hey everybody it's Doctor Jo and Bear, and today we're going to show you the top 10
hip exercises. so let's get started.
so a lot you to ask me, how many should I do of each? well it really depends on if
you have a specific injury or if you're just doing strengthening in general. I
usually recommend just starting off with 10 of each and see how you feel. but if
you have a specific injury make sure and ask your doctor or physical therapist.
number one. pelvic tilts. pelvic tilts are my favorite for a lot of different
things: low back pain, hip pain, all those kind of things. but it's a great way to
start strengthening those hip muscles. for a supine pelvic tilt, lie down on the
ground with your legs propped up feet flat on the ground, and imagine that
you're trying to squish your hand if it was underneath you. so push down rotate
the hips and come back up.
number two, bridging. bridging is another one of my favorites where it's working a
whole lot of muscles. it's working your hamstrings, it's working your gluteus
maximus, and it's really just getting those hips moving to get some
strengthening in there. for bridging, bring both knees up and put your feet
flat on the ground. you can put your arms by your side and then lift your bottom
up off the ground just to about level. so you don't want to arch your back, and you
don't want it sagging, just bring it up level and then slowly come back down.
number three, clam shells. clam shells are really good for your gluteus medius and
the TFL and IT band all the way down. make sure you're doing them correctly
because if you're not doing them correctly, you're not quite getting that
strengthening that you need. for the clam shell in side lying,
lie on your side with the side you want to exercise up on top. make sure your
hips are perpendicular to the ground. so you don't want to roll back, but stay up
top. then with your knees bent, bring that leg up just like you're opening up like
a clamshell.
number four, hip flexion in supine. so basically that straight leg raise. it's
really important to keep your leg as straight as you can, and if you pull your
toes out that will help lock everything out, and that's really going to get those
hip flexor muscles working. for supine straight leg raise lying on your back,
prop one knee up, and then the leg you want to strengthen put it straight out
and pull your toes up towards you to lock out your knee. keep that knee nice
and straight and then just lift your leg almost equal to the other side and then
slowly come back down.
number five, sideline hip abduction. this is a great one again to work those outer
muscles. make sure you're still keeping your leg straight and keeping those toes
pulled tight. for hip abduction in side lying, the leg you're going to exercise is
going to be on top. you can slightly bend the bottom leg for comfort, but keep the
top leg in a straight line. pull your toes up tight and just bring it up and
then control it coming back down.
number six, side-lying hip adduction. so now you're working those inner thigh
muscles. again make sure your leg is straight while you're working these. you
don't have to do a big motion with them, but just use correct technique. for hip
adduction inside lying, the leg you're going to work is going to be on the bottom.
take the top leg, you can either put it in the back or in the front whichever
way is more comfortable, pull up your toes on the bottom to lock
out your knee, and then just bring your leg up trying to keep it in a straight
line with your body.
number seven, prone hip extensions. so now you're going back to working those
glutes maximus muscles and the hamstring muscles. again you don't have to lift
your leg very high with these, but try and keep the leg as straight as possible.
for prone hip extension, lie on your stomach and then pull your toes up
towards you to help lock out your knee. you don't have to lift very high, but try
and keep your knee locked out the whole time.
number eight, seated hip flexion. seated hip flexion might seem easy, but it's
really working those hip flexor muscles the soas muscles, and it's a great
exercise to do and you can even do it just at work if you're sitting in a
chair for a long time. for seated hip flexion, make sure your back is nice and
straight when you're doing the exercise. just bring your knees straight upwards.
number nine, squats at a chair. so squat at a chair, they're going to be a
little bit tougher, but again I like these because you can do them at work or
you know if you're sitting for a long time. they're pretty easy to do. just make
sure you're using a controlled movement, you're not plopping down and just
popping back up, that you're really slowly working those muscles to make
sure that they're activating. for squats at a chair, use the chair as a target.
step just a little bit away from the chair because you're going to stick your
bottom back and bring your chest forward so your knees don't go in front of your
toes. so squat back just touch the chair and come back up.
number ten, lunges. these again are getting a little bit harder, but they're very
effective. they work your quads, your hamstrings, your glutes, just a really
good workout overall. if you have some knee problems, make sure and put a pillow
underneath the knee that's on the ground because that's just going to protect it
a little bit. for lunges, you're going to put one foot out in front of you. try and
keep both feet pointed forward. sometimes people will turn it out a little bit, but
try and keep them forward. you want your upper body to stay nice and straight, not
leaning forward, and just go straight down keeping the knee behind your toes
and then coming back up.
so there you have it. those were your top ten hip exercises. if you'd like to help
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subscribe by clicking down there. and remember, be safe, have fun, and I hope you
feel better soon.