The hips are one of the most common problem areas in the body for both active and inactive people. Tight hips are a cause of low back pain and, in some cases, knee pain, and they deserve more attention than they get. But, if the risk of pain and injury isn’t enough to persuade you, perhaps you’re the competitive type, what if those tight hips could be preventing you from reaching your full sprint speed, deadlift strength, and Olympic weightlifting power potential?
Look at any toddler for proof that we aren’t born with tight hips. When a child picks up a toy from the floor, he or she does not hinge at the hips like an adult; instead, they sink into the most perfect squat you’ll ever see. It’s even a playtime resting position.
So, what happened to make us all so unhip?
We simply spend far too much time on our bottoms, which are the largest muscles in our bodies! The modern sitting position weakens the glutes and tightens the hip flexors, requiring overcompensation in other positions from the lower back and knees to gain range of motion, strength, and power.
There are a number of performance-related reasons to be concerned about the amount of movement in your hip joints, in addition to being a contributor to pain and injury through compensation of the lower back and knees:
Strength – Lifters who use their entire range of motion are the most powerful. When you engage your muscles in the right way, compound moves become much easier. Flexibility can also be beneficial in Olympic lifts, such as the clean and jerk: the ability to throw yourself under the bar means the weight travels a shorter distance, requiring less effort.
Tension – the ability to squat deeper provides more driving power by creating tension in the stretching muscles. This can be used to plyometric exercises like box jumps or to explode up, as in the jerk.
Mobile hips allow you to use your glutes and hip flexors more efficiently, allowing for a powerful hip extension, which is required for a variety of exercises such as kettlebell swings, deadlifts, squats, Olympic lifts, and other explosive movements.
Speed – any sprinter will tell you that strong glutes and hip flexors are essential for a fast time on the track because the power generated by the hips propels them forward.
Pilates is a great way to relieve hip pain caused by issues with the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that surround the joint, the joint itself, or even referred pain from the lower back.
There are several Pilates exercises that can help our hips stay relaxed, comfortable, and mobile.
Two simple Pilates exercises for hip pain are listed below to help you manage symptoms and relieve some of the discomfort.
Toe taps or Femur Arcs
These are great classic Pilates exercises for getting smooth and controlled hip movement as well as connecting with your abdominal muscles, which is crucial.
- Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet parallel to your hips.
- Find your pelvis’ relaxed neutral position.
- Allow one foot to sink into the floor while the other hovers above it.
- Raise the knee towards you while maintaining a 90-degree knee angle.
- Take a deep breath and then return the leg to the starting position.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Side Lying Glutes
When it comes to supporting your hips, your gluteal muscles are crucial. This video demonstrates how to progress from lying flat to gradually rising and including more of your core muscles.
We eventually want these to work well in standing, and this exercise will help us get there.
- Lie on your side with a pillow under your head. As you get stronger, you can progress to being up on your elbow and incorporating more of your body – see video.
- Reach your top leg straight away from you with your underneath knee bent, so your toe is reaching in the opposite direction of your head.
- Continue to reach for the leg as you lift the foot off the floor.
- Only raise the leg as high as you can without losing your neutral pelvis position or bringing your hip up towards you.
- Lower yourself slowly and repeat.
We take a modern and holistic approach to wellness at The Hundred Wellness Center, assisting you in living a happier, healthier life every day. The Hundred offers a wide and exciting range of treatments to heal both body and mind, from ancient therapies like Yoga, Pilates, and Naturopathy to cutting-edge technologies like DNA Testing and Chronic Disease Prevention.
Our professional and dedicated team of experts is always available to help you achieve your personal objectives through a program tailored to your specific needs. Guests can also continue their wellness journey in our tranquil in-house café, which serves delicious, nutritious food and proves that eating healthy doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor or enjoyment.
