Hip Flexors – Should we be strengthening or stretching them?

Confused? We hear alot about hip flexors and why it’s important to work them. But should we stretch or strengthen them? I think we all get to a point where we don’t know what we should be doing and why.

In today’s video I tackle this topic head on.. where the hip flexors are, what they do, why they need strengthening and why they need stretching (yes, that’s a strong clue 😉 )

In a nutshell….

Our hip flexors are the muscle group that helps us to lift our legs in front of us – which is a pretty fundamental movement for walking, running and stepping up

They connect from our thigh bone, to the pelvis… and also through the centre of our body to the lower spine. So, when these muscles are tight, our lower back feels tight…or painful.
Tight hip flexors also impact on our posture. They can force our pelvis to rotate forward and down over time, which then forces our lower spine into an exaggerated curve.
Hip flexors also get weak because we spend too much time seated – either being stuck at a desk for hours or being sedentary by choice. They don’t get enough dynamic movement to make them stronger.

In the video, I run through a few stretches and strengthening moves that you can do to help you get those hip flexors working properly. Most of these are moves that I do regularly in Pilates and Strength classes as they are so fundamental to good movement and fitness.

Can you include some of these into your day, during breaks from work? Or while you’re on the phone? Check them out and let me know how you go.