Fix your tight HIP FLEXORS for Good! (3 easy exercises)

Summary

This video offers three simple exercises to alleviate tight hip flexors, focusing on reducing muscle tension, restoring joint motion, and reinforcing changes with core stability. The routine includes a triplanar hip flexor stretch for tension reduction, hip flexion liftoffs to restore motion, and heel taps for core engagement. The exercises are designed to be quick and efficient, taking only 3-5 minutes, and aim to improve lower body performance and reduce post-workout tension. Viewers are encouraged to share which body area they'd like to see addressed next and consider a hip flexor reset program for further relief.

Takeaways

• 🧘‍♂️ The video provides three simple movements to reduce hip flexor tension.
• 🔄 The first movement is a triplanar hip flexor stretch, which involves stretching in three planes: sagittal, coronal, and rotational.
• 🤸‍♀️ The second movement is a hip flexion liftoff, aimed at restoring hip flexion motion without bending the spine.
• 🏋️‍♂️ A bonus movement for the second step is the hip flexion hover, which can be performed over an object to increase the intensity.
• 🧘‍♀️ The third movement focuses on core stability with heel taps, which help to reduce reliance on the hip flexors for stability.
• 🦿 The heel tap exercise can be made more challenging by performing it with straight legs to elongate the tissue further.
• 📈 The routine is designed to be efficient, taking only 3-5 minutes to complete.
• 🏃‍♂️ It is recommended to perform this routine before a lower body workout to enhance performance and reduce post-workout tension.
• 🔄 The video emphasizes the sequential order of the movements: reducing tension, restoring motion, and reinforcing stability.
• 💡 The presenter offers a hip flexor reset program for those who struggle with hip flexor tension, available through a monthly membership with a 7-day free trial.
• 👍 The video encourages viewers to like and subscribe for weekly updates and to provide feedback on which body area they would like to see addressed next.

Q & A

What are the three movements mentioned in the video to help reduce hip flexor tension?

The three movements are: a triplanar hip flexor stretch, hip flexion liftoffs, and a core stability exercise involving heel taps.

What is the purpose of the triplanar hip flexor stretch?

The purpose of the triplanar hip flexor stretch is to reduce tension in the hip flexors by moving in three planes of motion: sagittal, coronal, and rotational.

How do you perform the sagittal plane movement in the triplanar hip flexor stretch?

To perform the sagittal plane movement, you start in a typical hip flexor stretch position, then drive your hips forward and raise your hands up to feel a stretch.

What is the function of the hip flexion liftoffs exercise?

The function of the hip flexion liftoffs exercise is to restore the hip flexion motion and reinforce the changes made by reducing tension.

How should you position your body during the hip flexion liftoffs?

You should sit up nice and tall, drive your toes towards the ceiling without bending through the spine, and stay cemented in the ground to isolate the motion through the hips.

What can you do if the hip flexion liftoffs are too easy?

If the hip flexion liftoffs are too easy, you can use a yoga block or a dumbbell to perform a hip flexion hover, enhancing the movement by going over an object.

What is the goal of the core stability exercise involving heel taps?

The goal of the core stability exercise involving heel taps is to elongate the hip flexors while maintaining good core stability, reducing tension in the hip flexors over longer periods.

How is the core stability exercise with heel taps performed?

You lie on your back, bring your legs up like in a dead bug exercise, take a diaphragmatic breath, hold the pressure, and slowly tap one heel to the ground while maintaining core stability.

What should you do if the heel taps exercise feels too simple?

If the heel taps exercise feels too simple, you can increase the difficulty by performing the exercise with straight legs, elongating the hip flexors more.

What is the overall benefit of performing these three movements in sequence?

Performing these three movements in sequence reduces hip flexor tension, restores hip flexion range of motion, and enhances core stability, providing a comprehensive approach to addressing hip flexor issues.

Outlines

00:00

🧘 Advanced Hip Flexor Stretch Techniques

This paragraph introduces a three-step exercise routine aimed at reducing tension in the hip flexors. The presenter emphasizes the importance of sequential movement, starting with a triplanar hip flexor stretch, which involves stretching in three different planes: forward and backward, side to side, and rotational. The presenter provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform this advanced stretch, including the proper pelvic alignment and the specific motions for each plane. The goal is to reduce muscle tension before moving on to the next steps in the routine.

