When sprinters line up in the starting blocks and get into position, they want to be the fastest off the mark. They want to be explosive, powerful, and fast, so they need a quick reaction and strong acceleration. The answer? Strong hip flexors.
When it comes to speed, no muscle is more important. The hip flexors drive the knee forward, so when the foot strikes the ground, as much force as possible is produced to propel the body forward. Strong hip flexors are priceless for sprinters—just as they are for basketball players, soccer players, or any sport that relies on running, jumping, and kicking.
Sadly, strong hip flexors aren’t something we’re born with, and hours of sitting down can cause them to become short, tight, and weak. Over time, this can hinder performance and create pain in the hips, knees, or lower back. Hip stretches can provide relief and help lengthen the hip flexors to improve mobility, but if you really want to prevent injury and improve your athletic performance, then you need to be doing hip flexor strengthening exercises: and we’ve got the five best ones ready to show you.
We’ll give you everything you need to know about why you should do hip strengthening exercises, show you how to identify if you have weak hip flexors and go through how to do each hip flexor exercise step-by-step. It’s time to say goodbye to hip pain and skyrocket your speed, power, and explosiveness.
Contents:
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What Are The Hip Flexor Muscles?
The hip flexors consist of five key muscles: two agonist muscles (which contract to facilitate movement—in this case, hip flexion and knee extension) and three synergist muscles, which assist the agonists.
Psoas major (a primary mover or agonist muscle) is responsible for hip flexion. It is the only muscle that connects the upper and lower body together. 40-60% of people also have a psoas minor, but research shows its function is very minor [1].)
Iliacus (also a primary mover of the hip flexor. Together with the psoas major, these muscles are called the iliopsoas)
Pectineus (a synergist muscle, the Pectineus is situated on the front of the upper and inner thigh and assists the primary movers with hip flexion and adduction)
Rectus Femoris (a synergist muscle: One of the quad muscles)
Sartorius (a synergist muscle: The longest muscle in the body that crosses the hip and the knee joints)
Do Hip Flexors Need To Be Strengthened?
Between 9-5 in the office, lunchtimes spent scrolling TikTok, and evenings spent binging Netflix, our ever-increasing sedentary lifestyle is not only making our hip flexors shorter and less mobile but weak [2]. This can impact athletic performance and cause issues with gait, mobility, and even pain in other areas of the body (commonly the back and knees).
If you’re partial to a pigeon pose or hip flexor stretch at the end of your workout, then, like us, you probably give ample time to stretch your hip flexors. And we wouldn’t blame you for thinking that’s enough. Unfortunately, research proves otherwise, with a 2021 review of eight hip flexor studies concluding that hip flexor stretching of up to 120 seconds had no effect and stretching for over four and a half minutes had a negative impact on performance [2].
So what’s the solution? Hip flexor strengthening.
It makes sense, really: You would never repeatedly stretch your hamstrings, but steer clear of any deadlifts, good mornings, or lying leg curls. The same goes for every other muscle group. So why would you treat the hip flexors any differently?
If you want healthy, mobile hips, and to keep aches and pains at bay, don’t fall for only stretching your hip flexors; make sure you strengthen them, too.
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How To Strengthen Your Hip Flexors: The 5 Best Exercises
Failed the Thomas Test? You’ve come to the right place, as you need to do some hip-strengthening exercises. Passed the Thomas Test? Well, guess what: If you want to keep aches and pains away and boost your speed and power, you also should do some hip flexor exercises.
We’ve picked five exercises that will strengthen your hip flexors. Perform two or three exercises two to five times a week.
Hip Flexor Strengthening Exercises:
1. Seated Leg Raises
This exercise may look easy, but it’s very effective at firing up the hip flexors, particularly the iliopsoas, which assist in lifting the leg up. Seated leg raises also target the abs, which must be engaged to stabilize the core during the movement, the quads, which work as you lift your leg, and the adductors (muscles on the inside of your thighs), which assist in bringing your legs back together after raising them.
