Today we are focusing on increasing hip mobility and decreasing pain from lack of mobility.

Here are just a few of many exercises that help with the hips. Sorry about the blurry Pictures.

Lunges: keeping both feet pointing forward, take a large step forward with left leg, bend both legs (as if kneeling with right leg) until you feel pulling in the right leg (Left upper thigh may hurt from holding body up). Keep body perpendicular to the ground. Squeeze the butt of the right leg, push the hips forward. Do NOT arch your back to achieve this. Hold or Rep, switch legs.

Hook-line pelvic Tilts: Lie on your back in the “sit-up” or hook line position. Rock at your hips, press you lower back into the floor, then arch it as high as possible. These movements should be made at the hip only. Hold each way for 2 seconds, rep for 1 min.  

Hip Extensions: Lie in Hook-line (Sit-up) position, raise hips off ground towards the sky, push through your heels and squeeze your butt. Think of the pelvic tilts, have your low back almost touching the ground to start, keep it that way throughout the movement. Hold for 2 sec at the top, lower back down (reset back if necessary) and repeat for 1 min.  

Advanced: in Hook-line position, bring right leg up towards chest. Hold the right leg behind the hamstring, pressing it into your tummy. Press through your left foot, raising your hips off the ground. Once the right leg want to create a gap between thigh and tummy, stop. Hold for 2 sec, lower back down. Repeat for 1 min, switch legs. (FMS 93)

Supine Frogs: Lie on your back, put soles of feet together, knees will be bent, trying to be parallel/lying on the ground. Let gravity pull knees closer to the ground. Hold for 1 min.

Hook-Line leg Cross-overs: Lie in Hook line (Sit-up) position. Place left ankle on right leg (just above the knee, not as high as mid-thigh), twist hips so the sole of the left foot (keeping ankle on the right leg) ends up on the floor. Hold 1 min, switch legs.  

Wall Sit with Shoulder Press: Sit against wall, butt, upper back and head touching the wall. Place soles of feet together. Keeping the back of the hands and arms against the wall, place hands at shoulder height, raise them up the wall as high as possible, hold for 2 sec, then bring back down. Repeat this for 1 min. (FMS 95)   

Stride with Spinal Rotation: Using a table, back of low chair, etc… stand facing table, lift right leg up and place sole on table, keeping both heels down, twist towards your right leg, placing the outside of the left arm on the outside of the right leg. Hold for at least 30 sec, switch legs. (FMS 89)