Addressing Hip Stiffness in Athletes with the Hinge
- jeannette432
- Jul 2
- 2 min read
I commonly hear from patients on evaluation that they have a persistent hip tightness that only gets mild relief from the regular hip stretches that they’ve googled, such as the classic figure 4 or pigeon poses, etc. Then when I watch them hinge, they’re usually doing a hybrid form of a hinge into a squat or only feel their hamstring and calf muscle as opposed to a true glute emphasis. Paired with an identified deficit in hip internal rotation, I quickly get them loading into the following exercise progression to relieve this tightness and improve the quality of their hinge patterns.
While kickstand RDLs are nothing extraordinary, the aspects that are novel to most of my patients are the emphasis on weight distribution as they descend and the added twist of the pelvis at the bottom of the hinge. The bend forward plus the drop of the opposing pocket downwards creates a significant weightbearing stretch to the posterior gluteal muscles otherwise not fully addressed by their prior stretching and exercise attempts.
I start my patients off with this variation, implementing some high volume sets of 15-20 repetitions, and you can load up by adding a dumbbell in opposite hand for a crossbody reach.
A few technique notes:
Your bodyweight weight stays through midfoot, while your rear foot is on tip toes
You can stand with your back close to a wall to force you to actually hinge instead of simply squatting down
Push your hip forward as you return to standing.
Ramp it up to emphasize the twist in the bottom position for a significant stretch into the glute. I personally prefer a cable machine but bands work well too!
Finish up this progression with hip airplanes to own the single limb position. Progress these with a kettlebell for extra resistance to those glute muscles, building to a challenging 5-8 repetitions.
Seeing some changes but still want a more individualized approach to your rehab? If you want to learn how to take control with some expert guidance and treatments to optimize your performance and longevity, then that’s exactly what we provide at Zenith Performance Physical Therapy. Call or text us at 562-502-1767 to schedule a free phone consultation and come in for an evaluation!
Thomas Bilodeau, PT DPT, USAW-L1
Zenith Performance Physical Therapy
ICE Certified Specialist: Orthopedics, Fitness Athlete, Older Adult
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