Many runners and hikers, especially women, say the first body part that starts hurting when they’re out on a hike or distance run is their hips. There are two major solutions to this; stretching and additional training. More training is a long-term solution, but even basic hip stretches can relieve tight hips before the physical adaptations of additional training can take effect. This article explains 5 basic hip stretches to help relieve tight hips caused by running and hiking.
Stretching should always be done at least after a warm up, but I prefer to wait until after the main activities are complete. It is definitely not recommended that you stretch when your muscles are cold, so be sure to do some dynamic warm up activities before these hip stretches. In the case of hiking and trail running, I recommend completing these hip stretches after the activity. This will ensure you’re warmed up, and will help with your recovery.
Opening Hip Stretch: Child’s Pose
Child’s pose is a basic hip stretch originally used as a beginner form in yoga. It stretches your hips, back, ankles, and thighs, and is great for the ending of the cool-down period after getting home from a run or a hike. When performed properly, it can open up your hips and relieve tightness in your lower back.
To hold Child’s Pose…
- Kneel down and sit on your ankles.
- Lean forward as far as you can. If possible, put your forehead on the floor.
- Keep your arms at your sides or stretch them past your head.
- Try to hold this pose for a whole two minutes. Focus on taking deep breaths and feeling how that affects your hips and back.
Older people, and people who are not very flexible, might have trouble getting into or out of this pose. If that’s the case, be sure to take it easy. Stretch until you start to feel uncomfortable, but don’t push past that point. Just do what you can, and it will help relieve the tightness in your hips.
Standing or Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
he hip flexor stretch is one of the best for stretching while actually out on the trails, since it doesn’t require sitting. This is great when you’re out on a hike and don’t want to sit in the mud, for example. I find myself doing this standing hip flexor stretch on long hikes and runs, when my hips start to feel a bit stiff.
It looks a lot like a lunge, but the focus should be on stretching your hips, rather than challenging your muscles. This might be a bit challenging for anyone who has poor balance, but you don’t need to lunge extremely deeply in order for it to be a good hip stretch, and you can modify this if necessary.
To perform the standing hip flexor stretch…
- Take a large step backward.
- Lower yourself while keeping your back straight.
- If you find it more comfortable, you can place your knee on the ground.
- Move your hips forward until you feel a stretch in your hips.
- Stay in this position for about 30 seconds before switching to the other leg.
- Stretch each hip twice.
Sitting Hip Stretch: Butterfly Stretch
The butterfly stretch is one of the easiest hip stretches to modify. This is a basic hip stretch for the inner thighs, and is great for opening up your hips if they’re tight after a hike or run.
To perform the butterfly stretch…
- Sit on the ground.
- Attempt to place the bottoms of your feet together.
- Move your feet toward your body to make this stretch more difficult.
- Try to hold this pose for between 30 seconds and two minutes.
This is one of the hip stretches that can also be assisted with a partner. Like the picture below, your partner can deepen the stretch by gently pushing down on your legs while you lay on your back. This is a more advanced form of the basic hip stretch.
Seated Single-Leg Stretch
The seated single-leg stretch is more for your hamstring than your hips, and it can also release tension in your lower back. I include this stretch on a list of hip stretches, however, because it can still release some tension in your hips when you place the heel of one foot on the inner side of your opposite knee and lean forward.
It can also be beneficial after a hike because it is usually more than just tight hips that are causing discomfort. This stretch can help relieve lower back and hamstring tightness.
To perform the seated single leg stretch…
- Sit with one leg straight out.
- Put the bottom of one foot on the inner knee of your other leg.
- Lean toward your outstretched foot.
- Hold this position for around 30 seconds.
- Switch legs to stretch the other hamstring.
Kneeling Side Bend Stretch
The kneeling side bend stretch is one of the hip stretches that allows you to focus on one hip more than the other, if necessary. Personally, I have an old hip injury in my left hip, so my left hip is the one that tightens up and begins to hurt before my right one does. The kneeling side bend stretch lets me relieve some of the tension in just my left hip. This is also a good lower back stretch.
To perform the kneeling side bend stretch…
- Kneel on the ground.
- Move one foot out and to the side.
- Lean toward the outstretched foot. Try to not lean forward while you do this, and move only to the side.
- Hold this pose for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes on each side.
Overall, remember that if you’re experiencing any pain, don’t push yourself! These meant to be hip stretches, not a workout. Hurting yourself can just hinder your progress if you need to take additional time off from working out because you hurt yourself while stretching. Aim to perform these basic hip stretches for at least 20 to 30 seconds, but some of them will be more effective if you hold them a bit longer.
