Improve Hip Mobility: Top 5 Hip Flexibility Stretches and Exercises 

Stiff hips or tight hip flexors are common in modern life. Both a lack of movement and overly repetitive movement can reduce hip mobility, but this can be easily avoided with a variety of hip flexibility exercises and stretches. 

Below, the team at FS8 will cover how to improve flexibility of the hip and provide a range of low-impact hip mobility exercises you can perform to elevate your range of motion, avoid injury, and ease tightness. 

Why is hip mobility important? 

Your hip mobility supports a range of movements that are fundamental to everyday life. Whenever you walk, squat, jump, or rotate to change direction, you’re activating your hip joints and muscles.  

By improving hip flexibility, you can perform daily activities with confidence and comfort. You’ll also be able to squat deeper, lift your legs higher, and turn faster – allowing you to get more out of your workouts. 

Before performing any hip exercises, though, we recommend performing body-specific warmups to level up your workouts and prevent injury. 

How to improve hip mobility 

To improve your hip mobility, you’ll need to perform a variety of hip flexibility exercises and stretches. All exercises can be performed gently on a yoga mat, or – for extra support – a reformer pilates machine. 

Once you’re free from hip pain, we recommend learning what functional strength training is, as low-impact strength workouts will further enhance your mobility – as well as helping prevent joint pain and reduce muscle imbalances.  

To stop your hip flexibility from regressing, we also advise against keeping your hips in one position for too long or doing anything overly repetitive. If you work in an office, for instance, try switch between sitting and standing (if you have a standing desk). If you’re an endurance athlete, consider buffering your training routine with stress-relieving exercises to support your health – or starting your pilates journey with our top pilates exercises for beginners. 

Top 5 hip mobility exercises 

To improve your hip mobility, read on to explore our top five hip motion exercises. Your pathway to strong and healthy hips starts here! 

1. Glute bridge 

This hip flexibility exercise reduces hip flexor tension and tones your glutes. 

To perform a glute bridge: 

1. Lie on your back, with your knees bent and shoulder-width apart. 
2. Make sure your feet are pointing forward, in line with the rest of your body. 
3. Gently raise your hips off the floor until your torso and upper legs are parallel. 
4. At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes and core muscles. 
5. Slowly lower your hips back down to the floor. 

2. Femur arc (toe taps) 

The femur arc is a fantastic way to free up your hips and build your core muscles. 

To perform femur arcs: 

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. 
2. Press one foot down and lift the other one up off the floor, until the moving knee creates a 90-degree angle. 
3. Now, lift your other leg to match, so both your knees are making a 90-degree angle. (This will be your new start position.) 
4. Then, lower one foot almost to the floor, before bringing it back to match the other leg. 
5. Repeat this movement, alternating between each side as you do. 
6. Perform this for 15 to 30 seconds. 

3. Side–lying leg raises 

This beginner hip mobility exercise strengthens your hips, while taking pressure off your knees. Side-lying exercises are recommended for people with join problems – and have helped many older people experience the benefits of pilates for over 60s. 

To perform a side-lying leg raise: 

1. Lie down on your side, with your higher leg (if you’re lying on your left side, this will be your right leg) on top of the other. 
2. For comfort, place your arm that’s nearest to the floor under your head. 
3. Lift your higher leg 10 to 20 inches away from your lower leg. 
4. Gently lower your higher leg back down. 
5. Repeat multiple times and then switch to the other side. 

4. Quadruped hip extensions 

This hip extension exercise develops strength in your hips, glutes, hamstrings and core. 

To perform quadruped hip extensions: 

1. Start on all fours, making sure your back is straight. 
2. Raise one leg behind you, pointing it outwards until it’s in line with your back. 
3. With control, bring your raised leg back to its starting position. 
4. Repeat on the other leg and alternate. 

5. Deep squats 

The deeper you can perform hip mobility exercises, the more flexibility, muscle activation, and strength you’ll develop. Sure, it might lead to a little post-gym muscle soreness – but repeating deep squats will challenge your body, activate your hips, and help you build strength and confidence. 

To perform a deep squat:  

1. Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than your hips and pointing outwards. 
2. Crouch down, lowering your hips behind you as much as possible. 
3. At the lowest point of this movement, hold that position for 10 seconds before extending your legs and returning to the start position. 
4. Repeat until you can feel the burn. 

Top 5 hip flexibility stretches 

Hip flexibility exercises focus more on increasing your range of motion, rather than building your strength. These stretches function as either warm ups or cool down exercises to try after working out – so let’s take a look. 

1. Pigeon pose 

The pigeon pose relieves tension in your hips and lower back. 

To perform the pigeon pose:  

1. Start on all fours. 
2. Bring one knee towards the opposite wrist, so it partially wraps around your other knee – keeping your other leg behind you as you do. 
3. Lean forward, placing your weight on the knee that’s in front. You may have to place your arms down for support. 
4. Then, bring your body upright and hold for 10 to 30 seconds. 

2. Single leg stretch 

The coordination required in this hip flexibility stretch serves to lengthen and elevate your hip flexors. 

To perform a single leg stretch: 

1. Start by lying flat on your back. 
2. Bring your head up, so you can see your legs. 
3. Bring one knee to your chest, hugging your lower leg. While doing this, raise your other leg five inches off the floor or mat. 
4. Alternate legs, repeating the movements on each side. 

3. Lunges 

Lunges are a staple in any hip mobility routine, as they bring your muscles through a full range of motion. If you want to know how to improve balance with yoga and pilates, we recommend progressing to weighted lunges or reformer lunges.  

To perform a lunge:  

1. Start in a standing position. 
2. Step one foot out in front of you. 
3. Bend your knees and lower your body until your trailing leg is almost touching the floor, and your front thigh is parallel with the floor. 
4. Stand back up and repeat on the other side. 

4. Downward dog 

The downward dog is a classic go-to stretch and supports many different types of yoga. This exercise improves hip mobility and stability by lengthening all your leg muscles. If your feet are unable to touch the ground in this exercise, it’s a telling sign your hips are tight. 

To perform the downward dog: 

1. Start on all fours. 
2. Place your hands further out in front of you and tuck your toes so they can push off the ground. 
3. Lift your hips up, so that your arms and legs are extended. Your body should create an upside down “V” shape. 
4. Hold this position for between 10 and 30 seconds. 

5. Hip circles 

As far as range-of-motion hip exercises, are concerned, hip circles are one of the easiest and – are a lot of fun to boot. 

To perform hip circles:  

1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
2. Place your hands on your hips. 
3. Move your hips around in a circular clockwise motion. 
4. After 10 seconds, reverse direction and repeat for another 10 seconds. 

By improving your hip mobility, you can live with confidence and enjoy even more benefits from your workout routine. And if you want to develop your body under the guidance of expert trainers, discover the benefits of group fitness.