05:00

🏋️‍♂️ Restoring Hip Flexion and Core Stability

The second paragraph continues the exercise routine with a focus on restoring hip flexion motion and reinforcing the changes made during the initial stretch. The presenter demonstrates a hip flexion liftoff exercise, which involves driving the toes towards the ceiling without bending the spine, and suggests doing 10 to 15 repetitions on each side. An optional bonus movement, the hip flexion hover, is introduced for those seeking a greater challenge. The paragraph concludes with an exercise for core stability, which involves lying on the back and performing heel taps with the legs in the air, emphasizing the importance of maintaining good core stability to reduce reliance on the hip flexors for spinal support.

Keywords

💡Hip flexors

The hip flexors are a group of muscles located at the front of the hip that enable flexion of the hip joint. In the video, the speaker focuses on reducing tension in these muscles through various movements and stretches, as tight hip flexors can contribute to discomfort and reduced mobility.

💡Triplanar hip flexor stretch

A comprehensive stretch targeting the hip flexors in three planes of motion: sagittal (forward and backward), coronal (side to side), and rotational. This advanced stretching technique is aimed at reducing muscle tension more effectively than traditional stretches.

💡Sagittal plane

One of the anatomical planes of the body, dividing it into left and right sections. In the context of the video, the sagittal plane is where the initial movement of the triplanar hip flexor stretch occurs, involving forward and backward motion.

💡Coronal plane

An anatomical plane that divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) sections. The speaker incorporates side-to-side movements in this plane as part of the triplanar hip flexor stretch to enhance the stretch of the hip flexors.

💡Rotational plane

A plane involving rotational movements around the body's axis. The video describes rotating the body away from the tight side as part of the triplanar hip flexor stretch to address muscle tension comprehensively.

💡Hip flexion liftoffs

An exercise aimed at restoring hip flexion mobility by lifting the leg without bending the spine. This exercise helps reinforce the reduced tension achieved through stretching, focusing on isolating hip motion.

💡Core stability

The strength and control of the muscles around the spine and abdomen. In the video, core stability exercises are performed to support the spine and reduce the compensatory use of hip flexors for stability.

💡Heel taps

A core stability exercise where one heel taps the ground while maintaining a stable core. This exercise elongates the hip flexors and enhances spinal stability, contributing to reduced hip flexor tension.

💡Diaphragmatic breath

A deep breathing technique involving the diaphragm, which helps in stabilizing the core during exercises. The speaker emphasizes diaphragmatic breathing to maintain core stability while performing heel taps.

💡Pseudo stabilizer

A muscle that compensates for stability due to weakness or dysfunction in primary stabilizers. In the video, the hip flexors are described as pseudo stabilizers of the spine, often overworking when core stability is insufficient.

Highlights

Introduction of three movements to reduce hip flexor tension.

Sequential order of movements: reduce tension, restore motion, and reinforce changes with stability work.

Explanation of the hip flexor as a common pseudo stabilizer of the spine.

Description of the triplanar hip flexor stretch involving sagittal, coronal, and rotational planes.

Step-by-step guide for the triplanar hip flexor stretch.

Demonstration of forward and backward plane stretch.

Instructions for the side-to-side plane stretch.

Guide for rotational plane stretch to reduce hip flexor tension.

Recommending five reps in each direction for effective tension reduction.

Introduction of hip flexion liftoffs to restore hip flexion motion.

Instructions for hip flexion liftoffs, emphasizing isolation of hip motion.

Suggestion to use a yoga block or dumbbell for enhanced hip flexion hover.

Core stability exercise to shut off hip flexors for longer periods.

Detailed guide for the heel tap exercise with diaphragmatic breathing.

Emphasis on maintaining good spinal positioning during the heel tap exercise.

Recap of the three movements: triplanar hip flexor stretch, hip flexion liftoff, and heel tap exercise.

Highlighting the efficiency of the routine, taking only three to five minutes.

Encouragement to perform the routine before lower body workouts for better results.

Invitation to comment on which body area to focus on next.

Mention of a comprehensive hip flexor reset program available in the monthly membership.

Offering a 7-day free trial for the hip flexor reset program.

Call to action to like and subscribe for weekly videos.

