The best hip mobility exercises take the hip through its full range and then ask it to work there: rotation drills like 90/90 switches and hip CARs, loaded positions like the cossack squat and deep squat hold, longer holds like the couch stretch and figure-4, and one strength move, the glute bridge. Ten minutes most days is enough to start. Stretching alone makes a hip move further on the table, but one hip stretching study found the new range didn’t show up when people squatted. You have to train it in.
Why hips get tight, and why it matters
Hips stiffen for 3 reasons. Long sitting, which keeps the hip flexors short and the glutes asleep. Training in one plane (running, cycling), which leaves rotation untouched. And guarding after pain, which often outlasts the pain.
Your squat depth is capped by your hips. When they won’t fold or rotate, your lower back rounds to make up the difference. A University of Newcastle review found people with low back pain often had less hip range, especially rotation and extension. Worth knowing that’s a link, not proof of cause.
Hamstrings count too. Another review found tighter hamstrings and less side-bending range predicted back pain later on.
A 2-minute hip mobility self-check
Do these 3 tests now, and again in a month.
Deep squat hold. Feet shoulder-width, heels down, sit as low as you can for 30 seconds. Heels lifting, torso folding flat or stopping above parallel all mean work to do.
90/90 sit. One shin across in front of you, the other out to the side, both knees at 90 degrees. Sit tall with both sitting bones down. Tipping or leaning back shows a rotation limit.
Hip flexor test on a bench. Lie on the end of a bench, hug one knee in and let the other leg hang. If that thigh rises above the bench or the knee straightens, the hip flexor is tight.
Check with your GP first if you’ve had hip surgery or a replacement, or if any drill causes sharp joint pain.
The 10 hip mobility exercises
Move slowly and keep breathing. A firm stretch is fine. Joint pain isn’t.
1. 90/90 hip switches
Targets: internal and external rotation of both hips.
How: from the 90/90 sit, hands lightly behind you, lift both knees and rotate through the middle to face the other way.
Dose: 8 to 10 switches.
Cue: chest tall, lead with the knees.
Easier: lean on your hands.
Harder: hands off the floor.
2. Couch stretch
Targets: hip flexors and the front of the thigh.
How: kneel facing away from a bench, back shin up against it, front foot flat. Squeeze the back glute and stay upright.
Dose: 60 seconds each side.
Cue: tailbone tucked, ribs down.
Easier: back foot on the floor, half-kneeling.
Harder: back knee closer to the bench, same-side arm overhead.
3. World’s greatest stretch
Targets: hip flexors, hamstrings and upper back rotation.
How: step into a long lunge, hands inside the front foot. Inside elbow to instep, rotate that arm to the ceiling, then straighten the front leg and sit back.
Dose: 5 each side.
Cue: back knee off the floor, hips square.
Easier: back knee on the floor.
Harder: hold each position for 3 seconds.
4. Hip CARs (controlled articular rotations)
Targets: the whole joint, in one slow circle.
How: stand tall, one hand on a wall. Lift a knee to hip height, sweep it out to the side, turn the foot behind you, lower. Reverse.
Dose: 3 to 5 each way, each side.
Cue: pelvis still. Only the hip moves.
Easier: on all fours, smaller circle.
Harder: no wall, bigger circle.
5. Cossack squat
Targets: adductors, rotation and deep flexion, one side at a time.
How: from a wide stance, shift onto one heel and sink while the other leg straightens, toes up. Push back to the middle.
Dose: 6 to 8 each side.
Cue: working heel stays down.
Easier: hold a rack and limit the depth.
Harder: hold a light kettlebell at your chest.
6. Deep squat hold with elbow pry
Targets: deep hip flexion and an upright bottom position.
How: kettlebell at your chest, sit into your deepest squat. Press your knees out with your elbows, then shift side to side.
Dose: 30 to 60 seconds.
Cue: heels down, chest up.
Easier: hold a post.
Harder: heavier bell, or slow pulses at the bottom.
7. Hip airplane
Targets: hip rotation under load on one leg, plus balance.
How: stand on one leg and hinge forward to near parallel. Holding the hinge, rotate your hips open towards the standing leg, then closed towards the floor.
Dose: 5 each way, each leg.
Cue: move from the hip, not the shoulders.
Easier: fingertips on a wall.
Harder: slower, or eyes closed.
8. Pigeon or figure-4 stretch
Targets: glutes and the deep external rotators.
