You want to become more flexible in the hips? Then these exercises are made for you. You can open your hips and get rid of pain in your back, neck, hips and knees with stretching exercises.
Open the hip? That sounds a little daunting at first. But you should do exercises for hip mobility regularly. You can prevent a lot of pain with them. Hip opener exercises are perfect especially for all those who work a lot in a sitting position.
And for all those who feel that their hips are somehow rusty and immobile.
The good news is that if you keep doing exercises that open up your hips, you'll quickly see progress. The exercises are simply stretching exercises.
You probably know this from other stretches: the more often and regularly you do them, the better you can bend.
Table of contents
Why is a flexible hip important?
A flexible hip plays a crucial role in our physical health and overall well-being.
It allows us to move freely, reduce pain and maintain good posture.
Through regular exercise and stretching we can improve the flexibility of our hip and promote its stability.
A mobile hip not only has positive effects on our body, but also on our mental state. It can reduce stress, release tension and provide a sense of relaxation and well-being.
By taking care of the flexibility of our hips, we invest in our health and allow ourselves to reach our body's full potential.
Open your hips, discover the freedom of movement and feel the positive changes in your body and mind.
Why should I open my hip?
Before we get to the exercises, let's look at why it's worth doing hip opener exercises in the first place.
- Open hip joints make the lower back more mobile. This prevents back pain.
- Hip opener exercises strengthen the pelvic muscles. You prevent a hollow back, which in turn has a very positive effect on the lower back.
- Movable hip joints reduce the tension on the knees. You relieve your knees and take the pressure off them.
- If you feel immobile in the hips, it may be due to blockages in the pelvis. In yoga, we talk about energy that needs to flow, but it can be stopped by blockages. However, our sexual chakra, the Svadhisthana Chakra, is located in the pelvis of all places. So for an active love life it is worth opening the hips.
You see, when you do open hip exercises your knees, lower back, posture and even your love life benefit.
What is the structure of the hip?
The hip is a fascinating joint that consists of the pelvic blades and the thigh bones. It allows us a great freedom of movement, similar to the shoulder joint.
Around the hips are many muscles that help keep our bodies stable and upright.
An important muscle called the psoas runs from the spine through the hips to the thighs and plays a crucial role in walking and sitting.
In addition, important nerve pathways such as sciatica run through the hip.
The hip is the link between our upper and lower body and is supported by a variety of coordinated muscles.
However, when one of these muscles is blocked, our body tries to compensate for the imbalance.😖
Other muscles then take over their functions, which often leads to an incorrect load. Hip opening is about stretching and relaxing all the muscles.
Especially those muscles that are shortened, atrophied or tense and not playing along as well as we would like.
Through specific exercises, we can open up our hips and bring the muscles back into balance. This helps us to improve our mobility, reduce pain and gain an overall better body feeling.😊
The hip from the yoga point of view
When you do hip-opening yoga exercises, it affects the core of your body. In yoga, it is often said that emotions, stress and tension can get stuck or be felt here.
Stretching your hips and making them more flexible will have a positive effect on your emotional world. It's important to fully engage in the exercises and surrender.
The hip is connected to the shoulders, knees and jaw. Therefore, tension in the hip can also indicate problems in other areas of the body and vice versa.
For example, a tight jaw can often lead to tightness in the hips.
Therefore, when practicing stretches for the hip muscles, it is especially important to let go and surrender in order to achieve a relaxed effect.
That's why you should do yoga before bed!
What happens when you do hip-opening exercises?
The theory sounds good. But what does it actually mean to open the hips? For that, we need to take a brief look at the human anatomy.
Let's compare the hip joints with the shoulders so you can get a better idea. Both are ball and socket joints and are theoretically very mobile.
Most of the time, however, we are much more mobile in our arms because we use them more. Who circles their legs on a regular basis?
The head of the femur is integrated into the socket. This helps us to be mobile on the one hand and to be able to stand, walk and run stably on the other.
The hip is the strongest bone structure in our body. Simply integrating the femur into the socket is not possible.
To make it work, a great many muscle groups are involved. They hold everything in place and allow us to stretch, step and move.
However, these muscles are not as easy to stretch as others. So if you want to open your hips, you need patience and time.
Hip opener exercises involve moving the head of the femur backward into the hip socket and holding this stretch for a period of time.
