8 Best Stretches To Get Tight Hips

8 Best Stretches To Get Tight Hips

Tight hips can not only be painful and uncomfortable, but they can put a damper on your workouts. We need our hips for almost all forms of every day movements. Indeed, our mobility is hugely dependent on the condition of our hips, whether we’re walking, climbing stairs, or bending down to pick up groceries.

Like most other stretching exercises, the key to doing these correctly is to be patient and gentle, aiming to increase the depth, amount of time and number of reps for each stretch that you are able to tolerate. If your muscles are naturally tight, pay extra attention to relaxing and breathing as you perform the stretches.Thankfully, there are exercises and stretching routines that can drastically reduce stiffness in your hip flexors.

Exercises for Tight Hips:

1. Hip Rotations:

• Sitting on the floor or mat with your right leg out straight, place your left ankle over your right leg.
• Your ankle should be next to your knee.
• Using your left arm for balance by placing your left hand on the floor behind you.
• Use your upper-right arm to slowly and gently push your left knee further towards the right
• You should feel the stretch in your hip, as well as in your spine
• Switch legs and repeat the routine.

2. Happy Baby Pose:

Happy baby is a great way to stretch out your spine, legs, and hips at the same time.

• Begin lying on your back and grab your big toes with your index and middle fingers.
• Gently draw toes down so knees pull toward shoulders. Keep elbows gently pressing knees.
• Relax and breathe; hold for 30 seconds.

3. Rolling Figure Four:

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• Sit on the roller and reach your right arm behind you, planting your right hand on the floor a few inches behind you.
• Cross your right ankle over your left knee in a figure four position.
• Slightly shift your weight to the right hip/glute area and roll back and forth a few inches in each direction for about 30 seconds.
• Spend another 30 seconds breathing as you roll in tiny circular movements.
• Repeat on the opposite side.

4. Pigeon Pose:

This pose will get the blood flowing along the hips and pelvic region.

• Take your time with this it can be particularly hard on beginners. Concentrate on slowly getting comfortable with the stretch.
• Start on a mat. Fold your left leg on the ground beneath your hip (just as you would do in the classic yoga pose) and at the same time stretch out the right leg behind you.
• Rock back and forth in a slow deliberate manner to produce a good stretch. The further you lean, the deeper the stretch on this one.
• Repeat the routine on the other side.

5. Psoas Roll:

• Start face down on your forearms with the roller placed perpendicular under your left hip.
• Bend your left knee so that your heel is pointing toward the sky.
• Place your right inner knee and thigh parallel to the roller.
• Twist your body slightly to the right and roll up and down the front of your left hip, keeping your breath slow and smooth as you move.
• Do this 8 times on each side.

6. Cobra:

This pose stretches hips as well as the chest and abs.

• Begin lying face down on your mat with head slightly lifted and hand sitting directly under shoulders.
• Point your toes so the tops of you feet are on the mat.
• As you exhale, press arms straight and lift upper body and front of hips off the mat.
• Keep your legs and feet relaxed and on the ground.
• Keep your abdominal contracted and breathe slowly.

7. Butterfly Stretch:

• Sit on the floor in a classic yoga stretch with both knees spread out as wide as possible and both feet touching.
• Ensure you keep your spine straight; you can provide much needed support for your torso by placing your hands on the ground behind you.
• Move the knees in a flapping motion until you feel the muscles and joints loosening.
• Do the dynamic motion for about eight movements then hold the position at the tightest point of the stretch.
• Use your hands or elbows to push down on your thighs for 30 seconds.

8. Leg Lowers With Band:

• Sit on the floor and loop the middle of a resistance band under the sole of one foot, holding one end of each band in both hands.
• Lie back and lift both legs toward the ceiling, legs in-line with hips.
• While keeping both legs straight, slowly lower the leg without the band to the floor.
• Slowly lift the leg back up. Do 8 reps, keeping your core tight.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Original article and pictures take http://stylevast.com/articles/exercises-for-tight-hips/ site