Tip Tight Hip Flexors Probably Not Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Tight Hip Flexors Probably Not There are three other likely problems Here they are by Lee Boyce August 24, 2020April 5, 2021 Tags It Hurts Fix It, Training You ve Got Tight Hip Flexors – Trainers Eh, probably not. Nine times out of ten, "tightness" is really the presentation of weakness elsewhere. For proper health, we need to pursue structural balance. That means muscles on either side of a load-bearing joint must be strong enough to bear their own cross, so to speak, in order to contribute to a properly functioning, healthy joint. Here's what's really happening: Gluteal Weakness This is a common cause of irregular pelvic function. Remember, the glutes are posterior tilters of the pelvis. Once they can contract strongly, they'll help reduce lower back arch and counter the hip flexors, which pull upward on the other side. In a nutshell, properly functioning glutes produce pelvic balance. Hip Anatomy Pelvic Structure You might not be able to squat deep without looking like an invalid trying to get off of the toilet because your hips just weren't built for deep squatting. Depending on the depth of your hip sockets, angle of your femoral neck, and placement of the hip sockets in the pelvis itself, your own skeleton may be "blocking" you from getting well below parallel for the squat. If this is the case, your hip flexors have nothing to do with the problem – regardless of whether they're "tight as a rope" or not. Weak Hips This sounds counterintuitive, but tight muscles can also be weak muscles. That's something that's underappreciated where the hips are concerned. For a good squat or split squat, the psoas muscles need to shorten eccentrically to help pull the hips down into a deep seated position. No strength, no dice. The next time someone tells you your ugly squat is due to tight hips, give him an upside tap to the head. Then do this exercise: Tennis Ball Glute Bridge This is the money fix for "tight hip flexors." It's surefire way to create or restore pelvic balance by going through a hip extension with engagement on both sides of the pelvis. Just jam a tennis ball or two into the crease between the top of your thigh and the bottom of your hip and keep it there throughout the movement. The psoas will have to work very hard to keep the tennis ball in place through end ranges and the glutes have to work just as hard on the planted leg to achieve full hip extension. If the hips aren't strong enough, the ball pops out of place. Conversely, if the glutes aren't strong enough, your body won't fully extend. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Prevent Knee Injuries With Proper Tracking For squats and lunges, pay attention to your pinky toe. Really. Here's why. It Hurts Fix It, Tips, Training Dr John Rusin April 29 Training The Squat 10 Damn Good Tips Squats aren't all that simple, but these recommendations are. Get under the bar and squat right with these tips. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Squat, Training T Nation May 14 Training 4 Gym Gadgets That Are Wasting Your Time Are you using any of these overhyped fitness gadgets? If so, should you be? Probably not. Metabolic Conditioning, Metcon, Opinion Dr John Rusin May 19 Training Tip Do This Exercise for Complete Core Strength Most people leave out this part of the ab training equation. Don't do that. Try this challenging exercise. Tips, Training Mike Robertson January 28