Perfect Running: Tight Hips, by Find Your Stride on YouTube. 11 min 24 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 24 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Before you run, check your posture. Stand tall, tuck your ribs down and gently tilt your pelvis so your lower back is not arched. This sets you up for glute activation.
Test how well each side of your pelvis rotates. Compare left and right and note which side feels stuck or moves less freely. It takes about 10 seconds.
Look at your daily sitting habits. Long hours in a chair keep hip flexors short, so stand up and walk for a minute every 30 to 45 minutes.
Do the modified hip flexor stretch. Kneel on one knee, tuck your pelvis under, squeeze the glute of the back leg and shift forward slightly. Hold 30 seconds per side.
Check whether your deep hip flexor, the psoas, is switched on. Lie on your back, lift one knee at a time and see which side struggles or shakes.
Do the daily hip flexion drill. Lie on your back, pull one knee toward your chest, hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly. Do 2 sets of 8 to 10 per side.
Finish with glute activation before every run. Do glute bridges, 2 sets of 10, squeezing your glutes at the top for 2 seconds, then head out.
Tips and common mistakes
Tightness is often a weakness problem, so pair stretching with strengthening instead of stretching only.
Keep every stretch gentle. Stop if you feel sharp pain or pins and needles down the leg.
Do the test and the glute drills before your run, when your hips are fresh, not after a long effort.
If hip or lower back pain lasts more than two weeks, get it checked by a physio.
Questions
How often should I do these drills?
Do the strength drill daily and the glute activation before every run. Once or twice a day is enough for the stretch.
Should I stretch before or after running?
Do the mobility test and glute activation before you run, and save the longer hip flexor stretch for afterwards.
Why do my hips still feel tight when I stretch a lot?
Because the tightness often comes from weak, switched off glutes and a lazy psoas. The hip flexors overwork to make up for it.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