We recommend using a kettlebell (or a dumbbell) to give you an object to move your leg over, but you can also do this exercise without if you don’t have either available. The bigger the object, the higher you’ll have to raise your leg, which makes the exercise more difficult.
How To Do Leg Raises:
Place a kettlebell on the ground and sit behind it, legs extended, next to your ankle.
Sit tall, brace your core, and place your hands on the floor just behind your hips (easier variation) or clasped in front of your chest (harder variation).
Lift the foot closest to the kettlebell up and over it, keeping the leg extended with no knee bend, and place it on the floor on the other side of the kettlebell.
Reverse the movement, lifting the same leg up and over the kettlebell, placing it on the other side next to the other leg.
Repeat for six reps, then switch legs by moving the other leg closest to the kettlebell and repeating the same movement.
Level Up: To make this exercise more difficult, try moving both legs at a time over the kettlebell, bracing your core to keep your torso upright.
2. Psoas March (Banded)
The banded psoas march is highly effective at firing up the psoas major, using controlled hip flexion [3]. This makes it particularly useful for athletes and individuals looking to improve functional movements that require strong hip flexors, such as running, kicking, or climbing.
The psoas march not only strengthens the hips but engages the core muscles to stabilize the pelvis and lower back during the movement. This dual engagement enhances overall core strength and prevents lower back pain. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also hit your glutes (helping them to look 🔥 in your scrunch butt leggings).
How To Do The Psoas March With Band:
Place a light-resistance band around both feet. Then, lie down on the ground with your legs up at a 90-degree angle.
Bracing your core, slowly extend one leg out, leading with your heel and keeping the other leg fixed in position. Make sure your back remains in contact with the floor the whole time.
Once the leg is fully extended, bring it back to the starting position.
Extend the opposite leg out, then back to the starting position.
Repeat ‘march’ for 20 reps, keeping the movement slow and controlled.
Level Up: For those already comfortable with the banded psoas march, you can make it more challenging by elevating your feet on a box. Start with your feet on the box, legs fully extended. Lift your hips off the ground, march one knee towards the chest, back to the box, and switch legs. Keep the hips up the whole time, squeezing the glutes to help you maintain a straight body position.
3. Weighted Standing Psoas March
Take things a level up and fire up your psoas major even more with the weighted standing psoas march. This is very similar to the banded psoas march, but it is done from a standing position, requiring a higher level of core engagement to keep your hips and body stable. A strong core is crucial for hip flexor strength, providing stability for efficient and safe movement of the hip flexors. This exercise allows you to target both effectively.
You’ll need a kettlebell–but keep it light, especially at first, as it can get quite tough! You’ll also need something to stand on: Either a box, step, or a stable stack of 3 or 4 plates. This will allow for a full range of motion when the kettlebell is placed around your foot. Equally, you don’t want to choose a box that is too high, or you may struggle to reach the kettlebell.
How To Do The Weighted Standing Psoas March:
Select a light kettlebell and place it beside your box/step. Stand on the step with one foot, placing it near the edge of the step on the same side as your kettlebell.
With the foot that isn’t placed on the step, bring it down and hook the kettlebell handle over it.
Keeping the standing leg straight, bend the knee of the leg with the kettlebell upwards towards your torso, bracing your core to keep your body stable.
Lift your knee until it is in line with your hip, bent at a 90-degree angle, then lower it back down.
Repeat for 10 reps, then switch to perform the psoas march on the other leg.
Note: This exercise is much harder than it looks! However, using a kettlebell makes it easier to overload progressively, as, unlike a resistance band, you can accurately measure the increase in weight over time of the kettlebell as your hip flexors strengthen.
4. Eccentric Hip Extension
The eccentric hip extension trains controlled, eccentric strength through the lengthening of the hip flexor, followed by rapid shortening of the hip flexor. This makes it great for training speed, explosiveness, and power required to boost sports performance.
