Leaving your 20s behind isn’t the intimidating sentence that people think it is. The mantra “You’re only as old as you feel” is kind of true at any age — yes, it’s more of an uphill battle to keep strong and fit as you get older (and your body may begin to betray you along the way), but you’re never too old to get started or even improve.
I know some people in their 70s who are fitter and stronger now than they were 20 years ago. And while I’m keenly aware that I’m hardly “old” at 34, one area that commonly gets tighter and weaker is the hips. I began noticing a change in my hip flexor strength around my 30s.
After I finished getting mad that my body wasn’t recovering after heavy weightlifting at 32 like it did at 22 without a mobility or stretching routine in place (shock, horror), I decided it was time to implement one.
If like me, you can feel those hips getting tighter and more painful, fear not — I have us covered. I’m a personal trainer, and this is the exact five-move program I use to unlock my hips when they’re tightening up.
Just don’t wait until you need the routine — be proactive, not reactive.
What is the five-move routine for your hips?
Stronger, looser hips are just five moves and 15 minutes away. However, remember that although you may feel immediate relief after the routine, you’ll need to repeat this program several times a week to truly see the benefits.
Here are the moves.
Frog
Frog pose is one of the most beneficial exercises for your lower back, hips, glutes and groin muscles. If you’re not familiar, the yoga pose resembles how a frog sits, and helps open up the hips from a modified kneeling position.
During frog, the inner thighs will switch on, and you may even feel relief from sciatica symptoms. Focus on your breath, and try to wrap your inner knees and ankles into the ground, rather than the tops of your feet or knees. This should alleviate any joint pain.
How to do frog pose step-by-step: Try holding the posture a few minutes and pressing your hips backward.
Clamshells (banded)
Use one of the best resistance bands to loop above your knees, or even just use your bodyweight if you prefer. Focus on driving your top knee as high toward the ceiling as you can, externally rotating your hip and working the gluteus medius muscle that supports hip abduction.
As you open your hip, focus on controlling and maintaining tension in your glutes. As you close your hip again, move slowly.
Clamshells are guaranteed to relieve tight hips after you’ve been sitting all day.
How to do clamshells step-by-step: Aim for 2 sets of 8-12 reps per side.
Supine marches (banded)
Lying on your back, you’ll wrap a small loop band around your feet and extend your legs down the mat. Keeping your lower back in contact with the mat beneath you, drive one knee toward your chest as if marching, then extend your leg again and repeat on the other side.
Say hello to your hip flexors. This is a strengthening exercise, so focus on pushing against the resistance of the band and driving your knee as far toward your chest as possible with power. You can lower your leg with slow and focused control.
Aim for 2 sets of 8-12 reps per side.
Yogi squat
Yogi squats involve squatting down like a baby does when they’re just hanging out. To them, it’s natural, but to us, it’s insane. With time and practice, though, it may begin to feel less insane as your hips open and accommodate the stretch better.
You can make this squat dynamic by rolling from heel to heel, but remember, whatever you do: chest proud, back straight, heels down, knees out.
As soon as your knees cave in, it’ll place undue pressure on your knee joints. Practice sitting on a block first, then place the block under your hands, then, eventually, try without a block at all.
How to do a yogi squat step-by-step: Hold for up to 60 seconds.
Cossack squats
The Cossack also takes some getting used to. Focus first on placing a block beneath your hips, then under your hands in front of you, removing it as your depth improves.
The deep side lunge variation can be done with toes pointed forward and the hip internally rotated (great for hip health) or toes pointed toward the ceiling (external rotation).
Both are great options to practice, and personally, I like moving between the two positions for 10-20 reps per side.
How to do Cossack squats step-by-step: Aim for 2 sets of 8 reps.
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