Tight hip flexors
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bregrig
Posts: 154 Member
guys. my hip flexors are painfully tight. most of the time they do not allow me to get deep enough in squats and I find they hurt more and tire out before my actual leg muscles which are propelling me in the squats etc. any mobility ideas for this region? I have been using a kettlebell handle to dig into that area a bit, but still need some more flexibility ideas.
thanks all!
thanks all!
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Replies
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The best thing would be dynamic stretching. Do some soldier walks, Samson stretches, pigeon stretches, and slow walking lunges before you start any WOD. Also sitting at the bottom of a squat, while pushing your knees out with your elbows really helps as well.0
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I had some tightness like that too--mine was also related to a leg length issue from prior surgeries though--and it was interfering with my ability to do heavy squats. I went to an athletic chiropractor who did a bunch of soft tissue work on the entire muscle (all the way around the glutes) to loosen it up. She did something really painful--but great--that involved pressing hard into the hip flexors in different areas as I lifted my leg, straightened it, and lowered it to the ground. Really loosened that tightness. I also sit in a "butterfly" at home a lot while watching tv...that helps too. Good luck!0
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I had some tightness like that too--mine was also related to a leg length issue from prior surgeries though--and it was interfering with my ability to do heavy squats. I went to an athletic chiropractor who did a bunch of soft tissue work on the entire muscle (all the way around the glutes) to loosen it up. She did something really painful--but great--that involved pressing hard into the hip flexors in different areas as I lifted my leg, straightened it, and lowered it to the ground. Really loosened that tightness. I also sit in a "butterfly" at home a lot while watching tv...that helps too. Good luck!
well that sounds amazing! I should go to a chiropractor for that. how long did that looseness last after her sessions?0 -
The best thing would be dynamic stretching. Do some soldier walks, Samson stretches, pigeon stretches, and slow walking lunges before you start any WOD. Also sitting at the bottom of a squat, while pushing your knees out with your elbows really helps as well.
great idea!! thank you0 -
My personal favorite it to get into as long a lunge as you can manage. Then just sit there and let your hips start to slowly drop. If you don't feel your hip flexor stretching then you might not have them
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I'll add to that, stretch out the rectus femoris too. This muscle spans two joints - hip and knee. It's part of the quadriceps (one of four) and doesn't want to be overlooked if you are targeting hip flexors.
Go for the third one on this page http://davidlasnier.com/2012/different-hip-flexor-stretches which you can do using a box, bench, wall or grab your back foot with your hand and gently pull it forwards.
If you're finding the sitting in a squat position hard, try it against a wall on your back with a resistance band, like Kelly Starrett is doing here http://www.lift.net/1970/01/01/hip-flexion-and-opening-up-the-hips-by-kelly-starrett/
This looks like a useful article too http://www.lift.net/2012/11/28/squat-mobility-by-kelly-starrett/0 -
I have issues with my hip flexors also. I started getting to the gym earlier than usual to stretch them out. One is way more flexible than the other which makes me cater to one side more than the other when I do any squat movements. It’s starting to affect my right knee since I’m putting more weight on it.
1) I know that YouTube has a lot of good MOBILITY WOD stretches that are really good.
2) I have a friend that will sit with her back against the wall, knees spread and feet together. She places kettle bells on her knees to stretch her hips open. I tried it, oh boy, you will definitely feel it.0 -
I'll add to that, stretch out the rectus femoris too. This muscle spans two joints - hip and knee. It's part of the quadriceps (one of four) and doesn't want to be overlooked if you are targeting hip flexors.
Go for the third one on this page http://davidlasnier.com/2012/different-hip-flexor-stretches which you can do using a box, bench, wall or grab your back foot with your hand and gently pull it forwards.
If you're finding the sitting in a squat position hard, try it against a wall on your back with a resistance band, like Kelly Starrett is doing here http://www.lift.net/1970/01/01/hip-flexion-and-opening-up-the-hips-by-kelly-starrett/
This looks like a useful article too http://www.lift.net/2012/11/28/squat-mobility-by-kelly-starrett/
fantastic articles, very helpful thank you!I have issues with my hip flexors also. I started getting to the gym earlier than usual to stretch them out. One is way more flexible than the other which makes me cater to one side more than the other when I do any squat movements. It’s starting to affect my right knee since I’m putting more weight on it.
