Healthy Hips

Some active stretches to increase ROM and recoverability for your hips - but your low back, knees, and ankles will thank you too





I get asked a lot by folks about great stretches for the hips.  Usually, the inquisitor has nagging symptoms or some acute trigger that shows itself in a specific movement pattern, like squatting below parallel.  And just as often, the question comes more specifically out as a need to stretch the internal and external rotators of the hip (femur).  Always obliging, I share the active isolated stretches as shown above.  Here's why these four stretches are winners:
- These stretches allow you to articulate the joint at different angles promoting increased adaptability and eventually transferability to your endeavor.
- Allowing the head of the femur to break free from its routine range of motion reduces toxic buildup in the joint and is a useful tool to promote learned and not rigid hip ranges and stability (more on attractor wells another time).
- In a more relaxed position (lying on your back) there is a greater opportunity to allow any inhibiting spasms in the area to dissipate which in turns allows the muscles that you are targeting to stretch.  If the compensating muscles or prime movers are locked as to protect the joint and more than likely part of a dysfunctional motor recruitment program, they will prevent the smaller internal and external rotators from experiencing the stretch they need.
- The active-isolated stretching mechanics demands as much from the targeted (agonist) lengthened muscles as it does the opposite (antagonist) shortened muscles.  This improves your motor learning and promotes a long term relationship between muscles on opposite side (or at least in opposite roles) around a joint.  To put it another way, you won't get that deadened feeling in your muscles after doing this stretch - it really will warm you up.
- They don't take long to do and you can do 'em cold - that get's you up and going after the fun part of the workout!
- Increased hip mobility also improves articulation and joint health in the surrounding joints - back, knees, and ankles.  Our bodies are just one long chain, don't let there be a weak link.
If you want to know more - just shoot a comment below and I'll get back to you.

Execution...
Perform 1-2 sets of 15reps on each leg of each of the four stretches shown.  Hold each stretch for only 2seconds to get the benefit of the active isolated stretching concept, longer is not better!  You can get a towel or stretch rope or even do with a partner.
Have at it and keep that whole chain healthy and swinging!