How to Fix Tight Hips

Our bodies sure do love to complain, don’t they? When we don’t take care of our body or something is off, it finds a way to let us know: sore feet, tight neck, and tight hips are common symptoms of something else going on. My clients and running friends often ask how to fix tight hips, and the answer lies partly in the reason for the tightness in the first place. 

3 Reasons You Might Have Tight Hips

1. You Run. The repetitive nature of running lends itself to plenty of injuries and strains, (hence the importance of cross-training), including tightness in the hips. Usually, though, it has more to do with your running form. 

One reason could be that you use more of your quads than your glutes and hamstrings to power your stride. Rather, you want your bigger, more powerful muscles to do the work to help the smaller ones. 

There could also be a lack of extension in your stride, meaning your legs don’t extend far enough behind you to allow the front of your hips to open. In this case, your hip flexors don’t get much of a break during your stride. 

2. You Sit. Our culture spends a lot of time sitting, and there isn’t much we can do about that when you need to drive half an hour to work where you sit most of the day. Unfortunately, sitting for long periods of time is a common reason for tight hips. 

When you sit for long periods of time, your hip flexors become weak as they are in a shortened state, doing nothing at all for hours on end. After all, when you don’t use it, you lose it. 

Read More: Let’s Talk About Sitting Too Much

3. Your Core & Glutes Are Weak. When your core and glutes lack strength, they aren’t able to hold your body in a proper upright position (like while sitting or running), straining other parts of your body, including your hip flexors that need to overcompensate. Another side effect of weaknesses in these areas is that one or both of your hips will drop when you walk or run. Your hips should stay fairly level during these movements, but when they don’t you will get tightness or injury. 

Ways to Fix Tight Hips

Whether you notice hips all the time or just after running or other exercises, we want to get to a place where the tightness is temporary and tolerable, versus chronic or intense. So, how can you fix tight hips to keep the pain away? 

1. Strengthen Your Glutes & Core. I bet you saw this one coming! When these big, central muscle groups can hold your body upright, the rest of your body doesn’t need to work so hard. Once you learn to connect to these muscles, many movements will even become easier. There are lots of exercises to work these muscles, such as glute bridges, Romanian deadlifts, kettlebell getups, clams, planks, and others. I could literally list one hundred! If you are really weak in these areas, keep it simple at first. Try working up to a one minute plank, and do three sets of fifteen glute bridges. Then work up from there! 

2. Do Pilates. Pilates is known for building core and glute strength, but it also offers great mobility exercises for your hips to help fix tight hips, too. If you’re familiar with Pilates, you know that many people struggle with the roll up or teaser; this is often because they aren’t using their glutes. As you practice Pilates more, you’ll build strength in these areas while also learning to find deeper connections in your body. 

3. Pay Attention to Your Body. Despite being inside our body 24/7, we don’t tend to think about how it’s moving. Think about your stride the next time you go for a walk or a run, and pay attention to your movement patterns.  Think about extending your back leg behind you, and pushing off with that foot to propel you forward. You’ll start to build strength and a good movement pattern just by paying attention to how you move. I know that I tend to take a fuller step through and push off with my right, but not as much with my left. 

Another way to be intentional with your movement is the next time you go for a hike, step up stairs, or even get up from the floor, pay attention to which foot or leg leads. (I bet it’s usually the same one!) Then focus on using that front leg by putting more weight into it to power you up; this helps to build glute strength and makes each movement more intentional. Then put the same attention into your next stride. Which side works harder?  When I ride my spin bike, I have to make my left side join in on the fun, otherwise it will happily let my right side do all of the work.  

Stretches to Fix Tight Hips

Strength is part of the equation to relieve tight hips, but stretching is also important. Here is a sequence of stretches that I personally love and try to do at least a couple times a week. My hips always feel amazing the next day.

If you sit all day and are able to take a stretch break at work, here are some options for both your hips and upper back. 

There isn’t going to be a quick fix to relieve your tight hips, and like anything else it will take consistency and repetition of these exercises and stretches to feel relief and eventually keep tight hips at bay. And sometimes, you may need a little extra help from a massage therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or physiotherapist. Listen to your body, and take care of it so you can keep doing all the things you love, pain-free.