Hip strengthening exercises to try out

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy. PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES.COM. 

What you need to know:

  • If you are someone who spends most days sitting, you are likely familiar with that hip ache and tightness that comes along with it.
  • Strengthening the hip area is something that will not only make you feel better, but help you move better, too. 

Stronger hips are an integral part of one’s life and their condition reveals a lot about an individual’s health. Elijah Muhwezi, a fitness coach, says: “Hip tightness is a representation of one sitting for so long thus barely exercising them. This is synonymous with people engaged in desk jobs, or any other activity that calls for prolonged sitting hours, such as tailors, and tellers. Exercising will help you get rid of the tightness, while enabling you to sit for longer without pain.”

Irene Mujuni, a fitness trainer, says when a joint is not in proper working condition, it will stress the neighbouring joints. “In this case, it will stress the knee or lower back joints, which could alter how you walk and your posture, which, without timely intervention, could lead to injuries,” she says.

Hips are also crucial in movement, shouldering all stress from balancing your body, sitting and standing. “Therefore, strengthening them will help you perform daily tasks with ease,” Mujuni shares.Planning to start exercising those hips? Remember to always warm up. The warm up drills include:

Stretches
Start in a plank position with your palms on the floor right below your shoulders. Keep your body straight from head to heels. “Step the left foot forward and stretch your left hand. Then raise your left leg and put it behind your head while lowering the left elbow towards the floor.

Thereafter, raise the elbow towards the ceiling while rotating the torso to the left and hold the position for a few seconds. Then place the hand down and step the left leg back to plank position,” Mujuni shares. Do the same with the right side and keep alternating five times on either side.

Banded bridge
With a looped band around your thighs, above the knees, lie back with bent knees, and flat feet hip distance apart, on the floor yet a small distance in front of the glutes. “Keeping the knees in place, work the glutes and core as you raise your hips towards the ceiling by pushing through the heels. Lower the hips back slowly and repeat 15 times,” she adds.

Mujuni says the band helps with enforcing resistance, which ultimately fosters strengthening of the hips. She adds that after the warm up, one can engage in the following exercises:

Banded squat walks
Put a round band around your ankles, standing with feet at hip width. “Then push your hips down into a small squat before slightly stepping out with your left leg, no more than shoulder width apart. Thereafter, step out with your right leg to cover a hip-width distance. Without allowing your knees fall inwards, do this 10 times before switching to the left for another 10 reps,” Muhereza shares.

Banded donkey kicks
Put a round band around your thighs, somewhere above your knees then get on the floor with your hands directly below your shoulders and with knees under the hips and toes tucked. “Keeping your right knee bent at a right angle, back flat, foot flexed and with your weight evenly distributed on either sides, lift the left leg and kick towards the ceiling,” Muhwezi shares. Thereafter, lower the leg slowly and repeat the drill 10 times before alternating to the right leg.

Banded fire hydrant
Put a round band around your thighs, somewhere above your knees then get on the floor with your hands directly below your shoulders and knees under the hips and toes tucked. “Keeping your right knee bent at a right angle, back flat, foot flexed with your weight evenly distributed on either sides, lift the left leg out to the sides to reach hip height,” he says. Then lower the leg slowly and repeat the drill 10 times before alternating to the right leg.

Banded hamstring curl
Place a round band around your right ankle and sole of your left foot. “Lying flat on your stomach with hands beneath your forehead, legs stretched out backwards, keep the right foot steady then bend the left knee and raise the left foot towards the glutes,” Mujuni shares. Then lower the foot and repeat the drill for 10 times before repositioning the band and repeating with the other leg.

Front lunge
Stand with feet wider than shoulder width, left foot infront of the right with the heel raised above the ground. “Then bend the left knee past 90 degrees while the right knee is slightly bent. Push forwards with the left foot to straighten the left leg and return to standing position,” Muhwezi shares. Do this 10 times before moving to the right side.

Squat to reverse lunge
With feet wider than hip width, straight back, bend your knees to push the hips down and back into a squat. “Push back up to get in a standing position then step the left leg back into a reverse lunge with both knees bending in a right angle shape. Get back into standing position,” Mujuni shares. Then repeat the drill 10 times with each leg.

Working to keep your hips strong can help you maintain balance, keep you walking normally, and help maintain pain-free hips. 

Caution: Once the exercise becomes easy, you can move on to more advanced hip strengthening exercises. Discontinue if any significant discomfort is experienced, and remember to discuss starting any new exercise programme with your doctor first.
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