Transcripts

do you have those tight hip flexors on

you I'm going to show you three simple

movements that are going to help you

reduce that tension for good so if

you're not familiar with my videos I

like to show three movements that go in

sequential order where first we want to

reduce tension in the muscles then we

want to restore Motion in the joint and

lastly we want to reinforce those

changes with some stability work more

specifically core stability when it

comes to the hip flexor because it's a

common pseudo stabilizer of the spine

when we find oursel in that extensive

extension pattern so the first move

we're going to do to reduce that tension

is a triplanar hip flexor stretch I know

that sounds like a mouthful but I'll

talk you through it so most of us are

familiar with a typical hip flexor

stretch where we tuck the tail or

posterior pelvic tilt Drive hips forward

feel a good stretch through here great

beginner move but let me show you an

advanced strategy to reduce that tension

so same setup as a normal hip flexor

stretch where we get that good pelvic

alignment and we're going to move in

three planes of motion so first we're

going to start in the sagittal or the

forward and backward plane so I'm going

to throw my hands up as I drive forward

feel a good stretch then we're going to

work in that coronal or side to side

plane where I drive hips forward and

reach over the top feeling a good

stretch through the outside here and

then lastly we're going to work through

that rotation where I drive forward and

then rotate away from that tight side

feel a good stretch through there I'll

show you again from the front so that

forward and backward plane we're

throwing hands behind us as we drive

hips forward we're going to reach over

the top feeling that nice elongation on

the outside and we're going to rotate

away from that tight side so to reduce

that tension you're going to do five

reps in each Direction on each side you

can do all five reps of the same

movement at once or if you want to spice

it up you can simply switch the

directions you go to that sagittal plane

that coronal plane and then that

rotational plane and after I rep out my

good five reps on each side I already

feel like that tension's reduced and I'm

ready for my next movement so with move

number two we're going to restore that

motion specifically that that hip

flexion motion because we want to

reinforce those changes we just made

while reducing that tension so sitting

up nice and Tall here all we're going to

do is some hip flexion liftoffs where

I'm thinking of driving my toes towards

the ceiling without bending through the

spine I'm going to rep out a good 10 to

15 of these on each side now you can do

one side at a time or you can alternate

regardless of what you like to do it's

really important to stay cemented in the

ground so you don't want to compensate

as you're moving you just want to

isolate that motion through the hips

like I'm showing here bonus movement if

that's too easy for you you can use a

yoga block or a dumbbell at the gym and

you can enhance that movement with this

hip flexion hover where you're going

over an object just trying to isolate

more of that movement through the hip so

now that we reduced that tension and

restored that hip flexion movement we're

going to work on core stability to help

shut off those hip flexors for a longer

periods of time so lying on your back

you're going to bring your legs up into

the sky almost like if you're going to

going to do a dead bug exercise but

we're just going to work on our legs

here since we want to reduce that

tension in the hip flexors first thing

you're going to do is try to get a good

belly breath or a diaphragmatic breath

where I breathe into my hand pressure

I'm going to hold that pressure as I

slowly tap one heel as I eccentrically

elongate that hip flexor with good core

stability and we're going to rep out a

good 10 to 15 of these heel Taps on each

side seems simple but you'd be surprised

at how much you're shaking and if it is

too simple you can take it to the next

level by going straight leg so you're

really elongating that tissue as you

have to control that good spinal

positioning again this movement may look

simple but if you zoom in on me I'm

shaking like the Dickens right

now I did way more than I would have

just doing a passive stretch and I

actually feel like I worked out this

area of my body without feeling tighter

afterwards so to recap these three

movements we did our tripl our hip

flexor stretch to help reduce the

tension in the hip flexors number two we

did that hip flexion lift off to try to

restore that hip flexion range and

number three we try to put the stability

back in the core and take it away from

the hip flexor with that heel tap

exercise and by doing each of these in

order you're getting the best bang for

your buck and this routine only took

three maybe 5 minutes if you're really

taking your time and if you do this

before a lower body day at the gym

you're going to feel better and

ultimately the goal is to feel less

tension especially after you work out

now if these Concepts made sense to you

where we do three particular movements

to help reduce tension let me know what

body area you want to see next and if

you struggle a lot with that hip flexor

tension I have a whole hip flexor Reset

program within my monthly membership if

that interests you I got a 7-Day free

trial I'll link that in the description

below and as always if you like this

video give it a like And subscribe so

you know when my weekly videos

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