I’m a personal trainer: This is the 'hidden' hip exercise I use to fix lower back pain and build stability

Tight groin and hip muscles can contribute toward back pain, which is why it is important to target the muscles surrounding your back, like the glutes, hips and hamstrings, rather than just stretching your lumbar spine.

There's an exercise tucked neatly away among the yoga community, and it is the gold standard of hip exercises for melting away tension and releasing tight muscles. It's called frog pose, and I am completely, utterly obsessed with it.

It gets met with a groan every time I introduce it to my clients' sessions, but if you suffer from a tight lower body or symptoms of sciatica, this could help. While I use it with my clients, I would recommend anyone trying this for the first time to clear it with a qualified medical professional when dealing with any health conditions, pregnancies, or injuries, as what might be suitable for some may not be for others.

Translating as Mandukasana in Sanskrit, the popular yoga pose packs benefits beyond relieving tension in your hips. It also stretches the adductors and groin and can help relax your lower back. Below, I cover four of my favorite frog pose variations that you can get more familiar with.

Grab one of the best yoga mats and read on.

How to do frog pose and 4 variations to try

• Start in a tabletop position on hands and knees
• Shift your weight forward and slide your knees to the sides, hugging your inner knees into the mat
• Gently move your feet outward so they align with your knees, with the inner sides of your feet hugging the mat or ground
• Rest on your hands, then gently push your hips backward toward your feet
• If you can, lower onto your elbows and relax your neck.

Frog pose is uncomfortable, looks a bit strange and can feel almost unbearable at times (what a sell), but it's great for developing healthy hips. If you struggle with the intensity, reduce your range of motion by slightly bringing your knees or ankles closer together. Most importantly, it shouldn't cause pain, sharp sensations, or pinching.

Once you feel comfortable with static frog, try the other variations I demonstrate above. The first variation after your static frog is a "backbend" frog, which basically means resting on your hands and slightly leaning back to help stretch your lower back more. It can feel intense, so only move to a place that feels doable to hold for at least 30 seconds.

Next, we have a dynamic frog, which involves shifting the hips forward and backward, adding gentle movement into the pelvis; this turns frog into more of a hip mobility exercise, but don't push your hips too far, as you'll find this painful.

Instead, exhale as you push your hips back and meet your end range, then inhale as you counter-stretch by shifting your weight forward.

Last up is my favorite of all: cat-cow frog. Cat-cow is a popular spinal mobilizer used in yoga to help stretch the front and back of the body while bringing gentle movement into your back.

From a frog position, it can feel more challenging to find much movement, but it's a great way to bring dynamic movement into your spine while stretching your hips. Focus on generating most of the movement from your mid to upper back rather than arching your lower back, creating a soft shift up and down with the hips.

The stretch relies on external hip rotation on both sides of your body, coupled with a gentle push backward. It can feel mentally and physically challenging, but done regularly, it can counteract weak hip flexors and the negative impact of sedentary lifestyles.

Take long and deep breaths and use your exhale to deepen the pose. I strongly recommend focusing on your breath and closing down your eyes to help you stay grounded and drown out the external noise telling you to give up!

Yoga teachers call the hips the "seat of emotions," and refer to them as a storage place for stress and anxiety. The psoas (a hip flexor muscle) can also be known as the fight-or-flight muscle, tightening in response to stress or sudden action. Hip stretches have long been associated with releasing trapped emotions in yoga, but whether or not this is backed by definitive research is still up for debate.

Some studies show that slower-paced Yin yoga can relieve stress and improve sleep due to its meditative nature and breathwork focus. From my perspective, I experience a huge release of emotion when performing a frog pose for several minutes. Try to stay with it, and let us know how you get on in the comments.

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