Loosen Up Tight Hips With 3 Types Of Poses - Monthly Yoga With Abi
I first wrote on Pinkbike about how to unlock tight hips a little over a year ago. Since then, the 15-minute hip opening routine I posted has been watched over 23k times, which shows how important an issue this is for you guys. In this article, I am going to run through the basics of hip mobility and recommend some additional/alternative poses for those of you who regularly practice the sequence and would like to fine-tune and personalize it.
What causes tight hips?
Your body is an efficiency machine. It adapts to what you do most often and, unfortunately, not to what you do that is best for your long-term physical health. What this means is that as you get older, you lose the ability to get into positions and perform movements that, over time, you have neglected.
Here are 5 ways this can affect your hips:
1. Chronic contraction. We sit for an average of 10 hours day—at work, on the bike, when we’re travelling, eating and relaxing in front of the TV. Sitting shortens the hip flexors, the muscles that connect the lower spine and pelvis to the tops of the thighs.
2. Limited range of motion. What you do most of the time—walking, running and riding your bike—requires very limited range of motion, especially at the hips.
3. Overuse. You repeat that limited range of motion, over and over.
4. Weak glutes. As the hip flexors tighten from contraction and overuse, the opposing muscles—the glutes—respond by relaxing and deactivating. This process, known as reciprocal inhibition, is designed to protect the hip flexors from tearing.
5. Pain. Muscular imbalances lead to compensation patterns. These dysfunctional patterns when repeated over and over, stress synergistic muscles, eventually causing chronic pain.
These 5 factors create the perfect storm for tight and inflexible hips. You, therefore, need to counterbalance your lifestyle habits and physical training with targeted flexibility and mobility work.
When you have access to full range of motion at your hips you will be able to:
- generate maximum power and speed on the bike
- transfer your weight smoothly and efficiently to optimise control and reduce fatigue
Loose hips will also reduce your risk of injury and help to relieve associated lower back and knee pain.
3 types of yoga poses
One of the main reasons that yoga is so effective at loosening up tight hips is that, unlike conventional stretching, in yoga we stretch the hips from multiple different angles.
There are 3 different types of hip openers—hip flexor, groin and outer hip stretches—and you should aim to incorporate all of them into your mobility training. When you start to tune in, you will probably find that you are flexible in some ranges of motion and less in others, so focus on the areas that need most attention.
If you struggle to get into any of these poses, try one of the alternatives until you have sufficient flexibility and mobility to move up to the next level. This is going to look different for all of you. For example, some of you drop easily into Pigeon but struggle with Dead Pigeon, which for many athletes is an easier pose. Just see what works for you and, of course, feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below.
Hip flexor stretches
1. Wind-Relieving Pose
Instructions
- Lie on your back and hug your right knee into your chest.
- Press your lower back into the mat and move your right knee in any way that releases tension or tightness in your right hip.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths, in and out through your nose.
- Release the pose and switch sides.
2. Low Lunge
Instructions
- From Downward Dog, step your right foot in between your hands, drop your left knee and release your back foot.
- Come up and rest both hands on your front thigh. Check that your right knee is directly above your ankle.
- You should feel the stretch in the front of your left thigh and hip.
- Stay in the pose for 5-10 deep breaths, in and out through your nose.
- Take a deep breath in. Exhale, bring your hands to the mat, tuck your back toes and step back to Downward Dog for the other side.
3. Lizard
Instructions
- From Downward Dog, take a deep breath in.
- Exhale, step your right foot in between your hands. Drop your left knee, release your back foot and slide it back.
- Bring your right hand inside your right foot and walk your right foot out to the edge of the mat. Sink into the stretch.
- To go deeper, come down onto your forearms and interlace your fingers. You can rest your elbows on blocks until you can come all the way down to the mat.
- Hold for 5-10 deep breaths, in and out through your nose.
- Take a deep breath in. Exhale, tuck your back toes and step back to Downward Dog for the other side.
Groin (adductor) and hamstring stretches
1. Downward Dog Split
Instructions
- From Downward Dog, step your big toes together.
- Inhale, sweep your left leg up to the sky. Exhale, relax into the pose. You can bend your supporting leg as much as you need to.
- To deepen the intensity of the pose, bend your left knee and let your foot drop back behind you.
- Stay here for 5 deep breaths, feeling the stretch in your left hip.
- To come out of the pose, take a deep breath in. Exhale, bring your left foot down to the mat for the other side.
2. Reclining Butterfly
Instructions
- Lie on your back, bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall open in the shape of a diamond.
- Bring your arms up overhead and take hold of opposite elbows.
- If your hips are tight, you can put cushions under your knees for support.
- Completely relax into the pose, allowing gravity to open up your hips.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths, in and out through your nose.
- To come out of the pose, bring your hands to your knees and gently lift them back up to centre.
3. Happy Baby
Instructions
- Lie on your back and hug your knees into your chest.
- Keep your feet together and bring your knees out wide. Thread your hands through and take hold of the outsides of your feet.
- Bring your ankles out over your knees, flex your feet and gently pull them down towards you.
- If you can't reach your feet, you can hold onto your ankles or the backs of your thighs.
