A Pilates instructor recommends these five exercises to combat hip flexor tightness

Tight hip flexors can be a pain—here’s how a Pilates instructor recommends you soothe them

Woman sits on an exercise mat in a living room with the soles of her feet together
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Hip mobility issues can sneak up on you. One day you’re a kid climbing trees and can move your hips in all directions, the next you’re an adult who can’t take the stairs two at a time.

I asked Club Pilates master trainer Pamela Paley why this is, and she explained that aging reduces muscle elasticity around joints, while sitting weakens hip muscles and tightens hip flexors. Then joint conditions, poor posture and a lack of flexibility can cause tightness and imbalances in the hips.

Whatever reason, or combination of reasons, is causing you issues, there are exercises you can do to improve your hip mobility, strengthen the supporting muscles and reduce pain in the area.

This is what Paley recommends to get you started.

Five hip flexor exercises

“You should do these exercises daily, but avoid pain,” says Paley. “Some discomfort is normal, but it should not exceed 3 out of 10 on the pain scale. If it does, reduce the intensity until you build more endurance and strength in that area.”

1. Bent knee opening

Woman in black leggings and red tank top on exercise mat on patio outside, next to grass.

(Image credit: Club Pilates)

Reps: 8 each side

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the mat, hip-width apart.
  • As you inhale, let your right knee fall to the right side.
  • As you exhale, return it to the starting position.
  • There may be a slight weight shift in the pelvis as you move the knee outward, but aim to keep the movement smooth and controlled, and the pelvis relatively stable.
  • Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Progression: Begin with a small range of motion, but as you get stronger, try opening both knees to the floor, keeping your pelvis stable.

2. Windshield wiper

Woman in black leggings and red tank top on exercise mat on patio outside, next to grass.

(Image credit: Club Pilates)

Reps: 3-4 each side

  • Lie on your back with your arms out to the sides, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
  • Lower both knees to the right and turn your head to the left.
  • Only lower your knees as far as you can without your arms lifting from the floor.
  • Hold for three to five breaths, then return to the start.
  • Repeat on the other side.
  • Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Progression: For a deeper stretch, place the ankle of the lower leg on the knee of the top leg. For instance, if you have dropped your knees to the right, place your right ankle just above your left knee.

Woman in black leggings and red tank top on exercise mat on patio outside, next to grass.

(Image credit: Club Pilates)

3. Butterfly stretch

Woman in black leggings and red tank top on exercise mat on patio outside, next to grass.

(Image credit: Club Pilates)

Time: 20-30sec

  • Sit with the soles of your feet pressed together and knees out to the sides.
  • Hold for time, gently pressing your knees down with your elbows or hands.

Progression: Build up to hold the stretch for up to a minute. To let your knees get closer to the floor, lie on your back.

4. Leg circles

Woman in black leggings and red tank top on exercise mat on patio outside, next to grass.

(Image credit: Club Pilates)

Reps: 6-8 each direction and each side

  • Lie on the floor with your right leg extended and foot flexed so your toes point up, and your left leg extended and raised with your toes pointing up.
  • Move your leg from the hip joint to draw small circles with your foot, perhaps the size of a basketball.
  • Keep your grounded leg and hip completely still. If you find it is moving, reduce the size of the circle.
  • Once you've completed all your reps, repeat in the opposite direction.
  • Hug your knee to your chest and circle you foot one way and then the other.
  • Switch legs and repeat on the other side.

Modification: If circling a straight leg is too strenuous for your back, bend your knee to 90° and circle your knee rather than your foot, still moving from your hip. Perform eight to 12 repetitions, then reverse the direction.

Progression: As you get stronger, make the circles larger, like the size of a beach ball or stability ball.

5. Leg swing

Woman in black leggings and red tank top stands on exercise mat on patio outside, next to grass. She stands side on to a chair, holding it in one hand. One leg is raised behind her.

(Image credit: Club Pilates)

Reps: 8-12 each side

  • Stand with one hand on a wall or counter for support.
  • Swing one leg forward and back.
  • Once all your reps are complete, repeat on the other side.

Progression: Make circles with your leg as it moves forward and back.

Lou Mudge
Lou Mudge
Fitness Writer

Lou Mudge is a Health Writer at Future Plc, working across Fit&Well and Coach. She previously worked for Live Science, and regularly writes for Space.com and Pet's Radar. Based in Bath, UK, she has a passion for food, nutrition and health and is eager to demystify diet culture in order to make health and fitness accessible to everybody.

Multiple diagnoses in her early twenties sparked an interest in the gut-brain axis and the impact that diet and exercise can have on both physical and mental health. She was put on the FODMAP elimination diet during this time and learned to adapt recipes to fit these parameters, while retaining core flavors and textures, and now enjoys cooking for gut health. 

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