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I'm a Trainer, and This Is My Stretching and Mobility Routine For Tight Hips and Muscles

29/10/2020 - 08:40 PM

No matter what type of physical activity you do, it's important to make sure you spend time stretching your muscles and working on your mobility. Holding long, static stretches [1] will help improve your flexibility, which can improve your performance, prevent injury, and keep your body feeling and functioning at its best.

Mobility focuses on your range of motion, and it's important because it keeps your joints healthy, helps reduce injury, helps you move optimally, allows you to get stronger, and helps improve your performance. There are countless stretches and mobility exercises you can do, and I recommended working with a physical therapist or a trainer who is knowledgeable about mobility to see if there are any particular areas of your body you should focus on.

My "flows" can easily take 30 minutes to do, but ahead, I've shared an abbreviated version I do that really focuses on spinal and hip mobility. If you're new to mobility work, some of these movements may have you feeling as if you're doing resistance training, and that's normal. But with that said, you should never feel pain while doing any type of movement, and if you do, stop doing the movement.

You can do all of these movements together as a flow, or you can pick and choose the ones you like and add them to your movement routine. I recommend going through this routine (or any type of mobility and stretch routine) daily to feel and see the benefits, but do what works best for you!

Cat Cow

My spine mobility isn't terrible, but it could be a lot better. I love Cat Cow because it's another gentle exercise to warm the spine up before exercise, but it's also great for overall spinal mobility. I tend to perform 10 reps in each direction, but I recommend doing what feels best for you.

Lying T-Spine Opener

The lying t-spine opener is one of my favourite mobility exercises for the spine, and I recommend everyone add a variation of it into your daily routine.

World's Greatest Stretch

I love stretches that target multiple muscle groups at once, and the world's greatest stretch definitely does that. This will help open up your spine, hips, posterior chain, and basically all the muscles you use when exercising and as you go through your daily activities.

Fire Hydrant With a Circle

If you have tight hips, this move is for you. I recommend starting off slow to master the movement; think about creating the largest circle you can with your knee while maintaining proper form. You can and should reverse the direction of this exercise to hit the hip joint from every angle.

Knee Drop

This is another hip mobility exercise I love that will help you work on internal hip rotation. If this is too hard, try sitting on top of a yoga block or a blanket while performing.

Hip Circle

The hip circle is a dynamic hip stretch and it's another one of my favourites. If done correctly, you should also feel this stretch in your hamstrings.

Trunk Twist

Another spinal mobility exercise I always do is the trunk twist. You'll quickly be able to tell which side of your body is less mobile and tighter, and this will definitely help loosen things up and get your spine moving optimally. Take your time doing this move and remember to keep your hips square (facing forward) the entire time.

Frogger

If the previous hip exercises are too challenging, I recommend trying frogger. I do this one on days when I want to feel a deep stretch in my hips.

Wide Child's Pose

Wide Child's Pose is one of those stretches that makes me feel good all over. I know it really targets the lower back, but I also feel like it helps lengthen my posterior muscles, my spine, and decreases tightness in my upper body. I also like this pose because I really feel a stretch in my hips. I hold this pose for as long as I need, which can be anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes.

Wide Squat

One pose I constantly find myself in is the Wide Squat. Not only is it a deep stretch for my hips, but I'm also always reminded to keep my chest open, shoulders down, and body upright when I'm in it. I hold this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes.


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