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Stretching your hips is a great way to boost short-term flexibility and relax muscles after a workout, but is it the best way to increase hip mobility or build hip strength in the long term? Unlikely.
When considering stretching versus mobility for your body, you'll need to decide what it is you want to gain from the practice. If you want to relax by holding a stretch to relieve muscle tightness, sure, you might add the best hip stretches to your cool-downs after all your hard work.
But if you want to get your hips moving more freely and your joints to feel more robust, mobility exercises could be your best bet.
Combining the two might work for you, but often, when speaking with clients, they'll mistake where they actually feel tight or limited during workouts, and it might be more to do with movement mechanics than the muscles themselves. And often enough, stretching only provides a short term benefit for tightness.
Mobility isn't sexy in the way that lifting heavy weights or running ultramarathons are. Still, these three moves, performed regularly, alongside a more complete mobility program, will help you continue doing what you love for longer. Give them a try.
Watch: 3 low-impact exercises you can try for hip mobility at home
Consistent mobility routines can be microdosed into your week, so don't feel pressured to spend 30 minutes or more on them. Ideally, you'll combine strength work with mobility drills, perhaps just using your bodyweight, or adding a set of resistance bands or ankle weights if you feel ready.
These tried-and-tested low-impact exercises can be performed at home using just one of the best yoga mats or exercise mats with padding. Dumbbells optional.
If you experience pain at any time, stop and rest. If you're working with an injury or health condition, I recommend seeking advice before starting these exercises, especially if you find it difficult to get down on the floor.
- Up and overs: The dumbbell is entirely optional. If you use one, place it in front of you on a setting of your choice. Kneel on your left knee and extend your right leg away from you. Support your bodyweight with your left arm and place your right hand on your hip. With control, squeeze your glutes and lift your right leg up and over the dumbbell, tap the toes, then reverse the motion back over. Repeat for 6-8 reps per side x 2 sets.
- Standing circles: Again, the dumbbell is optional. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hands on hips. Lift your right foot off the ground and begin circling it around the dumbbell in both directions. Avoid arching your back, pushing your hips forward, or twisting your body to one side. Repeat for 6-8 reps per side x 2 sets.
- Sumo squat taps: Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width and (again, optional) place a dumbbell just behind you on a setting of your choice. Engage your core muscles, then send your hips back and lower into a deep squat, keeping your back straight and chest proud. Raise your arms as you lower down and try to tap the dumbbell with your butt. Pause, then drive upward to stand. Repeat for 6-8 reps per side x 2 sets.
What are the benefits?
Some people are blessed with healthy hips all through life. For others, it's a lifelong commitment to keeping them functioning.
Here are some benefits of these exercises.
Up and overs: Lifting your leg up and over an obstacle with one leg extended laterally challenges your gluteus medius muscles. These muscles help abduct the hip joint. You'll also feel a deep stretch along the inner thighs, or the adductors. I find this an effective stretchy opener, but it also teaches me to switch on my glutes and core to help lift my leg with control, so try to move slowly in both directions. If you experience cramping, see if bending your knee a little helps. You could also hold a dumbbell to your leg or wear ankle weights to progress this exercise.
Standing circles: Circling out the hips is a popular way to warm up the joints and muscles before exercise, but how often do you measure the distance your leg travels? You could use anything here, but moving your leg in more expansive circles in both directions will challenge your balance and stability and keep your movements consistent. Play around with it and see if you can close your eyes, too.
Sumo squats: Not an obvious choice for hip mobility, but the wide stance engages your gluteus medius muscles and stretches the groin and adductors; you'll also notice you can drop a little deeper into the squat. Focus on lifting your chest and drawing your butt down. This is a great exercise for building lower-body strength, so take a moment to pause at the bottom and drive upward with power. See if you can hold a weight overhead or to your chest as a progression. You could also use a small dumbbell and challenge your squat depth.
The more you move throughout the day, the better.
The more you move throughout the day, the better, as any movement you can accumulate will contribute toward overall energy expenditure and prevent prolonged sedentary time, a key cause of muscle weakness, poor posture and imbalance.
I like to add bands or very light weights to mobility exercises so that I combine movement, strength and control. This type of movement is also great for fascia, ligaments and joints; however, I would always recommend focusing on consistency and the basics first, as the progressions can come later.
Control is essential, so prioritize your form and range of motion (how far you move into the exercises and your speed). Give these a try, and let us know how you get on in the comments.
Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.
More from Tom's Guide
- I teach people how to be more mobile: 3 low-impact back and shoulder moves that build stability and strength after 40
- I teach people how to be strong and mobile: this is the one exercise I regret ignoring for years
- I teach people over 50 to be mobile: 3 low-impact moves that build more stability than a 30-minute walk
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