The Hip-Opener: Your Secret Weapon For Injury-Free Running
Are you a Runner with tight hips and are tired of getting injured frequently? Understand the benefits of hip mobility, add these stretches in your routine and feel light as a feather on your next Run.
What is Hip Mobility?
Hip mobility is the ability to move your hips through a full range of motion. It is important for runners because it helps prevent injuries and improves performance.
Freedom of movement at the Hip can be improved by stretching, foam rolling, or other exercises that target muscles around the hip joint.
Why is Hip Mobility Important for Runners?
As a runner, your hip Mobility is very essential as Poor hip mobility can contribute to issues like lower back pain, knee problems… and it gets in the way of multiple movements like squats and lunges.
Hip mobility exercises can help improve your running performance by increasing range of motion, allowing the muscles around the hip to produce appropriate amount of force and reducing the risk of injury . It also helps improve balance and coordination when performing other activities such as squatting down or jumping.
How to Improve Hip Mobility?
There are a few ways you can improve your hip mobility.
Stretching: Stretching the muscles will help them relax and become more flexible, which helps reduce tightness in the area.
Foam rolling: Foaming rolling is another way of increasing freedom of movement in tight areas like the hamstrings, quadriceps and calves as well as stretching out muscles that aren't necessarily sore but may prevent you from reaching full potential during workouts.
Best Hip Opening Exercises for Runners
Knee To Chest
Glute stretch: Lie on your back with one leg up, knee bent, and foot flat on the floor. Pull that knee towards your chest until you feel a stretch at the glute region. Hold for 30 seconds and then switch sides. Repeat 3 times per side.*
Figure Of 4 Stretch
Lie on your back and bend left knee.
Cross this leg over your right knee, placing the outside of your ankle just above the knee of your good leg.
Let the knee on your left leg drop out to the side, and bend the right leg, sliding your heel towards your buttocks.
You may feel a stretch through your left buttock.
To increase this stretch, interlace your fingers behind the thigh of your right leg, and pull your thigh in towards you, lifting the foot off the ground.
Hamstring stretch
Lie on your back with both of your legs straight.
Bend the leg that you would like to stretch and bring your knee in towards your chest.
Clasp your hands together behind your thigh.
Allow your thigh to rest in your hands with your arms straightened.
Keeping your upper body relaxed, slowly straighten your knee, bringing your foot up towards the ceiling.
Hold the position when you feel a stretch at the back of your thigh.
To ease off the stretch, bend your knee again.
Repeat.
Adductor Stretch
Kneel down with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Stretch one leg straight out to the side.
Starting with your hip directly above your grounded knee, slowly move your buttocks back towards your heel.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Hold the position where you feel a stretch for 20 secs and repeat .
Pigeon Stretch (Piriformis stretch)
Place one leg on a table or box in front of you with the knee turned out.
Lean forwards, placing your elbows on the table.
You will feel a stretch through the buttocks of this leg.
Hip Flexor Stretch
Rest your leg to be stretched on a chair or a box behind you.
Make sure your stance leg is far enough in front of the box that when you drop down your front knee does not travel over the toes.
Drop your hips straight down, keeping your chest and head up.
You will feel a stretch in the thigh of the back leg, and the effort of the exercise in the front leg.
Hip 90-90
Adopt a sitting position with your back straight, legs out wide and knees bent.
Drop both knees to one side under control until you are in 90/90 position.
Return to the start position and repeat on the opposite side
The better half of Mobility is Strength training Strengthening the muscles surrounding the hips will help prevent injury by improving their ability to support your body weight when running