Hip Flexor Lengtheners
To rid yourself of the chronic tightness that results from too much sitting, it’s important to stretch your hip flexors gently and progress slowly. Although the iliopsoas is a relatively massive muscle group, the muscles narrow into thin bands where they attach at the femur, and so they can be prone to tearing if they are stretched too far too quickly. With that in mind, here’s a progression of stretches you can use to lengthen your hip flexors safely.
Stand, Don’t Sit: Probably the best thing you can do to lengthen the hip flexors is to stop sitting for hours every day. If you can arrange a stand-up work station, you should absolutely do so. Also, look for other opportunities to eschew sitting: stand or pace while you talk on the phone; stand up while you ride the bus or subway; stand or walk at a slow pace on a treadmill while you watch television in the evening.
Hip flexors get a bad rap among runners, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Walk: The natural motion of walking, when done properly, is great for both lengthening and strengthening the hip flexors. To get the most out of the stretch phase, after you’ve warmed up a bit, give your hips a very slight anterior tilt as your back leg reaches its maximum length behind you. Squeezing the glutes on that leg will help accentuate the stretch.
Straight-Legged Lunge: Take a medium step forward, and keep your back leg straight. Slightly bend the front knee, stretching the back leg even more. Try to keep the back toes facing more forward than out to the side. Stretch the length of the stride out only to the point where you feel a pleasant stretch. Now, to accentuate that stretch, raise the arm that is on the same side as your back leg, and slightly bend sideways to the opposite side. You should feel a stretch all the way down your side and through the hip flexor.
Hip flexors get a bad rap among runners, but it doesn’t have to be that way. By giving yours the attention they deserve, you can not only keep them healthy, but also tap into their hidden power and boost your running performance.
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