Anyone who regularly strength trains or runs will probably find that a specific area can get pretty tight. As well as working on your hip mobility with a range of hip stretches, it’s worth spending time doing exercises that are designed to strengthen the muscles around your hips.
The hips are an area of my body that deserve TLC. I often experience aches in this area, especially after a day spent working at a desk. I’ve tried a series of resistance band stretches from osteopath Dr Andrew Harkin to help my hips before, so when I saw he had posted a new routine for building hip strength I saved it for later and tried it during my lunch break.
Take a look at Harkin’s Reel to see him demonstrate each of the four exercises. All you’ll need to complete this routine is a resistance band. Harkin uses an open-ended resistance band that’s been tied off, but a mini loop resistance band will also do the job (our guide to the best resistance bands has affordable options of both types if you’d like to get some).
I train for CrossFit a number of times every week, but let me tell you that the exercises in this routine are more difficult than they look and I found myself struggling to balance almost straight away, particularly on my left leg.
I have a long-term knee injury and to help move past it I have been dedicating time to single-leg strength exercises to make sure both of my legs are as strong as each other.
I completed eight reps of each movement on each side and my lower-body muscles were burning by the time I'd finished the workout. Harkin recommends repeating the workout two to three times a week to see the benefits.
If you’re keen to continue strengthening your joints once the above routine has stopped delivering, add these physiotherapist-approved hip and knee exercises to your week.