How: figure-4: on your back, cross one ankle over the opposite knee and pull that thigh towards you. Pigeon: one shin across the floor in front, hips square, fold forward.
Dose: 60 seconds each side.
Cue: hips square, pelvis level.
Easier: figure-4 on your back.
Harder: pigeon, front shin closer to parallel.
9. Adductor rock-back
Targets: inner thigh and hip fold, leg out wide.
How: on all fours, one leg straight out to the side, foot flat. Rock your hips back towards your heel, then forward.
Dose: 8 to 10 each side.
Cue: back flat, move from the hips.
Easier: shorten the rock.
Harder: pause 3 seconds at the back.
10. Glute bridge to hip thrust
Targets: hip extension strength, to own the new range.
How: lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Drive through your heels until knees, hips and shoulders line up. Pause, lower.
Dose: 10 to 12 reps.
Cue: ribs down, squeeze the glutes rather than arching.
Easier: hold the top for 10 to 20 seconds.
Harder: hip thrust with a load across your hips.
A 10-minute hip mobility routine
Run this 3 to 5 days a week. On rest days, double the couch stretch and figure-4 holds.
| Drill | Time or reps |
|---|---|
| Hip CARs | 1 minute |
| 90/90 hip switches | 1 minute |
| World’s greatest stretch | 1 minute |
| Adductor rock-back | 1 minute |
| Cossack squat | 1 minute |
| Deep squat hold with elbow pry | 1 minute |
| Hip airplane | 1 minute |
| Couch stretch | 30 seconds each side |
| Figure-4 stretch | 30 seconds each side |
| Glute bridge | 1 minute |
How long, how often and when
The American College of Sports Medicine suggests flexibility work 2 to 3 days a week, holding each stretch 10 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times. A review of stretching doses put the minimum at about 5 minutes per muscle group per week. More time gives more range, up to a point, and short daily doses get you there most easily.
Timing has one rule. Long static holds right before lifting (over 60 seconds per muscle) can take a little off your strength and power. Short stretches inside a dynamic warm-up don’t. So rotations, cossacks and squat holds go before training. The long couch stretch and pigeon holds go after, on rest days or in a yoga class.
Expect weeks, not days. The drills feel easier after a fortnight, and the squat catches up over the next month or two.
Why stretching alone doesn’t fix tight hips
Remember that hip stretching study from the top? Weeks of stretching gave people more passive range, and none of it carried over into squatting. More range on the table, none under the bar.
The fix has 2 parts. Practise the pattern you want (hence the cossack squat, deep squat hold and hip airplane). Then strengthen through the range. Strength training through a full range of motion improved flexibility about as much as stretching did. Full-depth goblet squats, split squats and Romanian deadlifts are mobility work in disguise. Our compound exercises guide covers all three.
How we do it at 5EW
You’d start with a free 60-minute Discovery Consult and a movement and body composition scan (mobility, posture and 40+ body composition markers). Mobility is one of the five movement elements we coach, alongside posture, strength, cardiovascular health and pain-free living, and every 1:1 personal training program is rewritten every 4 weeks.
If a sore back comes with the tight hips, our back pain personal training works the posterior chain first: glutes, hips, then back. Our lower back exercises guide covers the strength side. For longer holds, a Yin-style yoga class or mat pilates gives you a coached session of exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to improve hip mobility?
Passive range, the kind a coach measures on a table, changes within a few weeks of regular stretching. Useful range, the kind you can squat with, takes longer because you have to train it under load. Allow a few months and re-test every 4 weeks.
Should I do hip mobility before or after a workout?
Both, with different drills. Before lifting, use the dynamic moves: hip CARs, 90/90 switches, cossacks and squat holds. They wake the hips up without dulling your strength. Save the long static holds (couch stretch, pigeon) for after training or rest days.
Can tight hips cause lower back pain?
They can contribute. Less hip range has been linked with low back pain (a link, not proof of cause), and tight hamstrings predict back pain later on. When your hips won’t move, your lower back moves instead, and it’s not built for that job.
Why are my hips so tight even though I stretch?
Usually because you stretch but don’t strengthen. Passive stretching changes how far the hip moves on a table, not how it behaves when you stand up and load it. Add loaded, full-depth movements (goblet squats, split squats) and sit less.
Move your hips through their range most days, strengthen them there and give it time. Want a coach to run the movement scan and build these drills into your program? Book a free consult.
Written by the coaching team at 5th Element Wellness in Fitzroy North. Meet the coaches.
