Over the past few years, hip stiffness has become a major issue for me. My right hip is noticeably stiffer than my left due to years of sitting with one leg crossed over the other and long hours at my desk. Sometimes I can feel the tightness when I’m running, squatting, or lunging; other times, I’m just lying on the couch when I realise my hip has locked up.
I’ve previously experimented with hip mobility exercises, but this time I wanted to concentrate on strengthening my hip flexors rather than just lengthening them. In addition to protecting you during higher-impact activities like running, jumping, or intense exercise strong hip flexors are essential for stabilising the pelvis and supporting the lower back other muscles frequently compensate if they are weak or inactive.
I discovered a 10-minute Studio Jibby hip flexor strengthening exercise on YouTube. I was eager to try it because it was equipment-free short enough to fit in on hectic days and promised functional hip work rather than passive stretching you might enjoy a woman stretching her hips outside.
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Hip flexor stretch: “I finally fixed my chronic hip stiffness — but I had to go down a rabbit hole to find these 5 moves.” This 7-minute hip mobility routine has finally opened my tight hips and released years of stiffness.
A woman grinning while stretching her hips and groin in a side lunge outside in a park I can now run and squat without experiencing any pain thanks to this mobility exercise that strengthens your hips for longevity stability and control.
This exercise now has a permanent place in my weekly movement routine, along with the best stretches for hip flexors. Fortunately, I feel like my hips are stronger than before.
What is the pattern?
This 10-minute exercise program is intended to strengthen the side hips and hip flexors. There are ten exercises in all, with a 30-second workout followed by a 5-second transition. As a result, there isn’t much sleep required, but since it’s only ten minutes, it still seems doable.
Clamshells, side-lying hip abductions, inner leg raises, reverse Nordics, supine straight leg raises, and front-lying leg extensions are among the exercises in the routine. In addition to working the hip flexors, the abductors (outer hips) and adductors inner hips are also worked, along with some glute work.
I highly recommend this routine if you have hip stiffness. Your hips will feel stronger and looser after performing the range of exercises, especially if you practise them regularly get the BEST of Tom’s Guide delivered straight to your inbox by signing up.
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You are at least 16 years old and consent to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy by submitting your information the three primary advantages I’ve observed after following this regimen for two weeks are listed below.
1. My hips were noticeably less stiff and felt stronger.
My right hip’s stubborn, one-sided stiffness has actually decreased, which is the biggest change I’ve noticed. In a matter of days, motions that had previously felt difficult, such as stepping into a lunge or taking a large stride uphill, began to feel more fluid. The smaller stabilising muscles surrounding the hip joint, which I had obviously been ignoring, were the focus of exercises like clamshells, side-lying hip abductions, and inner leg raises.
Instead of merely stretching the hip flexors, reverse nordics and supine straight leg raises added a deeper strength component. My hips were adjusting because by the end of the two weeks, the routine didn’t feel quite as shaky or demanding. They certainly felt more capable, but they also felt looser what to read next: “I tried a 15-minute Pilates core routine for 14 days — and my posture isn’t the only change”.
2. My posture began to get better.
After a week or so, I noticed that I was sitting at my desk in a different way than I had anticipated. My pelvis felt more stable as a result of stronger hip flexors and glutes (thanks to the glute bridges and front-lying leg extensions), which made it simpler to sit upright rather than slump or tuck under. A crucial component of this is being conscious of how we sit, but actively stabilising the pelvis makes it simpler to recognise when I’m beginning to slouch.
Your lower back frequently takes up the slack when your hips are weak or stiff. I experienced less of the mild lower-back tightness that develops after hours of typing as the exercise strengthened the muscles surrounding my pelvis. It helped me reset but it didn’t magically change my desk habits. I still found the routine challenging at the end of the day, when everything felt clicky and more reluctant to move.
3. It felt like real progress when the moves got easier.
Some of the exercises were quite difficult during the first few sessions. I now understand that my limited range of motion was the reason why the inner leg raises in particular felt stiff and uncomfortable. However, by the end of the two weeks my hips had become slightly stronger and looser, which allowed me to perform the routine more smoothly.
This demonstrated that my muscles were responding even after just ten minutes a day. In the evenings, when my joints needed more time to awaken after extended periods of sitting, the routine still felt more difficult however the stiffness eased more quickly than it usually does. And it felt like the biggest victory to go from being tight and reactive to being stronger and more responsive conclusion.
Conclusion: Is it worthwhile to try this hip flexor strengthening exercise?
This routine is definitely worth trying if you notice stiffness when you move or spend a lot of time sitting down. Instead of merely stretching your hips to provide short-term relief it concentrates on strengthening the muscles that support them my hips felt more stable less stiff, and more capable of handling daily movement after two weeks exactly what I had hoped for.