1) I know that YouTube has a lot of good MOBILITY WOD stretches that are really good.
2) I have a friend that will sit with her back against the wall, knees spread and feet together. She places kettle bells on her knees to stretch her hips open. I tried it, oh boy, you will definitely feel it.
and kettlebells on my knees!! ouch!! I can barely sit indian style so this will be a very good challenge for me0 -
To be honest, it hasn't really come back at all after I did four-five sessions and rested for a week. I do some good air squats and settle into my weight distribution (sometimes coaches will want you to squat narrower than your body actually likes to squat--I have a wider squat and a natural turn out, and so I squat wider than most--and it's better on my hips and knees).0
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Our glutes are lazy and would rather let our hip flexors do the work. I would say that you need to do some glute activation drills and really focus on pushing your hips back and squeezing your glutes at the top so that they are moving you through the range of motion, not your hip flexors. Just something to keep in mind, sometimes tightness or soreness in a muscle can be because a different muscle isn't pulling its' fair share.0
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I'll add to that, stretch out the rectus femoris too. This muscle spans two joints - hip and knee. It's part of the quadriceps (one of four) and doesn't want to be overlooked if you are targeting hip flexors.
Go for the third one on this page http://davidlasnier.com/2012/different-hip-flexor-stretches which you can do using a box, bench, wall or grab your back foot with your hand and gently pull it forwards.
If you're finding the sitting in a squat position hard, try it against a wall on your back with a resistance band, like Kelly Starrett is doing here http://www.lift.net/1970/01/01/hip-flexion-and-opening-up-the-hips-by-kelly-starrett/
This looks like a useful article too http://www.lift.net/2012/11/28/squat-mobility-by-kelly-starrett/
fantastic articles, very helpful thank you!I have issues with my hip flexors also. I started getting to the gym earlier than usual to stretch them out. One is way more flexible than the other which makes me cater to one side more than the other when I do any squat movements. It’s starting to affect my right knee since I’m putting more weight on it.
1) I know that YouTube has a lot of good MOBILITY WOD stretches that are really good.
2) I have a friend that will sit with her back against the wall, knees spread and feet together. She places kettle bells on her knees to stretch her hips open. I tried it, oh boy, you will definitely feel it.
and kettlebells on my knees!! ouch!! I can barely sit indian style so this will be a very good challenge for me
Anything K-Star recommends will hurt, but it will work.0 -
Our glutes are lazy and would rather let our hip flexors do the work. I would say that you need to do some glute activation drills and really focus on pushing your hips back and squeezing your glutes at the top so that they are moving you through the range of motion, not your hip flexors. Just something to keep in mind, sometimes tightness or soreness in a muscle can be because a different muscle isn't pulling its' fair share.
I definitely have lazy glutes. Weight in the heels helps a lot.0 -
Our glutes are lazy and would rather let our hip flexors do the work. I would say that you need to do some glute activation drills and really focus on pushing your hips back and squeezing your glutes at the top so that they are moving you through the range of motion, not your hip flexors. Just something to keep in mind, sometimes tightness or soreness in a muscle can be because a different muscle isn't pulling its' fair share.
I agree with this. I've been seeing a PT for my hip flexor issues, primarily it's my right hip flexor that acts up, getting bad psoas and back pain mostly with squatting exasperated by sitting for work. She has me doing glute activation exercises and works on my psoas. I bought a standing workstation as well. I recently tried to squat again (after being off since like May and then broke my foot in June) and got the same pain, so i'm back to box squats for a bit while working on my mobility and glute stength some more. She also determined that have i poor internal rotation of my hip, it's like stuck in an external rotation thanks to lazy glutes too.
Also lying on a lacrosse ball or a larger plastic ball (about the size of a softball), put it in the area of your hip flexor and lie down on the ground on your stomach.
Clam shells, hip thrusts, lunges, side walking with a band or get a hip circle and do side lying leg lifts.
I do also see a chiropractor and massage therapist when I can.0
