A physical therapist says these are the three stretches you should be doing to release stiff hips after a lower-body workout
Ease post-workout muscle soreness and improve your range of motion with these expert's straightforward stretches
After an intense lower-body workout, I find my hips begin to feel stiff and the muscles tighten if I forget to stretch, restricting my range of motion. While sore muscles can be somewhat satisfying at first—particularly after a heavy weight lifting session—it soon wears thin when you experience aches and pains every time you sit down and stand up.
Thankfully, there are some really easy stretching exercises you can use to loosen your stiff muscles and alleviate your post-workout aches. I asked physical therapist Stephanie Clark what she does when she's feeling the effects of a lower-body workout the next day. You can run through these stretches in under five minutes and repeat if necessary. Your hips, glutes and thighs will thank you for it.
Stephanie Clark competed in elite-level competitive gymnastics which sparked her interest in pursuing physiotherapy as a career. After studying kinesiology at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Canada, she went on to complete her masters degree in Science of Physiotherapy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
The stretches
1. Pigeon pose
- Start on your hands and knees. Bring your right knee forward and place it behind your right wrist and bring your right foot towards your left hand. Your right foot doesn't have to meet your left hand, move it as far as is comfortable.
- Extend your left leg behind you.
- Lower your hips towards the floor.
- Hold for 30-60 seconds on each side, perform 2-3 times in total.
What it does: Deeply stretches the hip rotators, especially the piriformis, which can become tight after lower-body workouts.
2. Lying butterfly stretch
- Sit with the soles of your feet together.
- Holding this position, lie down on your back.
- Keeping the soles of your feet together, gently bring your knees closer to the floor.
- Hold for 20-30 seconds, perform 2-3 times in total.
What it does: Opens up the hips and stretches the groin muscles, which can tighten after exercises like squats and lunges.
3. Lizard pose
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Take a step forward and bend both knees to lower into a lunge.
- Slide your rear leg backward.
- Lower your forearms to the floor inside your front foot, if possible. If not possible, place your hands flat on the floor and bend your elbows as far as is comfortable.
- Hold for 30-60 seconds on each side, perform 2-3 times in total.
What it does: Stretches the hip flexors and inner thighs.
Get the Fit&Well Newsletter
Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.
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.
-
I'm a fitness trainer with over a decade of experience but this new workout style has cut my exercise time in half
Workout Challenge your whole body with this 30-minute routine
By Jennifer Rizzuto Published
-
Build your glutes and boost your cardio with this 10-minute resistance band workout
workout Work the lower body with this low-impact home workout
By Maddy Biddulph Published