SIX EXERCISES FOR HEALTHY HIPS

If you think your hips feel tight from sitting at a desk, imagine how pro cyclists felt spending over 2,000 miles in the saddle during the Tour de France. After hours slumped over a laptop or a bicycle, it’s easy for the hip flexors to tighten.

The most powerful cyclists avoid bike hunch and maintain a straight line between their hips and shoulders, says Matt Dixon, an Ironman triathlon master coach and owner of Purple Patch Fitness in San Francisco. Correct posture on and off the bike can help prevent muscle imbalances and neck and back pain, he says.

Healthy hips are key to good posture. The muscles around the hip joint—including the powerful glutes and quads, smaller hip flexors and hip abductors—work in tandem to maintain alignment through the lower body.

When the hip muscles are weak, the knee tends to collapse inward, putting stress on the ligaments, joints and muscles. And when the hip flexors are tight, the core and glutes become inactive. “On the bike these all cause leaks in power, which translates to a loss of speed,” Dixon says. 

Test your hip stability by standing on one leg. If your hips are unstable, you’ll notice a shift of the pelvis to one side, a side bend at the trunk or a raised shoulder, he says. These six exercises train hip stability and mobility, so the joint can work through a full range of motion and strengthen muscles around the hips. They’ll help you stand taller and ride stronger. These movements can be done for two to three rounds as a workout or for one round as a warm-up to an existing training program.

As with any new workout, consult with your physician if you have existing aches or injuries, and stop if you experience pain.

Why: This drill will improve hip extension, which can loosen the hip flexors and increase coordination between the hips and pelvis. How: Lie on your back, with knees slightly bent and both feet placed on a foam roller hip-width apart. Raise your hips off the ground and walk your feet out on the roller until your knees form a 45-degree angle. Bring your right knee in toward your torso as the left foot presses down into the roller. You should feel the right hamstring working to stabilize the hips. Return the foot to the roller. Lift the left knee toward your torso. Continue alternating legs for 10 to 15 reps per side. Keep arms by your sides for more stability, or challenge yourself by raising them to the ceiling. Option: The foam roller adds a balance and stability challenge, but you can perform this exercise with feet flat on the floor, too. Walk the feet farther from the hips to engage the hamstrings.

Why: Weak hip abductors, our outer thigh muscles, can make the hips more prone to rotation during weight-bearing exercises like running or jumping. This can cause the knee to collapse inward when we walk or run, which can lead to knee pain. The wall will prevent the hips from rotating out of position. How: Lie on your left side against a wall. Bend your left knee to 60 degrees. Support your head with your left forearm. Push your right hand into the floor to stabilize your upper body as you engage the glute muscles to lift the left leg up to form a 45-degree angle with the right hip. Push the left heel toward the wall to keep the hips open and stacked on top of each other. Slowly lower down. Repeat 10 to 15 reps and switch sides. 

Why: This advanced exercise strengthens the hip flexors and directly targets the core and gluteus medius to stabilize the pelvis.  How: Stand with your right foot on a low step and left foot hovering beside it. Hips should be level. Hook the handle of a lightweight kettlebell over the top of the left foot. Drive the left knee to hip height while trying to maintain level hips and square shoulders. Repeat eight reps per side. Options: Place a hand on a wall or chair for a balance assist or perform without a step. This can also be formed from the floor with a mini resistance band looped around the tops of the feet. Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall for support and slowly drive each leg up to 90 degrees. 

Why: This exercise improves balances while working the stabilizing muscles of the ankles. It also fires the hips, including the gluteus medius and maximus, piriformis (a muscle that connects the lowest vertebrae with the upper leg) and deep core muscles. How: Place a foam roller upright on the floor. Stand with your right hip facing it, feet aligned with the base of the bottom of the roller. Drive your right knee up and forward, then rotate the thigh, knee, ankle and foot so they extend behind the top of the roller. Bring the right foot to meet the left. Reverse the movement by bringing the hip out and around before returning to the starting position. Try not to rotate the torso. Complete five reps per side. Options: For an extra balance challenge, don’t allow the foot that is stepping over to touch the ground the entire time. You can also mimic the same motion without a foam roller. 

Why: To perform a traditional barbell squat, the bar is placed across your back or across the front of your chest. In this variation, you hold the barbell in the crooks of the elbow to work the core, quads and upper back. Replacing the bar with a resistance band adds a forward pull to help maintain better posture in the exercise and get into deeper hip flexion.  How: Tie a resistance band to a secure anchor around knee height. Hook the other end of the band into the crooks of your elbows, then bend the elbows to form 90-degree angles with your forearms, palms facing you. Stand just beyond hip-width apart. Walk away from the anchor until you feel tension. Maintain a tall spine as you drop your hips down and back into a squat. Repeat 10 to 15 reps.

Why: This band exercise strengthens the rotator cuff to create more stability in the shoulder joint. Performing it in a wall squat encourages the rib cage to stack over the pelvis. The shift of the center of gravity back toward the heels creates more external rotation of the hips and expansion through the chest. How: Place a light resistance band around your wrists. Stand facing away from a wall and sink the hips down into a partial squat, with the back pressed against the wall. Raise the arms up so the elbows are bent about 90 degrees. Push the hands against the band to engage external shoulder rotation while holding your squat for 20 to 30 seconds.

Write to Jen Murphy at [email protected]

2023-07-29T10:05:51Z dg43tfdfdgfd