Multifidi Week - Hip Flexor Stretch - MoveU

Tight HipFlexors? Hip Pain? Lower Back Pain? Here is an active stretch for the lats, abdominals, obliques, hip flexors, and quads. Rather than just doing a hip flexor stretch on the ground in a kneeling position, press up on something while resisting the downward force in a split stance. This will both stretch and activate the hip flexors… far more effective than just stretching it.

Get into a split stance/lunge so that your front knee is right over your heel and your back knee is directly under your hip. Tuck the pelvis posterior (tuck butt under) and activate the glute on the side with the knee back… this alone should stretch the hip flexor slightly. Put your hand overhead and press into the doorway, squat rack, tree limb, etc… resist the downward force by squeezing the glute and quad on both legs. This will both stretch and activate the hip flexors. Drive your hip to the side slightly to feel a deeper stretch. If you cannot find anything to reach, put your hands on up high on either side of the doorway, grab a hold of the door frame, and push your body down with both arms.

Exercises that stretch and activate the hip flexor muscle tend to yield the fastest results for people with lower back, hip, and knee pain. The reason that the hip flexor will get tight in the first place is from excessive sitting, weak glutes, and (usually) weak hip flexors as well! Strengthening the hip flexors in their FULL range of motion may help to reduce the pains listed above as well. Work on this stretch, then follow it up with glute strengthening.

-Written by Andrew Dettelbach