Those who sit a lot at work are very likely to have shortened and even atrophied hip muscles.
The muscles do not work together optimally, resulting in hollow backs and pain in the lower back.
If you are already a pro or dare to do advanced exercises, you can try the 4 exercises from the YouTube channel Ergotopia!
Muscles you work with this workout
- Adductors (inner thigh muscles)
- Quadriceps (front thigh muscles)
- Psoas (muscle at the front of the hips, hip flexor).
- Piriformis (muscle at the back of the hips)
Besides, of course, a few other muscles are involved. They help us keep our balance and perform the exercises cleanly. But the muscle groups mentioned are the ones that exercises primarily target.
Can anyone do the lotus position?
I have no problems now immediately - even without warm-ups to get into the lotus position. However, not everyone can do that. Exciting, isn't it? Even with diligent practice, some do not succeed.
It is simply not anatomically possible. For asanas like the lotus position, you have to be very limber.
If the body is not well stretched and the muscles in the rear thigh or lumbar spine are shortened, it becomes difficult.
One sign that you should take it slow is this exercise:
Sit down cross-legged.
Can you get your knees to touch the floor on their own?
Often this seemingly simple exercise is associated with a lot of pain. It does little good to push your knees down with effort. This will only cause you to hurt yourself and be in pain.
So you better leave that alone.
7 simple stretching exercises that everyone should know how to do!
If you want to open your hips by force, you've already lost before you even start.
There is no shame in using aids or approaching exercises slowly. Listen to your body, give it the time it needs.
A slight and continuous pulling during the exercises is perfectly fine. A sudden and sharp pain, however, is not - then you have clearly gone too far.
Sometimes, by the way, some never manage to sit cross-legged. The femur and the socket are built a little differently for everyone.
Depending on how deep or shallow the socket is, we simply can't make some movements. Our bones throw a wrench in the works.
What I want to say is: take it slowly and by no means force it.
The best hip opener exercises
Are you ready? You need a training mat and a little space. Then you're ready to get started! Let's open up the hips and get you more flexible.
Many of these exercises you will know from normal strength training, others from yoga. It's a colorful mix that stretches and strengthens. There is something for everyone, whether beginner or advanced.
Deep squat
Looks simple, but it is not. If you are very short, you can put a cushion or a training mat under your heels. Then the exercise is easier.
- You start in an upright position. The legs are open about shoulder width.
- Now slowly get down on your knees.
- As you do this, push your knees to the side and open your hips as wide as you can.
- Rest the thighs on the lower legs.
- Bring your heels to the floor - if you can.
- Make sure that the back is straight.
- If you wish, you can place your palms on top of each other in front of your chest.
Deep lunge
With this exercise you stretch the groin and hip flexor.
- Take a big step forward.
- Lower the pelvis until it is level with the front knee.
- Place hands to the right and left of the front knee.
- Stretch the back leg through - as best you can.
- Hold the stretch. Those who can, bring the back heel to the floor - but this is really for professionals.
These 7 yoga postures will make you more flexible!
The butterfly
And we are back to yoga again. The butterfly helps you to open the hips. Important: stretch loosely and carefully!
- Sit up straight.
- Stretch through the back. The head is the extension of the spine.
- Place the soles of your feet on top of each other.
- Let the knees sink to the floor very slowly and only as far as you can.
- Hold the stretch - you'll notice that after a few minutes you'll be able to stretch the hips a bit more. Use this effect.
Side lunge
Now it's back to the lateral thigh muscles. A great stretching exercise that strengthens your sense of balance at the same time.
- For this hip opener exercise you need to take a wide step to the side.
- The tips of the toes point forward.
- Bend your upper body to the left and bend the left knee. If you wish, you can place your hands on your knee.
- The right leg is fully extended.
- Open the legs as wide as you can. With light and bobbing movements you can deepen the stretch.
The prebend
You can also open the hips with the forward bend. There are two variations for this exercise. Either you do it sitting or standing.
- Stand up straight.
- Open your legs until you feel a pulling sensation on the inner thigh.
- Bend the upper body forward. Let yourself hang properly.
- Hold this position. After a few seconds you should be able to deepen the stretch.
That's why you need to exercise your hip flexor regularly!