Select a lightweight kettlebell and sit on the end of a box or bench. Securely hook the handle of the kettlebell over your foot.
Lie back on the box, bringing both knees up to a 90-degree bend.
Keeping the leg without the kettlebell on still, slowly move the other leg towards the floor, keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees the whole time. You should feel your hip flexor lengthening.
Once your thigh is in contact with the bench, explosively raise your leg back up to the starting position.
Repeat for ten reps, then switch to the other leg.
Tip: Keep your eyes on the ceiling above you to maintain a neutral spine and avoid straining your neck. Keep your hips tucked and your lower back in contact with the bench throughout.
5. L Sit
A true test of bodyweight strength, L sits are an isometric exercise that requires significant engagement of the hip flexors (particularly the iliopsoas), which work to lift and hold the legs, and the core, which stabilizes the torso.
Adding isometric hip flexor strengthening exercises into your training will improve hip flexor endurance, which is crucial for activities that require sustained hip flexion, such as maintaining posture or during sports that involve running or cycling. Isometric exercises are also proven to be beneficial for those recovering from injury, strengthening the hip flexors without excessive movement to help restore function and reduce pain without aggravating injuries [4].
That being said, the L sit isn’t an easy exercise. Try these progressions and work your way up to a full L sit.
Level 1: Single Leg L Sit
Grab two dumbbells and place them beside your hips. Sit on the ground with your legs extended out in front of you.
Holding the handles of the dumbbells, push up, taking your hips off the ground by pressing your weight into the dumbbells.
Lift one leg off the ground, keeping it straight, holding it for 10-15 seconds at first, and increasing the time as your strength increases over time. Then, switch sides and perform the same with the other leg.
Aim to repeat five times on each side (or as many as possible).
Level 2: Full L Sit Hold With Dumbbells Elevated On Weight Plates
Once you’ve mastered the single-leg l-sit, progress to a full l-sit using two weight plates. The bigger the weight plates and the higher your hands, the easier the l sit will be.
Place two weight plates on the ground with a dumbbell on top of each (towards the inner edge).
Sit in the middle of the plates, legs extended in front of you. Place a hand on each dumbbell (they should be directly beside your hips)
Push into the dumbbells to lift your hips off the ground (the same as you did for the single-leg l-sit). Then, take both legs off the ground, keeping them extended so you form an L-shape with your body. Keep your shoulders down (don’t let them hunch towards your ears).
Hold for 15-20 seconds, rest, and repeat. Over time, aim to increase the time you hold.
Level 3: Full L Sit Hold On Weight Plates (Without Dumbbells)
Once you’re confident with level 2 of the l-sit, you can move onto level 3. This is the same as above, except you perform the L-Sit without the dumbbells, instead placing the palms of your hands flat on the weight plates.
Level 4: L Sit From Floor
This is the most challenging L-sit variation. Remove the plates and perform the l-sit with your hands directly on the ground. Initially, try holding for 15 seconds, and then, just as for the above exercises, aim to increase the duration you hold for over time.
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The Benefits Of Hip Flexor Strengthening Exercises
Strong hip flexors increase your body’s ability to produce force and explosive power. Hip flexor strengthening exercises will improve your performance, whether you’re running, jumping, squatting, throwing, or changing directions.
The iliopsoas connect the lower back and core muscles, so building strength in them will help build a strong, stable core, essential for maintaining proper form during free weight exercises and minimizing injury risk.
If you love leg day, you will likely spend a fair amount of time building and sculpting the muscles surrounding your hip flexors, such as your glutes and quads. Neglecting your hip flexors can cause muscular imbalances to creep in, increasing the chance of poor alignment and the risk of injury. Keep your hips healthy, and you’ll move better and ensure every muscle group works as it should.
Stronger hip flexors make movements such as squats and lunges easier, increasing mobility to help you reach depth more easily. Your hip flexors are also involved in keeping the torso stable, so strengthening them will help you stabilize the load on your back, for example, during a back squat.
