4 Hip-Opening Exercises To Reduce Low-Back Pain
Use these TRX moves to reduce back pain and open up your hips.
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What do runners and those bound to a desk have in common? Tight hips.
Your hip flexors are an important muscle group to keep your lower body stable and safe during activity. If they are tight or out of whack, then other body parts down the kinetic chain start to suffer.
One of the biggest complaints runners and those stuck in a swivel chair all day complain about is low-back pain. The constant sitting in a seated position or overusing muscles in a forward motion (a.k.a. running) may cause anterior pelvic tilt (tight/weak hips). This puts strain on the low back, causing a great deal of discomfort.
To ease that pain, the simple solution is to open up your tight hips. The following five TRX moves help open up your hip flexors while strengthening the surrounding muscles and improving posture.
Hip Hinge (Wide Stance): With TRX straps at mid-length, stand facing the anchor point. Extend arms and legs wider than shoulder-width apart. Press down on handles, hinge forward from the hips, keeping your back straight. Press on handles and return to standing position with tall torso.
Lateral Lunge: With TRX straps at mid-length, stand facing the anchor point. Stand tall, shoulders over hips, with feet in a wide stance. Shift weight to one side, bending that leg while keeping opposite leg straight. Keeping the weight in the heel of bent leg, shift your hips back. Make sure the bent knee stays over the ankle and the opposite leg remains straight. Drive through the heel of the bent leg and switch sides.
Chest Stretch With Hip Flexor Stretch: With TRX straps at mid-length, stand facing away from anchor. Extend arms straight in front of chest, feet hip width apart. Take a giant step forward and lower back knee to two inches above the ground. With shoulders over your hips, extend arms in a T position (or airplane), then rotate arms away from grounded knee. Return to start position, switch legs.
Overhead Back Extension: With TRX straps at mid-length, stand facing the anchor point. Extend arms overhead in an I position, palms forward, with tension on TRX suspension. Feet should be shoulder-width apart, with your weight on balls of your feet. Lower hips down and back, arms and legs straight, and tuck your chin.