- Press your lower back into the mat and rock gently from side to side.
- Stay in the pose for 5-10 deep breaths, in and out through your nose.
Outer hip (glute and piriformis) stretches
1. Dead Pigeon
Instructions
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the mat.
- Rest your right ankle on your left knee.
- Thread your hand through the triangle between your legs and hold the back of your left thigh with both hands. Gently pull your leg in towards you.
- Relax your neck and shoulders.
- Press your left elbow against your inner thigh to increase the stretch in your outer hip.
- Hold the pose for 5-10 deep breaths, in and out through your nose.
- Release the pose and switch sides.
2. Pigeon
Instructions
- From Downward Dog, step your big toes together.
- Inhale, sweep your right leg up to the sky. Exhale, bring your right knee forward, place it on the mat behind your right wrist and position your right foot underneath your left hip.
- Release your back foot and slide it back. Look behind you to check that your left leg is straight.
- If your hips are not level, you can support your right hip on a cushion.
- Inhale, press into your fingertips to lengthen your spine. Exhale, walk your hands forward, and come down onto your forearms.
- Stay in the pose for 5-10 deep breaths, in and out through your nose.
- To come out of the pose, bring your hands to the mat, tuck your back toes, lift your hips up and step back to Downward Dog for the other side.
3. Reclining Spinal Twist
Instructions
- Lie on your back and hug your knees into your chest.
- Lower your left leg to the mat and squeeze your right knee into your chest.
- Bring both arms out in a T, palms facing down.
- Hook your right foot behind your left inner thigh and gently guide your right knee across your body, down towards the mat, as far as is comfortable.
- Look to the right and try to keep both shoulders flat to the mat.
- Stay in the pose for 5-10 deep breaths, in and out through your nose.
- Take a deep breath in. Exhale, come back to centre and switch sides.
Further tips
1. Be patient and consistent. Loosening up tight hips may take time. Depending on your level of flexibility, you can work on improving your hip mobility for 15 minutes, 3-5 times a week.
2. Force is a substitution for intelligence always. (Moshe Feldenkrais) Focus on feeling and easing your way into the poses, rather than on trying to force your hips to open.
3. Use your breath. Slow down your breath and use it as a guide for how deep you should go into each of the stretches. Breathe and release. Catch yourself anytime you find yourself holding your breath and holding onto tightness.
4. Pay attention to your alignment. Practice in front of a mirror if you can and pay close attention to alignment cues.
5. Be mindful. Notice how your body feels in the stretches. Notice where your asymmetries are and which areas you need to work on.
Resources
I have just released a brand new series of 15 x 15-minute videos designed to loosen up tight hips, increase hip mobility and build stability and strength in the hip joints. Here is the link: vimeo.com/ondemand/yogafortighthips. And you can find 2 hip opening sequences in the Yoga for MTB series: vimeo.com/ondemand/yogaforbikers if you’re just getting started.
Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or if there is anything specific I can help you with, and share any advice you have based on your experience so far.
Stay loose!
Photo credit: Graham Mattock and Charley Smith
Previous Yoga with Abi:
15-Minute Post-Ride Routine Designed To Optimize Your Recovery
Three Levels of Yoga to Relieve Lower Back Pain
Stretches to Relieve a Tight Chest and Stiff Shoulders
The Most Effective Style of Yoga to Increase Your Flexibility
Easy 15-Minute Yoga Routine To Loosen Up Tight Joints
How To Release Tight Quads And Increase Your Power
How To Release Chronically Tight Hamstrings
A Challenging One-Hour Yoga Flow Class
Take Control of Your Mind and Push Your Personal Limits
Yoga To Relieve Pain In Between The Shoulder Blades
15-Minute Routine To Unlock Tight Hips
15-Minute Yoga Routine To Build Core Strength
Short Yoga Routine To Help With Lower Back Pain in Bikers
15-Minute Yoga Routine To Enhance Balance and Agilityl
15-Minute Post-Ride Yoga Routine
8 Quick Yoga Stretches To Do At Work
MENTIONS: @yoga15app
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Abi, thank you for all your care and work you share with us - riders. I have gained very helpful knowledge and am discovering some new ways of moving and caring about my health.
I've been debilitated several times by local yoga classes, I follow the instructions without knowing how to listen to my body and end up injured, tearing with pain and flopping around like a fish.
You know what I like about Abi's instructions? They're predicated on us not knowing what the heck we're doing, they fill in the secret common sense stuff that's normally left unsaid.
Example: "move your right knee in any way that releases tension or tightness in your right hip"
That's terrific instruction: use these routines to work with your body.
We are proving that we can be respectful when needed though
One thing I do find maybe even a little more creepy than some of the more overt comments on here is how all these guys come out of the woodwork effuse with praise for these videos, and how it's saved all our lives. Now I'm not saying Abby doesn't produce good videos with lots of useful information -- she does a great job. What I'm saying is the perv comments and the overly-eager-to-praise comments are two sides of the same coin in a way, spurred by wanting to attract the attention of an attractive woman.