Weak hip flexors can cause a pelvic tilt, making it difficult for a person to maintain a straight posture [5]. This can result in lower back, hip, or knee pain. Hip flexor strengthening exercises help to maintain proper posture and reduce the chance of aches and pains.
How Do I Know If I Have Weak Hip Flexors?
If you have a tight feeling at the front of your hips, knee, hip, or back pain (particularly after standing, sitting, or walking for long periods) or experience changes in your gait (for example, your stride length feeling ‘off’ when running), you could have tight or weak hips. These are common symptoms because other muscles/joints try to compensate for weak hip flexor muscles, leading to them overworking.
If you’re unsure, then luckily, there is a test you can do to determine if you have weak or tight hip flexors: The (Modified) Thomas Test.
How To Do The (Modified) Thomas Test:
Sit on the edge of a table, with your legs hanging off the edge and the edge of the table touching the inside of your kneecaps.
Lie back and bring both knees into your chest.
Using your hands to hold one knee into your chest, slowly move the other leg down and let it hang off the edge of the table.
If your back stays flat against the bench while the back of the lowered thigh is flat against the table and the knee bent at 90-degrees over the edge of the table, you have passed the test.
If your lowered leg extends straight out instead of bending at the knee, or the lowered leg is bent at the knee but the back of the thigh is elevated off the table, then you have tight hip flexors. This is a sign that you need to stretch and strengthen your hip flexors.
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Say Hello To Healthy Hips With These 5 Hip-Strengthening Exercises
Want to be the fastest? Strong hip flexors will help you get there.
Want to jump the highest? Strong hip flexors will help you get there.
Want to squat the heaviest? Strong hip flexors will help you get there.
When it comes to strengthening them, we’ve given you the five best hip-strengthening exercises to get you there.
Pick a couple of these hip flexor exercises to do two to three times a week (they won't take long, so you can easily add them to the end of your workouts). To continually challenge your body, vary which exercises you choose and, over time, increase the sets and reps as your hip flexors strengthen. You’ll have stronger, healthier hips that your body will thank you for.
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WRITTEN BY: Alex Kirkup-Lee
Alex is an inhouse Content Writer for Gymshark’s Health & Conditioning categories. A qualified Personal Trainer, CrossFit Level 1 and Functional Fitness Coach, Alex is experienced in training clients from a range of sporting backgrounds. With a passion for functional training, her favorite workout is anything that includes deadlifts, rowing, or wallballs.
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References:
Guerra, D.R., Reis, F.P., Bastos, A. de A., Brito, C.J., Silva, R.J. dos S. and Aragão, J.A. (2012). Anatomical Study on the Psoas Minor Muscle in Human Fetuses. International Journal of Morphology, 30(1), pp.136–139. doi:https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-95022012000100024.
Boukabache, A., Preece, S.J. and Brookes, N. (2021). Prolonged sitting and physical inactivity are associated with limited hip extension: A cross-sectional study. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 51, p.102282. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2020.102282.
Zhu, J., Li, Y., Chen, K., Xiao, F., Shen, C., Peng, J. and Chen, X. (2019). Iliopsoas tendonitis following total hip replacement in highly dysplastic hips: a retrospective study. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 14(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-019-1176-z.
Onwunzo, C.N., Igwe, S.E., Umunnah, J.O., Uchenwoke, C.I. and Ezugwu, U.A. (2021). Effects of Isometric Strengthening Exercises on Pain and Disability Among Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis. Cureus, 13(10). doi:https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.18972.
de Jesus, F.L.A., Fukuda, T.Y., Souza, C., Guimarães, J., Aquino, L., Carvalho, G., Powers, C. and Gomes-Neto, M. (2020). Addition of specific hip strengthening exercises to conventional rehabilitation therapy for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 34(11), pp.1368–1377. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215520941914.
