Most people spend long hours sitting at their desks and staring at a screen. If you are one of them, chances are you have tight hips and need to work out and stretch to prevent further pain. Our hips help us walk, sit, run, and dance. It’s important to do a few exercises every week to ensure their mobility and strengthen them further.
In addition to dance training, there are several other exercises that you can practice at home or at a fitness class in NYC to increase your hip mobility. By improving the mobility of your hips, you wouldn’t only be able to move freely and easily, but it would also prevent strain from sitting at your desk all day.
Hip mobility exercises will give you maximum control over your movement and help your body with seamless and even motion.
If you have a stiff back or feel pain or discomfort while moving around, it may be time to try out some hip-mobility exercises. Sometimes stiffness or pain can be a sign of tight hips. If you believe this is the case with you, you can try out these amazing exercises to help you with your mobility!
Forward and Backward Lunges
Lunges are one of the great hip mobility exercises that even a beginner can do with great ease. There are several variations of this exercise; however, if you’re new to all of this, a basic forward and backward lunge will do the trick!
How To Do It?
- Step one foot forward while standing on a Yoga mat
- Plant your heel forward as much as you’re comfortable
- Bent your knee over your ankle
- Stay in this pose for a few seconds and try to engage your thighs and glues
- Stand back up and repeat the same with your other foot
Benefits
Lunges help tone your body while strengthening your hips. Not only that, but they also improve movement and stability by engaging the core and abdominal muscles.
Butterfly Stretch
The butterfly stretch is another great flexibility-enhancing hip opener that is best for people who sit on a chair for 5–8 hours daily. This prolonged sitting workout is perfect for advanced as well as beginner-level people.
How To Do It?
- Sit straight with your back upright
- Pull your feet together in front of you and gently bend your knee so the soles of your feet are touching
- Try and press your knees to the ground as much as you possibly can without moving your hips
- Repeat on both sides
Benefits
The butterfly stretch is one of the most effective hip mobility workouts, especially after a long day of sitting. It relieves tight hips and improves hip flexibility.
Pigeon Pose
The pigeon pose exercise has many variations and can be modified according to your comfort level. Many believe that this workout also alleviates stress and helps people calm down.
How To Do It?
- Get in a plank position and draw one knee close to your hand (get as close as you possibly can)
- Next, you have to rotate your leg next to your hand so that the front is facing your hand (don’t force anything if you can’t get there fully)
- Extend the other leg behind you as you lower your hip on the yoga mat
- Make sure that your upper body is straight and upright
- Stay in the position for as long as you wish before repeating the same with the other leg
Benefits
Pigeon pose exercise is great for people experiencing tight hip or lower back strain. This workout is not only good for hip flexors, but it also relaxes you and boosts digestion.
Cossack Squat
The Cossack squat is yet another amazing exercise that could be challenging for beginners but is great for the core, hips, and glutes. It’s a variation of a regular squat. Cossack squat is a deep squat for one leg, keeping the other leg in a half-split pose.
How To Do It?
- Stand upright in a regular squat position
- Lower yourself onto one leg and go in a deep squat
- Make sure you keep your knees way above your feet
- Push the other leg into a half split to balance yourself
- Try and stay in this pose for a few seconds before repeating it on the other side
Benefits
The Cossack squat is a great workout for those with tight hips who want to improve their range of motion. It targets quads, glutes, hips, lower back, and abdominals. Although it takes some time to get it right, once you do, you can benefit from it a lot.
Lying Hip Rotation
Lying hip rotation is a relatively easy but effective hip mobility workout that targets joints, pelvis, legs, and hip sockets. If you’re a beginner, this may be the hip-mobility workout/warm-up you can start with.
How To Do It?
- Lay down on your yoga mat and relax
- Bent your knees while keeping your feet flat and glued to the ground
- Pull one leg up and lay it on the other thigh
- Push your hips up
- Gently press your hand on the knee laying on the other leg and push it down for resistance
- Stay in this position for a few seconds before repeating it on the other side
Benefits
Lying hip rotation is a great way to strengthen your hips and improve their stability. If you want to prevent strain or other kinds of injuries to hips, knees, or legs, this exercise can help you out. It also stretches your lower back and engages your hip flexors and quads.
If you’re looking for beginner yoga classes in NYC, Fit Engine has got you covered! Fit Engine experts offer reviews about the best yoga classes, mobility workouts, Pilates classes, and social dance classes in NYC.
Check out their website for more information. You can also contact their team to learn more about affordable fitness classes.
