If you have a sedentary job where you sit at a desk, table or behind the wheel of a car, there’s a high chance you’ve got tight hip flexors.
The hip flexors, a group of muscles that allow bending at the hip, are essential for everyday movement. They are especially important when running, helping to drive your legs forward. But when these muscles are tight, they can impact your performance and even increase risk of injury.
‘The iliopsoas is the strongest group of muscles in the hip flexors. It connects the spine to the femur, and helps contract and pull the thigh towards the torso. This allows you to bring your knee towards your chest as you run,’ says Amanda Nurse, an elite marathon runner, running coach and yoga instructor. Running repeatedly shortens the iliopsoas, and over time, the repetitive action can lead to tightness and imbalances.
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A sedentary lifestyle will also cause the iliopsoas to shorten and tighten, and when you add running into the mix, you’ve got a one way ticket to problems like pain and reduced mobility.
‘The more time we spend sitting, the more the iliopsoas shortens,’ says Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist. ‘The shorter that muscle, the shorter your stride becomes – and that throws off your natural gait, which can create compensations that lead to injury in the muscles that work to move us forward and stabilise us as we run.’
That’s why it’s more important than ever to show your tight hips some TLC. ' Strength training, stretching and mobility work have never been more crucial for runners,' says Holland. 'All day, we do the unnatural –sit–and then expect our bodies to do the natural – running. Our bodies aren’t ready for it.’
But you don’t have to accept tight hip flexors and the symptoms that accompany it. While the simple act of walking is good for easing stiffness, there are numerous, more focused ways of stretching and strengthening the muscle group, which could level up your running performance potential in the process.
How to strengthen your hip flexors
Holland's suggestion is to add some easy hip openers to your pre-run warm-up drills to start off each session on the right foot. ‘Two to three minutes of high knees, bum kicks, skipping and running backwards will open up the hips in the front, side and back planes of motion,’ he explains. When it comes to strength training, Holland recommends prioritising dynamic movements over static exercises. Focus on moves that work through multiple planes of motion – forward and backward, side to side, and rotational – to keep your hip flexors and surrounding muscles, especially your glutes, firing properly.
‘You can’t have good hip flexion if your glutes are tight or weak,’ adds Nurse, ‘so it’s very important that you’re always stretching and strengthening the front of your hip flexor and the back, meaning the glute muscles.’ For the glutes, step-ups and single-leg toe touches are effective ways of strengthening. Other exercises to target the muscles surrounding the hips include walking lunges, lateral lunges, air squats and jump squats.
Looking to loosen up tight hip flexors? These five moves will help release tension, build strength and keep your hips mobile in the long term – making you a stronger runner and making running feel better, too.
How to release tight hips
1. Low-lunge variation
Start in a low lunge with your right foot planted, right knee bent and your left knee on the floor. Place your palms flat on each side of your right foot. Lift your left arm above your head as you lean to the right. Hold for five breaths, then repeat on the opposite side.
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2. Crescent lunge knee-up
Start in a high lunge, right foot forward, knee at 90 degrees, hips square and toes facing forward. Lift your arms as you stand and draw your left knee towards your chest. Return to start position. Do 10 reps, repeat on the left leg.
What it does: Strengthens glutes (especially the glute medius) and the hip flexors.
3. One-legged bridge lift and lower
Lie face up, knees bent. Lift your arms. Engage glutes to lift hips. Transfer weight to your right leg and extend your left leg for five breaths. Lower your leg, hover over the floor for five breaths, then lift back up. Do eight reps, then repeat on the left leg.
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4. Skating squat
Stand with legs just wider than hip-width apart. Lower into a squat. Shift your weight to your right leg as you rise up to standing and extend your left leg back, like you’re on skates. Return to a squat and repeat on the opposite leg. Alternate for 60 seconds.
What it does: Strengthens glutes especially the glute medius and the hip flexors.
5. Full-range figure four
Sit upright with your knees bent, hands on the floor behind you. Cross your left ankle over your right knee. Let the left knee travel left, then back to the centre. Slowly go through the range of motion, then hold for five breaths for good hip stretches. Repeat on the other leg.
What it does: Releases hip joints and stretches the glutes.
