My TOP stretches & moves for strong, flexible hips

As a fitness enthusiast and personal trainer, I've encountered countless individuals struggling with hip issues. Today, I want to share my favorite moves to build stronger and more flexible hips. These exercises can make a world of difference in your daily life and overall mobility.

Let's start with a fundamental issue many people face: limited internal and external rotation of the hip. To address this, I recommend beginning with an exercise called the Hip 990. As I explain in my training sessions, "One of the main things that I noticed that people have issues with in their hips is their ability to have internal and external rotation of the hip."

The Hip 990 can be performed from a chair for beginners. Here's how to do it: "Sit in a chair with a nice wide stance like this. You're going to drop this knee down like this and this knee to the outside. And you're going to rotate the other side." This exercise focuses on internal rotation and helps build fluidity in your hip movements.

As you progress, you can move to lower surfaces, eventually performing the exercise on the floor. The key is to maintain a wide stance with toes slightly turned outward. Remember, "The further back you lean on this, the easier this will be. The more you're able to be upright and pointed towards this leg, the more you'll feel the strength."

Next, let's talk about stretching the adductors, those muscles on the insides of your thighs. These muscles can become incredibly tight for many people. A simple straddle stretch can work wonders here. As I often tell my clients, "Essentially a straddle stretch is very simple. It's bringing your legs to the outside as far as you can feel comfortable, nice tall posture."

To maximize the benefits of this stretch, I recommend gentle movements: "The way I like to kind of move in through this movement is I kind of bring my belly button towards the ground and back up and just little bowel movements like this." This helps loosen up the joints and provides a deep stretch through the adductors.

The third stretch I want to highlight focuses on hip external rotation and targets the glute area. This stretch involves crossing your ankle over your knee and turning your body towards that ankle. As I explain, "For a lot of people this might be too much. You can straighten this bottom leg a little bit more; that makes it easier." This stretch is fantastic for loosening up the outside of the hip through the glute.

Now, let's move on to strengthening exercises, particularly for the glutes. Strong glutes are crucial for preventing hip pain, improving stair-climbing ability, and reducing lower back pain. One of my favorite exercises for glute activation is the prone glute activation. Here's how to do it: "You're going to start by laying face down like this. You're going to curl your heels up towards the sky like this. And all you're going to do is try to lift your knee off the ground about half an inch."

Finally, let's discuss the glute bridge, an excellent exercise for strengthening the glutes. However, there are common mistakes to avoid. As I always emphasize, "First thing we do with the glute bridge: Palms toward the sky, fingertips away from the ears. That's going to help us work our posture." Additionally, "Instead of pushing up on our toes, what do we do? We lift our toes to our nose and then we push into our heels as we do this."

In conclusion

By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you can significantly improve your hip strength and flexibility. Remember, consistency is key. As I often say, "If you like it, do it every day, do it consistently, and it's going to really help you loosen up your hips." With dedication and proper form, you'll be well on your way to healthier, stronger hips and a more mobile body overall.