Ashva Sancalanasana
Unfortunately, I only know the yoga name for this hip-opening exercise. But the name is irrelevant, the important thing is that you can open your hips. This exercise is not suitable for beginners!
- Make a wide lunge to the side.
- Lean your upper body to the right side. The right leg is bent and the toes point outward.
- Now it gets difficult. Bring both hands to the inside of the right foot.
- Bring your upper body as far as you can to the floor. Professionals manage to place the forearms completely on the floor.
- Reach under the back of the right knee with your right arm.
- Hold this position and make sure that both legs remain completely on the ground.
Cross-legged or lotus seat
Beginners stick to cross-legged sitting, advanced students can try lotus sitting right away. Here comes the explanation for the cross-legged seat.
- Sit up straight. Take the shoulders back and thereby open the chest space.
- Keep your stomach and back straight.
- Imagine an invisible thread pulling your head up so that you are upright and straight from your tailbone to the crown of your head.
- Angle the legs. Place the right foot to the inside of the left thigh. Let the leg sink to the floor.
- Place the left leg under the right lower leg.
Stretching! That stretches your hips!
The dove
Also from yoga comes this exercise for an open hip. The pigeon, also called Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, is a great stretch. However, it is not suitable for beginners. You're stretching the hip flexor with it.
- You start by bending your right leg in front of your body. The heel is under your left hip.
- The left leg is stretched backwards, the toes are up.
- The hands rest in front of the body and help you build and release tension - depending on what you need at the moment.
- Try to bring the hip as far as you can to the floor and keep tension in the hip flexor.
- Try straightening your torso as much as is okay for you.
- Make sure your hips don't tilt to one side, but remain stable.
Dog looking down
This exercise is known even by those who don't do yoga. The dog looking down is a great way to open the hips and become more flexible in the hip area.
- You start with a plank. Hands are shoulder-width apart, fingertips pointing forward.
- Now push your butt upwards. As if someone is pulling on your hips with a string.
- The palms remain on the floor.
- Pull the abdomen inward and tense it.
- Now stretch your legs.
- If you are advanced, you will be able to stretch your legs and keep your heels on the floor at the same time. If you can't do that, it doesn't matter.
- Make sure your back is well extended.
Happy baby
And finally, something loosening and fun. This exercise is actually known by babies. They don't have to work on opening their hips because they're still very mobile. But you can get that back with a little practice.
- Lie on your back.
- Lift your legs off the floor and bend them.
- Now grab the tips of your toes with your fingers and pull your legs even further towards you.
- It is important that you do not forget to open your hips. To do this, drop your knees outward.
- Hold this position and always stretch a little.
Want to do more exercises? I find this youtube video very successful. If you want, you can do hip yoga with Alina for 20 minutes.
What should you look for in hip-opening exercises?
When you're doing hip-opening exercises, there are a few things you should pay attention to in order to practice safely and effectively. Here are a few important points you can keep in mind:
- Warm up: Before you start hip stretches, it is important to warm up your body. You can do this, for example, through light cardio exercises or dynamic movements. Warming up helps to increase blood circulation and make your muscles more supple.
- Breathe deeply and consciously: As you go into the hip stretches, it's important to breathe deeply and consciously. Breathing supports your relaxation and helps open you up in the stretches. Be sure to breathe evenly and don't hold your breath.
- Listen to your body: Every body is unique, so it's important to listen to your own body's signals. Feel into the stretches and pay attention to how your hips feel. Only go as far into the exercises as it feels good and there is no pain. Each progression happens at your own pace.
- Be patient: The flexibility of the hip can develop over time. Be patient with yourself and practice regularly. Over time, you will notice progress and improve your flexibility. Don't compare yourself to others, but focus on your own journey.
- Use tools: If you have difficulty performing certain hip stretches, you can use aids such as yoga blocks or pillows. These will help make the exercises more comfortable and gently open your hips.
By following these tips and listening to your body, you can practice the hip-opening exercises safely and effectively.
Enjoy the process and feel how your hips feel more flexible and supple over time.😁
Our conclusion
If you want to open your hips, you need to do stretching exercises regularly. You should not be impatient, it takes some time before hip opener exercises start to work.
But practicing alone is worth it, because back pain is alleviated even if you don't yet manage the individual exercises perfectly.
Have fun with the training!
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