A strength and conditioning coach says these are the two hip stretches we should all do every day

Tight hips? Try these two daily stretches

Woman performs hip flexor stretch at home. She is in a half kneeling position with her hands on her front knee.
(Image credit: Rockaa / Getty Images)
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Maddy Biddulph
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Weak hips can affect your posture, running performance and cause lower-back pain, so it's a good idea to devote some time to mobility exercises to keep them strong and flexible. Plus, when our hips are strong, it means the rest of the body is supported, stable and we have better balance and coordination, which can mean we are less at risk of fall-related injuries. The hips act as shock absorbers for the body so they really need some TLC, especially if you're a runner.

In a recent Instagram Reel, strength and conditioning coach Meghan Dalman talked through how to do two stretches designed to loosen up the hip flexors, the muscle group responsible for flexing the hip joint.

What I love about this video is how articulately Dalman explains each hip stretch, giving detailed explanations on good form and technique, as well as helpful pointers about what to avoid doing.

How to do Meghan Dalman’s hip flexor stretches

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The two stretches are:

  1. Kneeling hip flexor stretch
  2. Hip adductor rocker

I tried it

My writing job means I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk so I couldn’t wait to try Dalman's stretches to loosen up tight hips. I’ve tried the kneeling hip flexor stretch many times before, but I benefited from Dalman's reminder to tuck my tailbone under and tilt my pelvis forward. This gets the pelvis into the right position to stretch effectively and I noticed the difference when I did this.

In the second move, Dalman recommends you sit your hips back towards your heel and rock forward and backward. This really helped me to really get deeper into the movement, and boy, did my hips love me for it. Dynamic stretches are a great way to improve joint flexibility and range of motion (how far the body can stretch into a movement), which can make other exercises easier to perform, especially with proper form.

Once you've loosened up your hip flexors, spend some time making them more robust with these hip-strengthening exercises.

Maddy Biddulph
Maddy Biddulph

Maddy Biddulph is a freelance journalist specializing in fitness, health and wellbeing content. With 26 years in consumer media, she has worked as a writer and editor for some of the bestselling newspapers, magazines and websites in the US and UK. 

She is also a qualified L3 personal trainer and weight loss advisor, and helps women over 40 navigate menopause by improving their physical and mental strength. At Maddy Biddulph Personal Training, she runs one-to-one and small group training for menopausal women who want to get fit to ease symptoms and feel like themselves again.

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