The Hip Flexor - Move

Your hip flexors are a group of muscles that are connected to various muscles in your body like your lower back, groin, and pelvic area. These hip flexor muscles are more important than most people realize because they are responsible for helping your move your leg forward and backward as you walk or run.

When these muscles in your hip flexor region becomes tight it can result in an awkward walk or running style, pain in your lower back or groin area, and other painful symptoms. The main cause of tight hip flexors is remaining in a seated position for long periods of time without stretching or moving around.

However, even people who are usually active and moving around like athletes can develop tight hip flexors as well. Someon who is physically active can experience tight hip flexors when they make sudden movements their hip flexors aren't prepared for. This is why it's always important to stretch before you play any sport, or start any workout.

If you want to unlock hip flexors and reduce tightness the best way to do this is to perform certain exercises that increase flexbility and mobility in your hip flexor muscles. The hip flexor exercises you'll find below can help loosen up these muscles and increase your range of motion in your hips, as well as reducing any pain you're experiencing.

Hip Flexor Exercises To Get Relief From Tightness

Overhead lunges: These lunges can help unlock your hip flexor and reduce tightness by lengthening your shortened muscles. Begin in a standing position, and position your arms above your head. To increase the effectiveness of this exercise you can try holding a medicine ball above your head as high as you can.

The next step in this exercise is to lower your torso straight down as far as you can without bending over. You will begin to really feel the stretch while in this position. Hold this stretch position for about 10 to 15 seconds before returning to the starting position. Once you return to the starting do about 10 more reps of these to relieve your tight hip flexors effectively.

Overhead squats: To begin this exercise for tight hip flexors you'll need to stand up straight with your feet placed together. Now pick up a bar or maybe a gentle dumbbell set and keep it above your head as you perform this stretching exercise.

This helps to keep your body planted firmly on the ground while doing the exercise. After you have gotten the bar and are standing up straight, lower your weight down until you are inside a seated place, like you'd with a normal squat. Hold the squat at the bottom part of the motion for a count of 5 and then return to the standing position you began in.

Lying stretch: To do this hip flexor stretch you'll need to lay face down. Now place your hands on your shoulders and try to push your body upward as far as you can. As you push your body upward you'll begin to feel the stretch in your hip flexors. Hold this stretching position for as long as you can and then return to the standing position. Repeat this stretch a few times each day for the best results.

Conclusion

As you do these hip flexor exercises and stretches make sure you do them correctly to get the best results. Over time your hip flexor pain and other symptoms will go away as you do these exercises consistently on a daily basis. For more stretches to get relief from tight hip flexors click here.