By Mara Kimowitz

Insufficient hip mobility can lead to walking issues and injury.  You use your hip internal rotators to walk, run, squat, crouch, and crawl.  There is no one muscle that works to move your hips. Hip internal rotation activates muscles in your hip, buttocks, and thighs. These include:

  • the tensor fasciae latae (outer hip)
  • parts of the gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus (upper buttocks)
  • the adductor longus, brevis, and magnus (inner thigh)
  • the pectineus (upper frontal thigh)

Use the following stretch to loosen hip muscles and improve performance:

DOUBLE LEG PRETZEL TWIST

  1. Begin lying on your back with both knees bent and feet on the floor.
  2. Cross your right leg over your left leg.
  3. Let your legs fall to the left side of your body.
  4. Try to keep your right shoulder pressing into the floor during the twist.
  5. Adjust your arms so that your upper body is relaxed.
  6. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds.
  7. Repeat on the other side.

Repeat each side 3 times.

Mara Kimowitz is the founder and CEO of StretchSource® and can be reached at www.stretchsource.com