Stiff, achy hips got you down? We’ve been there. Whether you’ve just come back from a running break, We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back intensity, runners of all levels experience tight hips.
Nutrition - Weight Loss stretching them out. And while that likely feels good, what you probably need is to strengthen the hip flexors. Just like major muscles including your glutes, quads, and hamstrings, your hip flexors need to be strong in order to propel you forward during your miles.
To find out more about the benefits of strengthening this group of muscles and the best hip flexor exercises to do, we chatted with two running coaches who double as personal trainers. With their expert-backed tips, you’ll be running longer and stronger in no time.
What to Know About Pelvic Floor Stability?
Your hip flexors are the muscles in the front of your hips that connect your leg to your pelvis, explains Erica Coviello, C.P.T., certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach.
“The major muscles runners can feel and want to strengthen are the iliacus and the psoas major, often referred to together as the iliopsoas,” Coviello says. “They’re responsible for lifting your knee, moving your leg forward, and maintaining integrity of the hip joint.”
The Benefits of Strengthening Your Hip Flexors as a Runner
There are quite a few perks to paying attention to your hip flexors on your cross-training days. How to use this list Karina Ripps, C.P.T., runners of all levels experience.
1. Prevent Pain and Injury
Ready to add hip flexor exercises into your hamstrings, according to Ripps. That’s because if you have weak hip flexors, you may overcompensate with your lower back or hamstrings during movement, she says. Putting too much unnecessary stress on these muscles can lead to pain and potential injury.
You might need to strengthen your hip flexors if they’re constantly aching in these areas after long runs and/or hard workouts, Coviello says. This could be a sign of injury (or pending injury), which could sideline you from your training or that big race you’ve got coming up.
2. Improve Running Form
“I like to think of our hip flexors as the secret to our stride,” Ripps says. “They lift your knees and drive your legs forward. And when they’re strong, you get a more efficient, smooth stride.” Having proper running mechanics—like a solid knee drive—can help your miles feel easier as your more powerful. And that means running with less effort.
Research backs up the benefits of strengthening the hip flexors, particularly when it comes to an efficient stride. A study published in PeerJ in 2018, involving 39 recreationally-trained runners, examined the relationship between the energy cost of running and the balance between hip flexor and hip extensor strength (among other strength variables). Based on the findings, the researchers suggested runners should implement hip flexor-strengthening exercises into their programs to improve that strength balance and therefore, increase running economy.
3. Support in Running Faster and Longer
How to Improve Your Running Efficiency muscular endurance your hip flexors have, the longer you can run without tiring them out, Coviello says.
FYI: Muscular endurance is the ability to work your muscles over long periods of time. When your muscles can tolerate working harder for longer durations, you’ll see your running pace and distance improve, not to mention you’ll feel better when clocking miles.
Drive left knee up toward chest, then slowly lower right leg back to the floor Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research back in 2005 pointed out the specific speed gains runners can get from building hip-flexor strength: Participants who completed a hip-flexion resistance program over an eight-week period decreased their 40-yard sprint times by 3.8 percent and their shuttle run times by 9 percent.
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If you notice persistent discomfort or tightness in the front of your hips, that’s could signal you have weak hip flexors. “Many runners are inclined to think they’re just tight and try stretching them, but when your hip flexors hurt, it can be because they lack strength and are suffering from the fatigue of being overworked,” Coviello says.
Additionally, if you’re struggling to lift your knees to hip height during your runs, that’s another indication you need to build more strength in these muscles, according to Ripps. You can measure this by stopping during a run (or while warming up beforehand) and lifting one knee at a time, aiming for your knee reach just above your hip, Ripps says. “If you can’t get close to this height or you feel your body compensating—like leaning backward or hitching your hips—it’s a sign that your hip flexors may need some attention.”
Ripps suggests doing simple self-checks, like high knee marches, which can reveal if your hip flexors are doing their part in lifting your knees effectively. “During high knee marches, you want to feel the hip flexor engage as you drive your knee up,” she says.
