Advanced Hip Stretches That Will Save Your Back

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA0w_v08Bpc&t=12s

Bob: When you bend over to lift something, you don't want any movement coming from your back. You want it all coming from your hips. So, I don't want you to round the back, I want you to keep the back straight.

Brad: Wow! Shall I demonstrate on a real person? So, he's saying if you round your back over to flex forward it puts a lot of stress going through that spine. But if we keep straight and use the legs and the hips to bend and lift, it is better on your back.

Bob: The back stays straight. And we're going to show you the stretches that allow your hips to do that.

Brad: Very critical.

Bob: All right, the first stretch we're going to show you is the rectus femoris. The rectus femoris does go up to the pelvis and if it's tight, it could pull your pelvis over. So this is the couch stretch, where you actually put your leg up on a couch, and it's a very aggressive stretch.

Brad: Yes, it is. You wouldn't want to do it on a chair like this, it's kind of hard. It kind of hurts your foot, doesn't it? Bob's tougher than nails. But yeah, on a nice soft couch, it works well, and carpeted floor.

Bob: Brad will show it on the bed now.

Brad: Now you can do this same muscle and same hip stretch, lying on your side, or prone, on your stomach in bed, or on a carpeted floor. So I'll do the side-lying one first, I'm going to show you how to do it with a stretch strap or without. You don't have to have a strap if you can comfortably grab your foot. You grab the top of your foot, and you're going to pull up and back. Now, just bending your knee doesn't do it, you must flex the knee, or bend it, and then bring the knee back.

Bob: Right, pull the hip back.

Brad: Now I can feel that rectus femoris. From the knee, all the way up to the hip, stretching. If you have a strap or a belt, then make a loop, that could be easier.

Bob: It's a lot easier.

Brad: I've got better leverage, I'm more comfortable. And you're going to stretch, hold and relax. If you want to do a long 15 to 30-second stretch, you can, but that's kind of difficult.

Bob: Then you can flip right on your stomach if you want to do it in this fashion.

Brad: If you don't have a belt, and you can comfortably, grab back for your foot, and then you stretch.

Brad: This is easier with a belt or a strap. If you have one of these straps, it's nice, you don't have to grab your foot.

Bob: There's a reason we call these advanced. It works well. All right, the next stretch we do is called the frog sit. I started this one about three months ago, and I could only go back a few inches. Now I can go all the way down. You get your legs apart, your feet apart and sit back. It's nice to see the gains.

Brad: Again, Bob is tougher than nails. He's got it without any cushion. If you want to put a pillow under your knees, or under your feet, and it feels better, that's fine. I'm going to use a cushion here, and my shoes on, because I'm kind of wimpy.

Bob: And you can see how his feet are apart.

Brad: Yep, and then sit down.

Bob: You do pretty well with that, Brad.

Brad: Ooh, yeah. But it's stretching, Bob. I feel it. Oh yeah. Wow. I'm feeling better now, Bob.

Bob: You look better, too. All right, the next one, Brad, is the pigeon pose. I'm already in that pose. It really stretches the hip flexor.

Brad: Yep, from the front angle, it looks like this.

Bob: Right, the front foot is turned out a bit.

Brad: I don't do this one but it's a good stretch on my hip. I've got some other ones I do. The idea is to stay upright, I'm assuming,

Bob: Yep. Let's go right into the next one. Let's do the 90/90 because it's easy just to sit down and put both legs out at a right angle. And now I try to twist and bring myself to the back leg.

Brad: I don't do this one, because it hurts my back. I'm not even going to try it.

Bob: Then reverse the 90/90. And then I can go into the pigeon pose.

Brad: Yeah, those two work together quite well.

Bob: All right, this next one is to help you squat deeper. So, you start off, and you can slide against the wall. You can go down as far as you can and eventually, you can actually add some weight.

Brad: Sure.

Bob: And you just sit here.

Brad: How long do you sit there?

Bob: As long as you can. Not very long.

Brad: I like that idea. At the beginning of the video, we talked about lifting properly and keeping a straight back. And that will keep your back straight. That'll help train you and strengthen you, too, so you do lift and squat properly.

Bob: And then you'll probably have to have someone help you stand up.

Brad: Well, hey, maybe just don't squat quite so long.

Bob: All right, that's it.

Brad: All right, very good. Keep those hips flexible, strong, and ready to roll.

Bob: And save your back.

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