I'm a coach with over 6 years' experience in mobility — here's 3 exercises I prefer over stretching to build strong hips

I teach mobility classes every week, and while I might add some stretching into the mix toward the end of class, it’s not the way I prefer to build strong hips — or muscles and joints, more generally.

There’s a time and a place for both stretching and mobility in your routine; stretches are a great way to finish off a workout and relieve tension in tight muscles, helping them to relax; mobility exercises move your joints and muscles through a range of motion, getting oxygen-rich blood pumping around the body and preparing your body for exercise. They also strengthen through movement.

But if I’m recommending anything to build you a bulletproof set of hips that are injury-resistant and robust at any age, it’s these three exercises. Grab one of the best yoga mats, and read on.

1. Prone internal hip rotation

Proper hip function requires the hips to move in multiple ways, and these exercises target some major ones.

The first is internal rotation, where the thigh (or hip) draws inward toward the midline of the body. While a lot of emphasis is on our ability to open the hip for proper mobility and movement mechanics, internal rotation matters, too. Why? Think about pivoting during a soccer game, running, or kicking.

You can do the exercise above with your knee on the floor, but elevating your knee on a cushion, block, or bolster will give you more room to move the lower leg, increasing overall range of motion.

With every repetition, try to tap your foot to the ground, then drive it up high without lifting your knee. Watch how the hip moves; focus on grounding both hips into your mat and keeping your shoulders square without turning to one side.

Aim for 30-60 seconds per leg.

2. Hip flexion and extension

This next exercise flexes and extends the hip flexors, both of which are important for actions as simple as running and walking. This drill also unlocks tight groins and ankle joints.

It's performed in two stages: the first, as you can see from the video, involves simply rocking from side to side in a low squat position. You can play around with your movement and how low you squat, as long as you roll heel-toe along the foot.

Next, try tapping your knee down in front of you, extending through the hip flexor (namely, the psoas muscle) and the quad while keeping your torso upright using your core muscles. This requires you to shift the weight into the ball of your foot, which can help you overcome limited mobility in your ankle or foot, and also tests and improves balance.

3. Prone lateral rotation

Lateral rotation helps to improve an open-legged position, like sitting cross-legged. If your knees are up by your chest and you can't relax your knees or groin, lateral rotation can help.

You're looking mostly at open-legged positions that stretch the groin and move the knees away from your midline, rotating the hips outward. The move above is a bit of a combo, as you start in the frog pose position, then move your hips forward and back, also flexing and extending the hips.

The key to finding any level of comfort (a term I use loosely) is to place your weight toward your heels and ensure the inner knees and medial sides of your feet are making contact with the mat, not the tops. Done correctly, it shouldn't aggravate your knees, but you could also slide cushions or towels beneath you to ease pressure.

The above exercises don't take into account any individual preferences, health conditions, or injuries, and may aggravate symptoms in some circumstances. Take caution and stop if you experience pain, and don't do anything that makes you feel unwell.

And remember, there's a difference between building mobility and improving flexibility. You can improve muscle flexibility by stretching, and there are active or "dynamic" stretches you can perform for a short-term boost in range. Mobility exercises move joints through a range of motion using strength and control instead (read: stretching vs mobility: What's the difference?).

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