The comments section is going wild for these three simple stretches for tight hips, and I’m here for it. They might look funny, but I can guarantee you, these exercises work — I’m a personal trainer, and I use them nearly every week.
The hip exercises in question help relieve tension and tightness around your pelvis and lower back, and they’re quick to do for a mobility boost. “I salute you pelvis warrior,” says one person, and another writes, “Wow, helped immediately on my low back and hip pain.” There's an endorsement, right there.
If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, you need to check out the video below, posted to Rehab Fix, a hugely popular YouTube page run by Dr. Grant Elliott. You won’t regret it (and nor will your hips).
Watch: Three stretches to unlock tight hips
The next time you need relief for your hips, roll out one of the best yoga mats and give these moves a try. You may want to practice at home if you feel uncomfortable performing them in the gym, but these exercises are no gimmick. They really work, and they've been a part of my mobility routine for a long time.
These exercises work! Two weeks in and I see a noticeable difference in my hip tightness and discomfort.
1. Frog mobility (3x60 seconds)
We’re obsessed with the frog pose here at Tom’s Guide. The hip and adductor (inner thigh) opener improves range of motion around your hips and relieves lower back pain. You’ll notice immediate relief from tension, but you’ll need to continuously practice frog to see real, lasting results over time.
Want to learn more? Here’s how to do the frog pose step-by-step for a static variation. In the video, the exercise is dynamic, which improves lower-body mobility. This means you will drive your hips forward and backward in a horizontal plane, driving your butt back toward your heels, then stretching out the hips as you drive them forward and lightly squeeze your glutes.
Yes, it looks funny, but boy, does it work.
2. Frog cat-cow (3x60 seconds)
If you have lower back tightness, you will notice it during frog cat-cow. It combines the frog pose with the popular cat-cow spinal mobility exercise found in yoga to help stretch out the abdomen and increase motion in your spine and the muscles surrounding it. Combined with the frog, it offers almost full-body relief.
Take it easy if you have a tight lower back, and slowly build the movement over time. At first, this might just mean very small, gentle movements in your back, but over time, you might be able to make the transitions between cat and cow more exaggerated. If you feel sharp, persistent pain, stop immediately. You can also move your heels closer together to take some pressure off your hips while you practice.
3. Tactical frog (3x60 seconds)
This adds internal rotation to the moving frog exercise. Internal and external rotation of the hips is crucial for proper hip alignment and movement mechanics; being able to draw your knee closer to your midline and away from it, for example.
Don't worry about lifting your foot super high into the air; just focus on keeping your inner knee grounded as you lift your heel, even if it's just inches off the mat. I demonstrate the exercise myself below, too.
If you're ready to give them a try, focus on each one for 60 seconds and three rounds. I love to add a loop band above my knees for extra resistance, but this is an optional extra.
Try to avoid forcing your hips into any position and move to your end range carefully. This will help you avoid injury and pain while moving into a deeper stretch with every repetition. If your muscles and joints feel tight to begin with, bear with it. Often, it takes at least 30 seconds for your muscles to relax into a stretch, which is when things begin opening up.
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