If you’re a runner, you may warm up with some dynamic hamstring stretches and reward your glutes and quads with a little foam rolling action when you’re done. But how often are you stretching your hip flexors? Probably not very often, right?
Despite being a core group of muscles used when running, the hip flexors—a cluster of muscles in the front part of the hip—are a part of the body many people neglect to stretch. When they get tight, the stiffness can prevent you from running your best and can contribute to lower back pain. How can you prevent it? The hip flexor exercises rounded up here are the ones physical therapists recommend most to runners as well as people who cycle and row.
How to know if you have tight hip flexors—and what happens if you ignore them
“Hip flexors refer to a group of muscles around the hip joint that are responsible for lifting the leg or ‘flexing’ the hip,” says Duke Hasson, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at DISC Sports & Spine Center in Newport Beach, CA. He explains that since muscles can only pull, the hip flexors—located at the front of the hip—work to raise the leg and knee toward the chest or abdomen.
If you sit all day, Andy Fata-Chan, PT, DPT, a physical therapist and coach at Moment Physical Therapy & Performance, says you very likely have tight hip flexors because the knees are closer to the chest at about a 90-degree angle. “It’s like walking around with your biceps curled all day,” he says. But he says that certain forms of physical exercise can cause tight hip flexors too, like cycling and rowing. “Any exercise where the knees are closer to the chest in a flex angle can cause tight hip flexors,” he says.
Running can cause the hip flexors to become overworked and tight, says Jason Cherry, PT, DPT, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Binghamton University. If you ignore the tightness, those hip flexors can lead to increased strain on the knee, specifically the knee cap. “Tight hip flexors can also lead to increased strain on the lower back,” Dr. Cherry says.
How do you know if you have tight hip flexors? Dr. Hasson says the most common symptom is pain or discomfort in the front of the hip. “This pain may be noticeable when getting up from a seated position, during stretches or when leaning backward. Tightness across the hip is also a common sensation,” he says. When this happens, it’s going to limit your range of motion, which can impact your gait, making you run slower and increasing your risk of getting injured during your runs.
Whether you want to prevent tight hip flexors or already have them, regularly doing hip flexor exercises can help. The ones rounded up here are the experts’ favorites for runners.
You don’t have to do them all in one go. Instead, Dr. Fata-Chan says to integrate different ones into your routine at different times. For example, some of the dynamic hip flexor stretches are good to do before a workout, while the static stretches can be done after a workout or worked into your day as microbreaks. He adds that it’s important not to forget about stretching other parts of the body too, such as your lower back.
“If an individual has tight hip flexors, they can stretch these muscles for one minute once daily. One minute can be achieved by holding the stretch for a shorter duration for multiple bouts—for example, two sets of 30 seconds or three sets of 20 seconds,” Dr. Cherry says. He adds that stretching should not feel painful, and that if you do experience any pain while doing these stretches, that’s a sign to see a physical therapist.
This is a good static stretch to do after exercising or that can be done anytime during the day, and comes recommended by Dr. Cherry.
1. From a standing position, place the knee of the side to be stretched on the floor and the opposite foot out in front of you. The thigh of the leg to be stretched should be vertical.
2. Flatten your lower back by tightening your abdominal muscles. Often, the flattening of the lower back will be enough of a stretch. If not, move your hips forward while keeping your back flat.
3. Hold for one minute and repeat on the other side.
Dr. Cherry also likes the supine hip flexor stretch, which can help improve hip and back mobility. If you don’t have great posture, doing this stretch regularly can help.
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
2. Pull one knee toward your chest while extending the other leg straight out in front of you, keeping it on the floor.
3. Hold for one minute and repeat on the other side.
We spend a lot of time bending the knees toward the chest, including when we sit or run. This stretch helps with mobility by extending the hip flexors in the opposite direction. Here’s how Dr. Cherry says to do it.
1. Lie on the side to be stretched. Bring your top knee toward your chest until that hip and knee are at a 90-degree angle, and rest that knee on the floor.
2. Reach back with your top hand and grab the ankle on the side to be stretched.
3. Pull your heel up toward your buttock. You can use a towel around the ankle if you cannot reach your ankle with your hand.
4. Hold for one minute and then repeat on the other side and leg.
“This hip flexor stretch opens up the hips and relieves tension,” Dr. Hasson says. You can even do it right at your desk while you’re working.
1. Sit up straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Cross one foot over your opposite knee. Gently lean forward.
3. Hold for one minute and repeat with the other leg.
Like the side lying hip flexor stretch, this stretch extends hip flexors in the opposite direction than they tend to be used, which Dr. Fata-Chan says is great for mobility.
1. Get down on your hands and knees in front of a couch, facing away from it.
2. Place one shin on the back of the couch, keeping your knee bent.
3. Your leg in front of the couch should be bent at 90 degrees at the knee. Raise your upper body up straight and hold for one minute before repeating on the other side.
If you’re looking for a dynamic hip flexor stretch to do before your runs, Dr. Fata-Chan says that this is a good one. “It’s an active hip flexor stretch because the hip is stabilizing as you chop across the body, lengthening the psoas fibers,” he says. You need a medicine ball for this one.
1. Start by kneeling on one knee bent at 90 degrees. Your other foot should be flat on the floor with that knee also bent at 90 degrees.
2. Bring the medicine ball up to one shoulder. While keeping your core engaged and posture upright, bring the medicine ball down to your opposite hip. Continue for one minute before repeating on the other side.
“This exercise stretches the hip flexors, hitting both the psoas and the rectus. It also stretches the quads, too,” Dr. Fata-Chan says. It improves hip flexibility while also strengthening the quads, so you’re getting double the benefits with one move.
1. Get down on your knees, upper body upright.
2. Push the hips forward and lean back as far as you can without straining the lower back.
3. Squeeze your quads and return to the starting position. Repeat for one minute.
Dr. Fata-Chan explains that the glutes extend the hips. “If you contract your hips, you’re naturally going to be stretching your hip flexors because the hip flexors do the opposite movement of the glutes,” he says. That’s exactly what’s happening when you’re in a bridge stretch, which is why it’s a great hip flexor mobility exercise.
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip-width distance apart.
2. Tuck your tailbone and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the floor, engaging your abs as you lift. Lift your hips while keeping your shoulders on the ground. Hold for one minute.
Both Dr. Hasson and Dr. Fata-Chan offer lunges as an example of a classic stretch that targets the hip flexors directly. “During a lunge, the back leg goes into a hip extension and stretches the quads and hip flexors,” Dr. Fata-Chan says. He says it’s good to do this dynamic stretch before working out to warm up the body.
1. Stand with your feet about hip-width distance apart.
2. Bring your hands to your hips and step forward, bending both legs to 90 degrees.
3. Repeat for one minute, alternating which leg you step forward with each time.
Dr. Fata-Chan says that the pretzel stretch is one of his favorite hip flexor exercises. “I love it as a cool down after working out, but it can be used as a warm-up, too,” he says.
1. Lie down on your left side. Bend your right knee and grab it with your left hand.
2. Grab your left knee with your right hand.
3. Hold for one minute.
Remember, you don’t have to do all 10 of these hip flexor exercises all at once. Integrate some of the static stretches into your day while doing the dynamic stretches before you go on a run or hit the gym. That way, you’ll stay nice and limber, reducing the chance of injury or developing any imbalances while you run.