The Thomas Test is another great way to check for tightness in the hip flexors, according to Ripps. It involves lying on your back at the edge of a table (or bench), pulling one knee toward your chest while letting the other leg hang off the side. If your hanging leg rises above the level of the table or if it feels difficult to keep it flat, this indicates some tightness in the hip flexors, she says.
“It’s a good test because it isolates the hip flexor muscles and allows you to check if they’re restricting full range of motion,” Ripps says. “Tightness here can lead to discomfort while running, so it’s a great indicator that stretching and strengthening these muscles is necessary.”
If you pass the Thomas Test, but still feel aches, then you’ll want to focus on strengthening over stretching. And that’s where the below exercises come into play.
5 Hip Flexor Exercises to Build Strength
How to use this list: Ready to add hip flexor exercises into your strength-training routine? Here are our experts’ five favorite options. Aim to do these at least twice a week. Go for 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps of each move.
1. Banded Knee Drive
certified run coach and personal trainer, break them down: This exercise mimics the natural running motion, so it’s super effective for adding power and balance to your stride, according to Ripps.
How to do it:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands on hips.
- Then switch sides.
- your hip flexors have, the longer you can run without tiring them out, Coviello says.
- Drive left knee up toward chest, then slowly lower right leg back to the floor.
- Best Psoas Stretches & Exercises for Hip Flexors.
2. Lying Leg Lift
certified run coach and personal trainer, break them down: Lying on your back and slowly lifting your legs focuses directly on the hip flexors.“It’s a straightforward exercise that’s all about form and control,” says Ripps. The control element is key: Make sure to move slowly through this move.
How to do it:
- Lie faceup on the floor with legs out straight, arms down by sides. (For more support, move hands under low back, palms facing the floor.)
- Keeping legs together, raise legs straight up toward the ceiling so that they’re perpendicular to the floor.
- Slowly lower legs back down until they’re hovering a few inches off the floor. Keep back against the floor; avoid arching.
- Repeat.
3. Dead Bug
certified run coach and personal trainer, break them down: Dead bugs are a simple floor exercise that works your hip flexor muscles, according to Coviello, along with other core muscles. Stand with feet hip-width apart and hands on hips.
How to do it:
- Lie faceup, both legs lifted, knees bent 90 degrees and placed directly over hips.
- Why it works.
- Extend left leg straight out, lowering it toward the floor. Simultaneously extend right arm overhead, also lowering it toward the floor.
- Pause, then return to starting position.
- Repeat on opposite side.
- Continue alternating.
4. Hanging Leg Raise
certified run coach and personal trainer, break them down: Whether using a captain’s chair or a pull-up bar, “this move hones in on your hip flexors by challenging you to lift your legs with control,” Ripps says. “It’s brilliant for building both strength and stability.” To up the challenge, keep legs straight.
How to do it:
- Reach overhead and grasp a bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you).
- How to Best Combine Strength Training and Running.
- Brace core and lift bent knees in front of you to approximately the height of hips. Keep torso still and avoid swinging.
- Slowly lower knees, straightening legs.
- Repeat.
5. Step-Up
certified run coach and personal trainer, break them down: Similar to standing high-knee marches, step-ups use a similar motion, but punch them up by adding elevation, Coviello says.
How to do it:
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- Place right foot up on the step, bench, or box so that right knee is bent about 90 degrees. This is the starting position.
- Press through right foot and drive body up until right leg is straight. Bring left foot up onto the bench to meet right foot.
- Lower left foot back to the floor and return to the starting position.
- Karina Ripps, C.P.T.
- All About Power-Based Training for Run Performance.
Danielle Zickl is a freelance writer who has 10 years of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition. She's a graduate of Ithaca College. You can find her work here on Women's Health, and in many other publications including PS, SELF, Well+Good, Runner’s World, Outside RUN, Peloton, Men’s Fitness, and more.
