YOU WANT BIGGER arms and a chiseled chest. Oh, and don’t forget stronger legs—super important. Oh, and a resilient core, too! So the last thing you want to do is train your hips—we get it. But here’s the thing: Your lack of hip TLC just may be holding you back.
Yes, really. Sure, there was a time when hip mobility mattered only if you were doing Jean-Claude Van Damme splits on Volvo trucks. But these days, more and more trainers are recognizing that tight hips can stealthily wreck nearly every part of your life. New hip stretches and exercises often flood FitTok, and a Google search for “hip mobility” turns up about 1 million results.
“It’s good that it’s trending,” says veteran trainer Lee Boyce. “Hip functionality dictates the efficiency of many capabilities we have.”
So whether you’re trying to slash your half-marathon time, crush a CrossFit WOD, or just keep up with your kids on the playground, buttery-loose hips can help. The best part is it doesn’t take much to train your hips. All you need to do to start: understand the answers to these five questions.
When Are My Tight Hips Hindering Me the Most?
EVERY SINGLE TIME you stand up after a few hours of sitting. When you’re sitting, whether you’re at your desk for the whole morning, on a long roadtrip in a car, or stuck on a ten-hour flight to Europe, your hip flexors, the muscles that help bring your thigh to your chest, wind up trapped in a shortened position, unable to stretch out. Your glutes, meanwhile, are in an ultra-relaxed, stretched position. When you stand, you’re often left with a nagging tightness in the front of your hips.
What's So Bad About That Tightness in My Hips?
WHEN YOUR HIP flexors are tight and your glutes aren’t strong, you may struggle to position your pelvis to support your spine. Your pelvis shifts into something called anterior pelvic tilt, the top of the pelvis tipping forward just slightly, butt sticking out a bit, Instagram-model style. This causes your lower back to arch in places it shouldn’t, and that can create serious issues, compressing the discs in your lower back, says Boyce. It also prevents you from being powerful during exercises like deadlifts and squats, as well as other activities, like running and jumping.
How Exactly Do Tight Hips Effect My Running and Jumping?
QUICK, STAND UP. Place your hands on your hip bones. Now squeeze your glutes as hard as possible. See how your hips shift forward ever so slightly? This position is called hip extension, and this motion helps propel you forward (if you’re running) or upward (if you’re jumping). If your hip flexors are tight, your glutes can’t “contract the way that they’re supposed to when they’re supposed to,” says Boyce—and that limits your speed and vertical leap.
Should I Stretch My Hip Flexors to Loosen Them?
AND STRENGTHEN THEM! Weak hip flexors cause other problems. Try this: While standing straight, lift your right knee as high as you can. Can you get your knee higher than your hip? If you can’t, you’re hurting your running ability by limiting the length of your stride. “The stronger your hip flexors are, then the more powerful and efficient your knee drive is going to be,” says Faris Khan, C.S.C.S., the creator of the Men’s Health Summer Strength Challenge. To compensate, you may also round your back more than you should need to during everyday tasks.
What Else Does Poor Hip Mobility Hurt?
YOUR ABILITY TO change direction. Ideally, you’re able to turn your hips one way and your shoulders another, a key trait that defines agility. And even if you’re not an NFL cornerback, lacking that movement can cost you, making it harder to move quickly if you’re dodging somebody while rushing to catch your train—and harder to run down your daughter in a game of tag, too. The bright side: Just a few simple drills can ensure you’re preserving you hip mobility—although we should all leave the splits to Van Damme.
How to Stay Hip
AIM TO DO at least 1 of these 3 drills in your workout warmups every day to make sure you’re giving your hips plenty of TLC. Do 2 or 3 sets.
Hip Circles
Take your hips through their greatest range of motion. Start on all fours, knees beneath hips. Keeping your knee bent, lift your right leg outward to the right, then rotate it in a wide arc so that your right foot points toward the ceil-ing. Reverse the movement back to the start. Repeat 6 to 8 times per side.
Seated Hip Lift
Build hip flexor strength. Sit on the floor, chest up, legs straight, a kettle-bell or another object just outside your right ankle. Keeping your legs straight, lift your right leg over the object and touch your heel to the floor; return to the start. Do 8 to 10 reps per side.
Crescent Lunge
To loosen tight hip flexors, set up in a half-kneeling stance, right knee on the floor. Squeeze your right glute and push both hips forward; as you do this, reach your hands overhead. Hold for 2to 3 seconds, then return to the start. Do 3 to 5 reps per side.
A version of this story appeared in the May/June 2024 issue of Men's Health.
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