#MOBILITY EXERCISES FREE#

Pull the crossed knee toward your opposite shoulder, stretching the piriformis muscle.

Cross one leg fully over the opposite leg, so your knee is crossed over your thigh.

This muscle tends to get pretty tight from sitting all day. This stretch targets the piriformis (hence the name!), which is a small muscle located deep in the buttock. You can have the bottom leg bent fully, or straightened a bit more. Then, play around with crossing one ankle over the other leg and externally rotating from that position. Modified Version: Sitting on chair or bench, elevate your legs on to a stool or chair (the higher the surface, the more challenging it will be), and externally rotate one leg at a time.

For the hold, use your hand for assistance to press into the knee.

Move in and out of the stretch by rotating the hip in and out.

Cross one ankle over the opposite knee.

This exercise starts the sequence as an easy first movement to warm-up and build toward the rest of the series. Since you may not want to watch the routine videos every time you come back to this page to remind yourself about the exercises, let’s do a little recap of the exercises, along with their modifications. Thinking that you can’t work on mobility unless you’re already mobile is like waiting until you’re in shape to start working out – that’s just not how progress works! Everyone starts somewhere, and if you want to improve your hip mobility and function, just start wherever you can, work consistently, and you’ll start to see the needle moving in the right direction.

#MOBILITY EXERCISES FREE#

Feel free to use any chairs, bench, or stool you have around your house.Īs you can see, even if you have very tight hips, there are ways you can work on these hip mobility exercises. So, in this video, you’ll see how almost all of these stretches can be done sitting in a chair, with your feet elevated on either a low stool (easier) or another chair (a bit more challenging). And while we’ve always said to make as many adjustments as needed, or skip exercises that felt out of reach, we wanted to show some variations of these hip stretches for anyone who’s particularly tight and feeling intimidated by the exercises above. I know many people who feel that they are “too tight” to even begin stretching. Since we spend so much time sitting, tight hip flexors are extremely common these days, and that can make a few of these exercises uncomfortable for many people. Super Stiff? Tight Hip Flexors? Try These Beginner Hip Stretches Go ahead and skip to that section if you don’t need the modified routine. The video in the next section shows you modified versions of most of these hip mobilizations.įurther down in the article, I’ll give you detailed explanations of each of these exercises.

If you find the exercises as Ryan demonstrates them to be too advanced, don’t force them. These hip stretches are simple but very effective, and they can be made more or less challenging depending on your current abilities and limitations. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.🎁 Free up your hips with this proven routine that’s helped thousands of people move better with less pain. Bend at the waist toward your left so that you feel a stretch in the right side of your waist. Keep your left arm at your side or on your hip. Standing with your feet together, lift your right arm straight up into the air. Gently pull your right thigh closer to your chest for a deeper stretch and hold for 30 seconds before switching to the other side. Bring your right knee in toward your upper body. Rotate your left leg outward, placing your left ankle on top of your right thigh. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Look to the left and hold for three breaths. Twist your legs over to the right, allowing the legs to fall toward the ground or rest on the ground. Lie down on your back with your arms extended at your sides in a “T” position and your legs bent in table-top position.

(It’s OK if they are off of the ground.) Press down through your toes and your fingers to stretch the legs and the underarms.

Form a “V” with your body with your heels reaching down toward the ground. Pull your naval in toward your spine and reach your butt up toward the ceiling. Start in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists. Repeat for 10 “cats” and 10 “cows.” Downward facing dog As you breathe out, press the spine and lower back to the ceiling to round the back and lower your neck, looking down toward the ground. As you breathe in, arch the back and look up, pressing your tailbone to the ceiling. Your hands should be directly below the shoulders and knees directly under the hips.

Mobility exercises