Weak hip flexors were causing me backache—these are the three exercises I used to strengthen them

While being a journalist who specializes in fitness allows me more opportunities to work out than other professions would, I still spend most of time at my desk.

That is the reality for most office workers. Hours upon hours hunched over at a desk and only ever small windows of opportunity to undo the damage with exercise.

Over time, this inactivity, coupled with a gradual shortening and weakening of my hip flexors, has led to backache that’s been hard to shake.

So I returned to three simple exercises an osteopath recommended that I used previously to strengthen these muscles and offset the effects of long stints of sitting.

How to tell if your hip flexors are weak

The iliopsoas muscles that make up the hip flexors play a pivotal role in raising your knee toward your chest.

Every time you take a step forward, that's your hip flexor muscles kicking in.

People often confuse pain around the front of the hips as a sign of hip flexor tightness, but more often than not these muscles are undertrained and weakness is the issue.

In this weak hip flexor explainer video, trainer Jason Pak demonstrates a quick test you can try to work out if your hip flexors need a bit of TLC.

“If you can’t lift your knee toward your chest while standing or you struggle to get it high without leaning back, that’s a sign that your hip flexors might need a little care and attention,” he says.

Weak hip flexors, he goes on to explain, can mean the back has to work harder to compensate, leading to pain or discomfort around the hip joint.

His solution—and mine—is to use exercises to strengthen the hip flexors and take the strain off your lower back.

Three exercises I used to strengthen my weak hip flexors

1. Supine hip flexor raise

Sets: 1-2 Reps: 10 each side

• Lie on your back, pressing your lower back into the floor.
• Slowly lift and bend your right knee until it’s bent to 90° and directly above your right hip, focusing on the deep muscles around your hips to control the move.
• Slowly return to the starting position.
• Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

As you build strength, you can add a resistance band and to work against the resistance to increase the challenge.

2. Seated hip flexor isometric hold

Sets: 1-2 Reps: 5 each side

• Sit upright on a bench or chair with your feet on the floor and your knees bent to 90°.
• Keeping your hips and torso stable, lift your right knee as high as possible.
• Hold for five seconds, then lower with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

You can also perform these standing (I like to do them while brushing my teeth), or apply extra resistance by pressing down on your knee with your hands.

3. Kneeling hip flexor raise

Sets: 1-2 Reps: 5 each side

• From kneeling, place your right foot on the floor in front of you on a weight plate or other similar, sturdy platform.
• Concentrating on using just your hip flexors, lift your right foot off the elevated platform as high as you can.
• Hold for three seconds, then lower with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.