Is there anything more annoying than that tight, nagging hip sensation after a long day of sitting (apart from lower back pain)? The good news is you can ease it with these three simple exercises from Certified Personal Trainer Jason Pak. As he explains in his video, doing them once won’t cut it – you’ll need to repeat the routine daily to really reap its rewards. But hey, it only takes five minutes and you don't need any equipment either.
Hip mobility exercises aren’t just about eliminating pain and easing stiffness either – as lovely as that is – they also ensure better movement quality, in everyday life and the gym. When our joints are unable to move efficiently through their full range of motion, the muscles surrounding them can’t engage properly. This could then lead to poorly executed movements, a higher risk of injury, ad compensation from other muscles, which, guess what? Can create more pain.
You won’t need any equipment for these three exercises, just your bodyweight and something soft to sit on, so grab an exercise mat or towel. Perform each exercise for 45 seconds on each side of your body, then you’re done! If you do this routine every day for the entire year, Jason says you’ll rack up more than 30 hours of mobility work, which is pretty good going. Here are your exercises:
- Couch stretch
- Cossack squat
- 90/90 hip switch with a lean
If you're unsure how to perform any of these exercises correctly, check out Jason's quick demos in the video above. Otherwise, if you're looking to loosen up the rest of your body, then take a look at these five exercises that'll help bulletproof your knees, or some dynamic stretches to ease up your tight lower back.
