four moves.
“You want your body to be able to load and explode,” says Fessette. “That means loading and strengthening the muscles so they can perform for you however you need them to. The body works in three planes of motion-the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes,” says Fessette. “All your muscles and joints load in all three planes, so the key is to open up the hips and load them for strengthening, so they’re healthy, loose, and functional.” Try doing these four moves twice per week.
1. Forward Lunge With Overhead Reach
How to do it: Start standing with feet hip-width apart. Starting with your right foot, lunge forward and reach arms overhead. Then return to standing and repeat with the opposite leg. Do 10 reps on each side. Make sure your hips are driving forward as you reach overhead so the stretch is occurring at your hips and not just your low back.
Why it works: “This move gives you a great stretch, opening up your back hip while loading the front leg-just like when you walk or run-making it more functional,” says Fessette.
2. Lateral Lunge With Same-Side Rotation
How to do it: Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart and arms extended in front of you at shoulder height. Now lunge to the side with your right leg-keeping your feet parallel-while twisting your torso and left arm to the right. Your hips will continue to face forward. Do 10 reps, then switch sides.
Why it works: “This exercise is a good hip opener in the frontal plane,” says Fessette. “A lot of our daily activities happen in the sagittal plane, so it’s important that we tap into the frontal plane and those lateral movements in order to give us better all-around strength and mobility.”
3. Rotational Pivot Lunge
How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart, then rotate to your left and take a step with your left foot approximately 45 degrees behind you. You’ll land in a plié squat position. Now take your left foot and place it next to your right (about a foot apart) with toes point in. Your knees will fall in slightly. Then step back out to the plié squat position. Do 10 reps, then switch sides.
This one is tricky so check out the video here to make sure you’re doing it properly. One tip: “Wherever your toes are pointing, the knees should follow. Aim the knee between your first and second toe. If it hurts, sit your butt back more or don’t go as deep.”
Why it works: “This exercise opens up the hip in the transverse, rotational plane,” says Fessette. “This move and the two lunging exercises before it all combine to open all three planes motion, while simultaneously strengthening your legs.”
4. Single-Leg Pivot
How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Shift your weight to your right foot and lift your left foot a few inches off the ground. Start to tap your left foot forward, then backward. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.
Why it works: “Now we’re working on balancing,” says Fessette. “By moving your leg, you’re opening and closing your hip while holding your balance. You’re essentially asking your leg to be able to stabilize you in a single-leg stance.”
Related: 6 Ballerina-Approved Stretches For Tight Hips And Legs
What not to do: V sit-ups, leg raises, or flutter kicks.
“All of these core exercises require you to be lying on the ground,” says Fessette. “Most people don’t fully stabilize their cores when they’re doing these moves, so they have an arch in their backs. When that happens, your hip flexors are actually doing most of the work. You need your core to stabilize you, or you’ll overuse your hip flexors.” Listen to your body, if it hurts, skip it. There are plenty of other amazing ways to work your core that won’t irritate your tight hips-like these five core-strengthening exercises.
You may also like: Try this 10-minute plyometric workout you can do at home:
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