Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Calves. These are the most thought of and targeted muscle groups when it comes to lower body training. But what about the hip flexors? Strength and mobility in the iliopsoas is vitally important for healthy hips.
The hip flexor region is an area that often becomes shortened and tight due to constant sitting, hunching over, playing certain positions in sports, etc. Then on top of that it often is not a major focus in training programs. If you’ve had tight hip flexors and would like to begin to work on this area then I believe your order should go as follows: End Range Mobility, Movement, Loading. Below are 5 exercises to help you with this plan.
End Range Mobility:
With end range mobility you are targeting what you can actively control as it pertains to movement at the hip flexor. With the Hip Flexor PRH (passive range hold), you are using your hand to guide the knee as high as you can passively go. Once you hit this, release the hand and try to actively hold the knee high. Whatever drop off you have in the motion (from the angle you have when releasing the hand to where you are actively holding) is what you need to work on, and this exercise can help get you there. (Hopefully you can get your knee higher than mine!)
Movement:
Blocked Hip Flexor Lift-Off. The rectus femoris no longer helps in flexing the hip once you have passed 90 degrees. That is why this exercise (which could fall under the end range mobility section, honestly) is so great. If you have your back and butt against the wall with your legs kicked straight out, you’re already at 90 degrees. Now, not only are you isolating the iliopsoas for work, the wall is blocking you from leaning back and cheating the motion. Go up, over, and down- imagining yourself lift your leg over an object such as a brick.
½ Kneel Hip Flexor Lift Off. With the aforementioned fact that the rectus femoris no longer aides hip flexion beyond 90 degrees, this exercise again acts to isolate the iliopsoas. Placing your hands on the wall will work just fine if you don't have PVC pipes.
Loading:
Once you’ve worked mobility and movement into the region, you’ll better be able to load the motion. Make sure on the next two exercises that your band isn’t too heavy, so you are properly targeting/using the muscles you want.
Supine Mini Band March. This is the first progression for mini-band work when loading the hip flexor. Lying supine allows more contact points with the ground (head, back, heels on the bench) in order to not compensate and focus solely at the iliopsoas.
Standing Mini-Band Knee Drive. Once you have mastered the motion supine, you can move to a standing position. Again, don’t load too heavy with the band. This may cause excessive leaning on the stance leg. You should also (unlike the supine march) do all reps on one side then all on the other. Alternating sides may cause you to sway or side step instead of focusing in at the hip flexors.
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