Sitting down all day, whether for leisure or work, is going to cause tight hip flexors. To prevent this, the best thing to do is to break up those long periods of sitting with standing and stretching in between. You can also try foam roller hip flexor exercises.
If you’re like me and many other people, you’ve probably already got tight hip flexors.
Stretching and foam rolling are great ways to relax your tight muscles and bring your posture back to normal, if you’re not already using your foam roller for hip pain. Foam roller hip flexor exercises can be a great addition to any workout!
When you are foam rolling your “hip flexor”, you’ll want to be targeting the psoas major, which is most important for hip flexion (flexion is a movement that decreases the angle between two bones at a joint).
Foam roller hip flexor exercises
- Kneel on the ground with the foam roller in front of your knees. Fall forward and walk yourself out with your hands.
- Drop your hips onto the foam roller, leaning to the side you want to work on and fully extending that leg and keeping it raised slightly. For stability, your opposite foot’s toes should be grounded.
- To maximize the amount of weight placed on your psoas major you should rotate your torso away from the side you are working on.
- Find a tight spot by rolling slowly, and once you find that tight spot stay in that position until you are able to relax. The part of the psoas major you will be foam rolling is just below your waistline.
How to Video For Techniques for Foam Rolling
Here’s a video that shows a great way to keep your hips relaxed if you are unable to keep your leg raised.
Here is a video showing how to stretch the psoas major with a foam roller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch/McDwukzhCfs
- Lie flat on your back with the foam roller under your knees. Lift your hips towards the ceiling and move the foam roller under your pelvis. Where the top of the pelvis meets the spine is called the sacrum, and you want to position your foam roller directly underneath this.
- Very Important: There should be no arch in your lower back, and your weight should be placed on your shoulders with your head flat against the ground.
- Pull one knee towards your chest, and fully extend the opposite leg. To stretch the psoas major, lower your extended leg to the ground as far as you can. Keep it straight while you do this!
If you have tight hip flexors, add these exercises into your regular routine normally 2-3 times a day. Use it to warm up before workouts, while cooling down and stretching after exercise, and in the evenings for recovery.
If you need a foam roller, check out our best foam roller reviews page to pick the best roller for your needs. Or click here to buy The Grid – the best foam roller by our standards.
Find Mobility Guardian on Google+Last update on 2021-12-06 at 05:01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API