Hip Flexors

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  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
    DopeItUp wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    oh you meant "lunch position" ….that is when you bang your secretary after lunch …my bad...

    I'm now even more interested in this stretch. I'm not sure how it'll help my hip flexors but it sure sounds fun.

    Yeah, those positions sound much better than what I had in mind.

    LOL
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Interesting article on static stretching and its effects on training since you asked when people do their stretching.

    http://www.strengtheory.com/2014/12/29/benefits-of-static-stretching-stretched-out-of-proportion/
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    emily_stew wrote: »
    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    Butterfly stretch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdxD3POKbV8

    Pigeon pose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_zPqA65Nok

    Square pose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh0zlxuAV9U

    Kneeling hip flexor stretch with raised foot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCb16_USzy8

    Straddle

    I am not an expert in....anything, but these exercises help me when my hips are tight. Though I have nowhere near the ROM that the people in the videos have..haha. I have a desk job so I find that the sitting on my *kitten* all day really does a number on my hips and lower back, even though I try to get up and move around as much as possible.

    Sounds like you might have lower cross, people that work at desks all day and aren't active otherwise often have upper and lower cross. If your hips tilt inward when you stand you have lower cross and if your shoulders tilt forward and inward you have upper cross.
  • allie_oop_07
    allie_oop_07 Posts: 16 Member
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    Any stretching for splits would be good to target that group of muscles. Frog stretch, pigeon, lunge (and the variations of the last two), and even laying on the floor with your butt against a wall and letting your legs fall to either side (like if you were to do a center split) will help. There are tons of workouts for splits on YouTube that will help with your hip flexor and all the stuff attached to it.

    Also remember to stay in each pose for a minute as that is the best way to gain flexibility. Anything less will just maintain it.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    I think you've already got some good suggestions here but I'll add that resistence bands can really add another dimension to your stretches (through "banded distractions"). A good reccomendation for a book is "Becoming a supple leopard". Goes through each section of the body and gives stretches and mobs.
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
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    gmallan wrote: »
    I think you've already got some good suggestions here but I'll add that resistence bands can really add another dimension to your stretches (through "banded distractions"). A good reccomendation for a book is "Becoming a supple leopard". Goes through each section of the body and gives stretches and mobs.

    Yes! I use resistance bands to release my pecs.

  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    aah yep, banded hip distracations are a good one too.

    Start with a soft ball. It hurts a little bit (in a good way) then you just have to let it relax a bit I guess. Over time, you will get used to the soft ball and need something harder. I started with a tennis ball and graduated to the cricket ball and now we have thie 1.5kg steel ball of some sort at the gym that is a killer haha. Good luck mate, it is a tough one. Regular stretching for shorter periods of time is better than one really long session infrequently also.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I found during OCRs that by the end, my hip flexors are so weak and tight that I can barely drag my feet forward from the strain on them. I also found that combining that with a tight IT band makes for not great performance in the gym and in the race.

    Ive started making sure to regularly foam roll the outer and inner lengths of my legs, as well as doing It band stretches like the happy baby, in between flexor stretches like seal pose.

    To strengthen my hip flexors and give them more endurance, i do leg raises/knee raises/leg raises.

    dip station or hanging i think both work great.

    ETA support for the resistance bands as a good idea as well.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    chrisdavey wrote: »
    Warmup includes: static hip flexor stretch, groin stretch on one knee (pulsing out for this). Then foam roll/pvc pipe hamstrings, ITB, quads. Cricket ball on hip flexor, then roll around to the outside to external hip rotators and finally glutes/piriformis.

    That's really some good stuff right there and very similar to my pre-workout stretching. You can also add to your warm-up like 1 set of 5 to 10 reps of a Glute Bridge which will help activate your glutes prior to workout. I also like this thing called an "X-Band". While standing you take a Resistance Band, put one end on the floor and stand on it, hold the other end but rotate the band so it looks like an "X". Do kind of a shrug and pull the band up and then walk side-to-side. I feel this also helps activate the hip flexors in addition to many other muscle groups.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Are you guys doing your stretches and such on the days your squatting or several times per week in oder to build up overall flexibility?

    I do Self-Myofacial Release (SMR) and Active-Isolation Stretches before every lifting & cardio session. I then do Static Stretching after every lifting & cardio session and I try to do SMR and Static Stretching on non-training days.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    i do them the day after my leg days, or if i cant do it then, on my rest day for an extended amount of time.

    since ive been doing it pretty regularly for about 2 and a half years now, I can get away with skipping some days. Couldnt at the beginning though.

    Had to pay my dues and get the tears out.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Like many people out there I find that my hip flexors are incredibly tight and I don't dedicated the necessary time to address the issue. As I have now decided that it's time to get my back squat up to a more respectable weight I am going to make it a point to improve my flexibility and mobility especially in that area.

    I have a couple stretches that I currently do but obviously not as often as I should. I'm looking into several other stretches which cross into various "Yoga" poses. What stretches do you do to address hip flexors specifically? Is yoga something you generally incorporate into your repertoire? If so, is it prior to training or are you doing it on separate days?

    Keep in mind, my concern in generally revolving weight training. Heavy back squats, front squats, lunges, hack squats etc. Not a general yoga program or routine for full body.

    Thanks.

    Don't know if it's yoga or not but this helps me.

    Lunge forward with one foot as far as you can. You want to be in a long lunge (like a very exaggerated starting position for a track athlete) and then just sit there and allow your weight and gravity to relax and stretch your hip flexors. As your hips drop lower believe me, you'll feel them stretch.

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    also- I'd invest in some of the big fat wide yoga blocks. Seriously- I stretch regularly- and I am massively surprised at how much of a better stretch I can get when I'm not taking up slack by holding myself up- can I do it- yes. is it a better stretch when I'm not fighting to hold myself up?
    - definitely.
    -
    or 12 bucks or whatever- it's worth it.

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