If you sit down at a desk all day there's a pretty good chance you have built up tight hip flexors. This is something you will benefit from working on or else you run the risk of causing injury, greater pain, or limited mobility. Fortunately, you can spend as little as 15 minutes doing this short mobility and yoga session for loosening the hip flexors.
If you haven't already tried using some of the best foam rollers before, then they are also well worth trying out to stretch and loosen the hip flexors. However, if you don't own one of these you can still effectively alleviate discomfort in your hips using this series of stretches shared by yoga teacher and ex-gymnast, Shona Vertue.
Vertue will lead you through the 15-minute hip flexor sequence, using movements accompanied by instructed breathing to help you strengthen, stretch and mobilize this area of the body.
If you can spare a quarter of an hour for this routine and practice it consistently she states, "You are going to feel 'loosey goosey' in the hips without feeling unstable."
To complete this home workout you will need one of the best resistance bands for this yoga routine but if you don't have one, Vertue says you can tie a towel in a loop instead, but it won't offer the same elastic effect as a band. Also, grab a couple of chairs or yoga blocks to add support for some of the movements.
Watch Shona Vertue's 15 Minute Mobility & Yoga for Loosening Tight Hip Flexors
People frequently deliberate over whether or not certain kinds of stretching can negatively impact your muscle performance and bring on injury prior to exercise. However, Vertue recently shared a piece of scientific research on her Instagram proves hip flexor stretching to be beneficial.
The study that she used as a reference was published in the International journal of environmental research and public health and discovered that stretching the hip flexors can actually have a positive effect on balance and sports-related performance. This was compared to other muscle groups that can reduce performance when stretched.
Below is a list of the exercises Vertue uses for stretching out the hip flexors.
Try this sequence of hip flexor stretches
- Hollow Body Hold
- Hip Flexor Strength work
- Glute activation
- Downward Facing Dog
- Lizard Pose
- Lizard Pose Dynamic Stretch
- Pigeon Pose for the Hip Flexors
- Pigeon Pose PAILs
- Pigeon Pose RAILs
- Yoga Lunge with a Side Reach
- Hamstring Stretch
Other big names in the fitness world have also been turning people's attention to why they should stretch more often. Joe Wicks recently said over on Instagram, "Stretching is so important if we want to live pain-free and working on the range of motion in your joints is essential for longevity as we get older".
Moreover, in our 'I did yoga every day for 30 days' challenge we noticed noticeable positive changes to our strength and performance in other sports such as running. There's nothing better than lacing up some of the pair of best running shoes for women and pounding the pavements with power and confidence.
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