7 Best Exercises for the Hips

So when you are doing day-to-day activities your hips get stuffed. When I sit for long periods of time in the same position I  feel this stiffness around my hip. So hip mobility is a  very important thing, especially If you are an athlete. Not only for athletes hip mobility is very important to do day-to-day activities. So many people ask me ‘how can I strengthen my hip?’  ‘how can I  increase my hip mobility?’ today I will show you the 7 best exercises for the hips.

So how many reps you must do? Actually, it depends on you. It depends on your age, hip strength, hip mobility, and hip flexibility. I recommend starting with 10 reps for each exercise and increasing or decreasing the number of reps. And remember to breathe when performing these exercises. Don’t hold your breath. Just breathe normally. You can breathe effectively by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. 

1. Pelvic tilts

So the first exercise is pelvic tilts. It’s a great exercise to increase the flexibility in your hips and also it helps to strengthen the lower back. It is very beneficial to have a strong lower back.

For a supine pelvic tilt, Imagine trying to squash your hand if it were underneath you as you lay on the ground with your legs raised and your feet flat on the surface. So, press down, rotate your hips, and then stand back up.

2. Straight leg raises

It's really important to keep your leg as straight as you can, and if you pull your toes out that will help lock everything out, and that’s really going to get those hip flex or muscles working. 

For a supine straight leg raise Prop one knee up while resting on your back, then straighten the leg you wish to strengthen and lift your toes. towards you to lock out the knee. Keep that knee nice and straight, lift your leg almost equal to the other side, and then slowly come back down.

3. Lunges 

This is a very effective exercise. They work your quads, your hamstrings, and your glutes, just a really good workout overall. If you have some knee problems, make sure and put a pillow underneath the knee that’s on the ground because that’s just going to protect it a little bit. These are the best exercises for weak hips.

For lunges, you’re going to put one foot out in front of you. Make an effort to maintain a forward feet posture. People occasionally back off a little bit, but try to keep pushing forward. You want to move straight down, maintaining your knee behind your toes, without stooping, with your upper body remaining nice and straight.

4. Clamshells

Clamshells are really good for your gluteus medius also. Make sure you’re doing them correctly because if you’re not doing them correctly, you’re not quite getting that strengthening that you need. 

For the clamshell in side-lying, lie on your side with the side you want to exercise up on top. Make sure your hips are vertical to the ground. So you don’t want to roll back but stay up top. Then with your knees bent, bring that leg up just like you’re opening up like a clamshell.

5. Side-lying hip abduction

This is a great one to work those outer muscles. Make sure you’re keeping your leg straight and keeping your toes pulled tight. 

For hip abduction in side-lying, the leg you’re going to exercise is going to be on top. You can slightly bend your bottom leg for comfort, but keep your top leg in a straight line. Pull your toes up tight and just bring them up and then control them when coming back down.

6. Prone hip extension

So now you’re going to work those gluteus maximus muscles and the hamstrings muscles. You don’t have to lift your leg very high with these, but try and keep the leg as straight as possible. 

Lay on your stomach and bring your toes in toward you to properly lock out your knee before performing prone hip extension. Once again, you don't need to lift super high, but make an effort to keep your knee locked out the entire time.

7. Bridging

This exercise will work on your hamstrings, and gluteus maximus, and it’s really working on your hip muscles and getting strengthening in there. 

To perform this exercise, bring both knees up and put your feet flat on the ground. Put your hands by your sides and raise your bottom slightly off the ground until it is about level. So you don’t want to arch your back, and you don’t want it sagging, just bring it up a level and then slowly come back down. 

So these types of exercises are the best exercises for strengthening hip muscles. Comment on any other exercises that you do to increase strength, flexibility, and mobility in your hip. others will also find it to be very helpful. So stay fit! Stay happy!!