Hip mobility is essential for everything from daily activities like walking and sitting to performance in sports, yoga, and other physical activities. Stiffness or limited range of motion in the hips can lead to discomfort and even injury. In this ever-evolving blog series, we’ll take you through a step-by-step process designed to improve your hip mobility, focusing on key exercises such as PAILs and RAILs, passive range holds, and hovers.
The intention here isn’t to have you doing all of the exercises we put here, more to give you options that you can then explore in-depth, based on your own needs.
Let’s dive in!
Unlock Your Hips: A Comprehensive Guide to Hip Mobility and Strength
Strong, mobile hips are the foundation of movement, whether you’re gardening, practicing yoga, hiking, or just navigating daily life. When the hips are stiff or weak, they can lead to discomfort and limit your ability to move freely. This guide brings together five essential drills—external rotation, internal rotation, hip abduction, hip flexion, and hip extension—to help you unlock your hips and keep them strong for years to come.
Each drill incorporates progressive and regressive isometric contractions (PAILs and RAILs) to improve flexibility and build strength at your hips’ end range of motion. Whether you’re looking to stretch tight hips or make lasting changes in your mobility, these techniques will get you there.
- Hip External Rotation: Opening the Outer Hips
External rotation is the primary motion of the hip and a critical component for healthy, functional movement. It’s often limited by tight outer hip muscles, which can restrict your range of motion in squats, lunges, or even simple walking.
Setup:
Sit on the floor with one leg bent at 90 degrees in front of you (shin parallel to your body) and the other leg bent behind you at 90 degrees (shin parallel to the side of your body).
Keep your front knee in line with your hip, and ensure your back leg stays grounded.
Use cushions under your hips if needed for comfort.
Steps:
Passive Stretch (2 Minutes):
Gently hinge forward over your front leg, keeping your spine long. You should feel a stretch in your outer hip.
PAILs Contraction:
Push your front knee and ankle down into the floor as if trying to rotate your leg outward against resistance.
Ramp up to 80-100% effort and hold for 4-6 seconds.
RAILs Contraction:
Attempt to lift your front knee and ankle off the ground (they won’t actually lift but focus on activating the muscles).
Hold for 4-6 seconds and deepen into the stretch.
Repeat for 3 rounds, and after the final set, breathe and hold the stretch for an additional minute.
- Hip Internal Rotation: Unlocking Hidden Range
Internal rotation is often overlooked but is essential for hip function. It directly affects your ability to move efficiently and is key to unlocking deeper stretches and improved extension.
Setup:
Sit on the floor with one leg in front (90 degrees) and the other leg bent behind you (similar to external rotation). This time, focus on the back leg.
Keep your back knee in line with your hip and shin aligned with your thigh.
Steps:
Passive Stretch (2 Minutes):
Gently rotate your torso toward the back leg while keeping your knee and shin in contact with the ground.
PAILs Contraction:
Push your back knee and ankle into the floor as if trying to rotate the leg inward against resistance.
Ramp up to 80-100% effort and hold for 4-6 seconds.
RAILs Contraction:
Try to lift your back ankle off the ground while keeping your knee down (you won’t lift far but focus on activating the muscles).
Hold for 4-6 seconds and deepen the stretch.
Repeat for 3 rounds, holding the final stretch and breathing deeply for one more minute.
- Hip Abduction: Targeting the Inner Thighs
Hip abduction improves lateral stability and strengthens your hips for movements like side-stepping, balancing, and even squats. This drill targets the adductors (inner thighs), which are often tight and underutilized.
Setup:
Start in the frog position: knees wide apart, shins parallel to each other.
Rest on your elbows (or hands if elbows are too challenging).
Keep your back flat—avoid arching (cat) or dipping (cow).
Use cushions or pads under your knees for comfort.
Steps:
Passive Stretch (2 Minutes):
Sit back toward your heels without letting your spine arch. The stretch should target the inner thighs.
PAILs Contraction:
Push your knees down into the floor, as if trying to squeeze them together.
Ramp up to 80-100% effort and hold for 4-6 seconds.
RAILs Contraction:
Try to widen your knees further apart while sinking your hips back slightly.
Keep your back flat and focus on the stretch deepening in your thighs.
Repeat for 3 rounds. After the last set, stay in the stretch and breathe for another minute.
- Straight Leg Hip Flexion: Mobilizing Hamstrings and Hip Flexors
Straight leg hip flexion improves hamstring length, strengthens hip flexors, and builds control over the hip joint. It’s a great follow-up to rotational drills and a precursor to dynamic movements.
Setup:
Sit on a bench or chair with one leg extended straight in front of you.
Keep the knee slightly unlocked.
Maintain a tall, upright spine. Avoid reaching for your toes or rounding your back.
Steps:
Passive Stretch (2 Minutes):
Lean forward slightly at the hip, aiming to bring your belly button closer to your thigh. Keep your back straight throughout.
PAILs Contraction:
Press your heel down into the bench as if trying to perform a leg curl.
Hold for 4-6 seconds at 80-100% effort.
RAILs Contraction:
Use your hip flexor muscles to try and lift your leg closer to your body.
Simultaneously pull your torso forward without collapsing your spine.
Repeat for 3 rounds. After the final set, hold the stretch and breathe deeply for one minute.
- Hip Extension: Strengthening the Backside
Hip extension targets the hip flexors and strengthens the glutes, crucial for posture and activities like walking, climbing, or even standing. It’s a more active version of the popular “couch stretch.”
Setup:
Kneel on one knee with the other foot forward (a lunge-like position).
Use a pad under your knee and grab two sturdy posts or sticks for balance.
Squeeze the glute of the kneeling leg to create a posterior pelvic tilt (tuck your tailbone).
Keep your torso upright and avoid arching your lower back.
Steps:
Passive Stretch (2 Minutes):
Push your hips gently forward and up, feeling a stretch in the front of the kneeling hip.
PAILs Contraction:
Push your knee into the pad as if trying to drag it forward across the floor.
Simultaneously press your hands into the posts for extra resistance.
Hold for 4-6 seconds at 80-100% effort.
RAILs Contraction:
Relax and push your hips further forward, deepening the stretch.
Focus on opening the hip without arching your back.
Repeat for 3 rounds. After the final set, hold the deepest stretch and breathe deeply for one minute.
Take the First Step Toward Hip Health
Incorporate these drills into your routine 2-3 times a week, and you’ll notice improvements in how your hips move and feel. Over time, these exercises will help you stay active, pain-free, and capable of enjoying life’s adventures—whether that’s hiking a new trail or chasing grandkids around the yard.
Let’s unlock those hips and keep them moving!