Don't believe me? When was the last time a workout routine by Bike James or some other strength and conditioning expert was so universally lauded here? So many people are either quick to criticize the regimen, or shout, "This isn't football! Just go out and ride!"
Just kidding. Nice job on the videos.
There is one Polish magazine - "Bike Board" - where one can find series of exercises prepared by very attractive girl (look for: Marta Bosy). There is no feedback and no comments section. Yet there are people, who follow those instructions. I think that main reason behind this motivation is our masculine pride, where we - male sapiens - will not be worse than some female in this matter, with some childish need of movement added. But I might be wrong. ;]
There are also well prepared pictures, they are fast, they promise good effects and (I will repeat) can be done by "fragile" girl. :]
As for exercises prepared by men. I have one routine prepared by my male physician and - MAN - that thing leaves me exhausted! They should be warm ups, but when I finish (if done properly, after ONE HOUR!), I need some time to regenerate my forces.
All above does not negate truism, that attractive people have easier life. Being chivalrous, and treating girl the way she deserves may seem like support for your thesis, but there are those that were raised to treat females better than their sex. Especially when she gives us her time and work, when she cares about us. That's the way I see it. I don't know, if you agree or if it seems to you like some misoginistic way of thinking, but that's the way I was raised and that's the way I feel good and will be going through my life. And I believe (again: I might be wrong), that this is natural and undisturbed way of thinking, observed among many cultures (take Tuaregs, for example, where one might mistakingly think "Muslim = oppression of females"). Fantasies that some anonymous person in different corner of the World can pick up or get attention of some girl from internet, from other distant corner of the World seems to me like total waste of time (except when masturbating - I think), because it is more effective to be knight in your neighbourhood and pick up girl from similar level of Abi looks (subjective topic - there should be some statistically unimportant group of people, for whom Abi is absolute top choice in terms of looks).
And by the way, I might look like some white knight, but I have girlfriend, that has similar look, but I can touch her, I can kiss her, and I will fall asleep while holding hands in some short time. And for sure she will tell me "I love you", which cannot be said about Abi. :]
Cheers Earthling!
1) I love your way of explaining your routines in pictures and written words, but sometimes it is difficult to know how exactly some moves should be made. I sometimes have difficulties to connect moves with words. To know how some body parts should move - especially those hidden not only by insufficient collection of pictures from different angles, but also covered with skin. I can give you few examples from my recent try:
- "bring your feet together in the shape of a diamond" - how does diamond shape look like (I mean: I know how diamonds look like and I know their structures from Kittel's "Introduction to Solid State Physics" book, but couldn't translate this to any body parts position)? I'm being retarded so don't take my words as any indicator. The rest of folks here might picture proper position in their heads just from your words. I couldn't see it in your picture, so I googled and found it.
- how many pillows are there under your legs and are they connected? Solution: as above.
- "Notice how your shoulders roll outwards in their sockets" - this one puzzles me the most. I still do not know how to do it. I'm to tense and there is no way for my shoulders to move by themselves. What does it mean "outwards"? From which perspective? Around which axis? And which direction? I can move them there but need to know how... I think that pictures with some arrows would work great. Maybe additional diagrams? Don't know how you see it, but I would prefer for you not to make changes only for one person. As I said: I'm being retarded so might be alone with this problem. This one I tried to overcome by buying Pocket Yoga, but there is no Reclining Butterfly there. Beside this - there are lots of poses and great pictures in said app.
2) While I love - and many Polish people do love - English accent, it is one of the hardest one to understand. It is some kind of paradox: We love in, while having difficulties with understanding it. I overcome this by going several times through one exercise and doing it without your assistance from my memory. Unfortunately, It's not in your power to change this. And I am seriously jealous of those, who can go with the flow. I did not found any app to give me good flow and am to lousy and unorganised to do real life yoga classes. ;]
Besides I think that, nevertheless what brings other to your routines - being an eye candy to some or an coincidence of giving solution to the problems our type of people suffer, just to name first examples that spring to my mind - you're doing great service to many people here.
Regards!
Take the stretches from my articles that work for you and good luck finding a class. Bikram is intense!
Long winded i know but so is my problem! Haha
Thanks
adjustments4you.com/dr.-steve-s-recommendations/stretches---strength-exercises/hip-exercises/hip-streches-for-hip-.html
Do that every day. Just think every time you ride and train you're tightening them up so make sure you balance it out.
Any suggestions for tight traps??
And get a massage! You deserve one.
6 of the videos in the Yoga 15 Hip Series are specifically for building strength: vimeo.com/ondemand/yogafortighthips
..One day you will feature an MTB in the background of your yoga poses
Stretches so far helps on relieving but not permanent.
Strengthen glutes helps as well.
I had piriformis syndrome back in high school when I ran track and this method fixed me in less than a week. It sounds strange and is very painful the first couple times you try it but it worked for me.
i unluckily tried to treat mine without surgery for too long, wound up being a bulged L5S1 disc that was causing the issues in the first place.
as with any injuries and pain; get a proper diagnosis and treat THAT, not the symptoms. It will save you chasing things for extended lengths of time.
/getting old
(maybe this one will give me the push to actually stretch more).