Complete Hip Mobility Guide

Start in a half-kneeling position with your back knee on the floor and front foot flat. Tuck your pelvis under (posterior tilt) to neutralise the lumbar arch, then shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch at the front of the back hip. Keep your torso tall and breathe into the stretch — do not let your lower back extend. Squeeze the glute of the back leg to deepen the stretch neurologically.

💡 Place a folded mat under the back knee. If the stretch is hard to feel, try squeezing the back glute harder before shifting forward.

Place your back shin against a wall or couch with the knee bent to 90 degrees, back foot resting on the surface. Your front leg is in a lunge position. The goal is a deep rectus femoris stretch that a standard kneeling stretch cannot replicate. Tuck the pelvis and avoid arching the lumbar spine. Breathe steadily — this stretch is intense and requires patience. Work through the tension rather than fighting it.

💡 If 90 seconds feels too intense at first, start with 30–45 seconds and build over sessions. The discomfort should feel like a deep stretch, never sharp or shooting.

From a low lunge, drop the back knee and extend the same-side arm overhead into a lateral lean away from the front leg. This adds a lateral flexion component that targets the iliacus and psoas differently from a straight lunge. Move slowly in and out of the deepest comfortable position rather than holding a fixed point — controlled oscillation improves tissue extensibility faster than a static hold for most people.

💡 Inhale to lift taller, exhale to deepen the lateral lean. Keep your front knee stacked directly over the ankle.

From a push-up position, bring your front shin roughly parallel to the top edge of the mat (the more parallel, the more intense the stretch). Lower your hips towards the floor and walk your hands forward until your torso is as flat as comfortable. The stretch is felt deep in the back of the front hip. Breathe slowly and consciously relax the hip on each exhale — tension held in the glute prevents the capsule from lengthening. Do not rotate the pelvis to compensate — if you cannot keep hips square, reduce the shin angle.

💡 Place a folded blanket under the front hip if one side is significantly tighter. The goal is even hip loading, not reaching the floor at any cost.

Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh just above the knee, forming a figure-4 shape. Either stay here or draw the bottom thigh towards your chest to increase the stretch intensity. This is a safer entry point than pigeon for people with knee sensitivity, and allows precise control of stretch depth. Push gently through the crossed knee to create a small PNF contraction, then relax and draw the leg closer.

💡 Flex the foot of the crossed leg to protect the knee joint. The stretch should be felt in the glute, not the outer knee.

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and toes turned out 20–30 degrees. Lower into the deepest squat you can manage while keeping heels on the floor and spine relatively upright. Use a doorframe, TRX, or weight counterbalance if needed to maintain depth. Once in position, use your elbows to gently push your knees outward — this is the external rotation component. The goal is not simply sitting in the squat but actively working the hip joints to their end range while loaded.

💡 If your heels rise, place a thin weight plate or folded towel under each heel to reduce ankle dorsiflexion demand while you build range.

Sit on the floor with both legs bent to 90 degrees — front leg externally rotated, back leg internally rotated. Both shins are flat on the ground. Sit as upright as possible with a neutral pelvis (avoid slumping through the lower back). To target internal rotation, rotate your torso towards the back leg and hinge forward over it, trying to bring your chest towards the back shin. The limitation you feel at the hip is a combination of capsular tightness and poor neurological control — both respond to consistent practice.

💡 If your back hip lifts significantly off the ground, place a folded blanket under it. Progress by spending more time at the end range, not by forcing the hinge.

Sit on a chair or bench with feet flat and knees at 90 degrees. Without letting the knee move, rotate the foot outward (moving it away from the midline) — this drives the hip into internal rotation. Hold at the end range, release slightly, then repeat. After the hold, try adding a small contraction: push the foot gently inward against the floor (isometric), hold for 5 seconds, then relax and rotate further outward. This PNF approach typically adds 5–10 degrees of range within a single session.

💡 Keep your pelvis level and avoid compensating by rotating through the lower back or leaning to one side.

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, hip-width apart. Drive through the heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders. Squeeze the glutes hard at the top and hold for 1–2 seconds before lowering. The glute bridge is the foundational hip extension strengthening exercise. As you get stronger, progress to single-leg variations and eventually barbell hip thrusts. Focus on posterior pelvic tilt at the top — do not hyperextend the lumbar spine.

💡 Place a mini-band just above the knees and push outward throughout the movement to add a glute med component.

Standing on one leg (hold a wall for balance), draw the largest possible circle with the free knee — forward, out to the side, behind, and back through. The key is to move at a speed that allows you to feel every degree of range and to actively control the movement, not just swing the leg. CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations) are the primary tool in Functional Range Conditioning for maintaining and improving joint health. Each repetition should take at least 8–10 seconds.

💡 Move slowly enough that you find the spots where range drops — those are the positions to probe and spend extra time in.

Stand with feet significantly wider than shoulder width. Shift your weight to one side, bending that knee and lowering your hips towards that heel while keeping the opposite leg straight with the foot flat or heel raised. The Cossack squat simultaneously loads the hip into deep flexion and external rotation on the working side and deep adductor length on the straight-leg side. This is an advanced movement — use a doorframe for balance and reduce the depth until strength and range allow the full pattern.

💡 Keep your torso upright and the working knee tracking over the toes. Do not allow the heel to rise excessively on the working side.