Every time you complete a pedal stroke, your hips extend to drive the foot down to start the revolution and flex to pull the foot up and complete it. That means the hips play a pretty crucial role in every single turn of the pedal—and you need them strong and mobile to hit a full range of motion, and keep your pedal stroke smooth and powerful.
Hip mobility involves the hip flexors, which run along the front of your hips, and allow you to draw your knee up. One of your hip flexor muscles, the rectus femoris, is a quadriceps muscles—meaning that your hip flexor strength is very much connected to your quad strength. Mobility of the hips also involves the hip extensors, which includes the glutes and hamstrings.
To strengthen all of these muscles—and increase strength through a full range of motion—Amber Rees, Barry’s Bootcamp instructor and Brave Body Project cofounder, put together this hip mobility workout that you can do in the comfort of your living room, basement, backyard, or anywhere else you can easily work out.
How to use this list: Complete the following 5 exercises in the order listed below for 1 minute each on the right leg/side. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat the entire circuit on the left leg/side. That’s 1 round. Complete 2 to 3 rounds.
Rees demonstrates the moves in the video below so you can learn strong form. You don’t need any equipment for this workout, but an exercise mat is optional.
1. Sumo Squat With Lunge Rotation
- Stand with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, toes turned out about 45 degrees, and hands clasped in front of chest. This is the starting position.
- Send hips back and down to lower into a squat position.
- Straighten legs to return to standing, keeping chest lifted and without rounding the back.
- As you come up, rotate body to the left and perform one lunge, bending both knees 90 degrees.
- Return to starting position. That’s 1 rep.
- Repeat.
2. Lateral Lunge to Lateral Leg Lift
- Stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Take a big step to the right, send hips back, and bend right knee to lower into a lateral lunge.
- Drive through foot to stand back up, returning feet to hip-width apart.
- Perform two lateral leg lifts by lifting right leg up and out to the side, foot flexed. Try to keep hips level and stable. That’s 1 rep.
- Repeat.
3. Single-Leg Deadlift to March
- Stand with feet slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart and shift weight onto right leg.
- Come to a single-leg stance by elevating the left knee to form a 90-degree angle.
- Hold this position until you achieve balance, hinge at hips and kick left leg back as if pressing the heel into the wall behind you. Squeeze glutes. Allow upper body to fall forward, parallel to the ground, so that body forms a “T.”
- Drive through right foot to stand back up, left knee driving forward and bending back to a 90-degree angle in line with hip. That’s 1 rep.
- Repeat.
4. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
- Lie faceup, knees bent, feet planted, arms down by sides on the floor.
- Lift left leg up toward the ceiling, so that both knees are aligned.
- Engage glutes as you lift hips up, driving through right heel.
- Lower back to the floor. That’s 1 rep.
- Repeat.
5. Lying Lateral Leg Lift With Pulse
- Lie on right side with right leg bent underneath you and left leg extended straight out.
- Place left hand on hip and right forearm on ground, elbow under shoulder, to stabilize yourself.
- Lift left leg up off ground, pulse three times, then lower.
- That’s 1 rep.
- Repeat.
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