I talk a LOT about hip extension.

ie butts.

But(t) what about hip flexion?

Well, it’s SUPER important too.

Don’t We Get Enough Hip Flexion Already?

Yes and No.

Yes, we do live in a flexion heavy “culture”.

But(t) if you really think about it, there isn’t a ton of true hip flexion that occurs.

It’s usually FAKE hip flexion.

What’s Fake Hip Flexion Look Like?

Lumbar Flexion + Anterior Pelvic Tilt

and usually combined with excessive knee flexion.

It’s not uncommon for someone to actually LACK hip flexion and substitute a rounding of the low back  (bringing the belt buckle/ pelvis to the chin) instead of hip flexion.

the shot on the left is “fake” hip flexion.

See how the femur reaches forward and brings the hip/ low back with it rounding the lower back?

Where as the shot on the right the femur reaches forward and the crease between the femur and pelvis closes down while the pelvis stays in the same place/ plane. <—that’s hip flexion. 

Wait, What the Hell is Hip Flexion Anyway?

Hip Flexion is a “closing” of the angle where the hip meets the femur. ie bringing the knee to the chest <—without moving the low back or chest.

Only flexing at the “bikini line”.

Why is Hip Flexion Important?

The general reason is we don’t want to feed movement compensation patterns and lacking a basic flexion extension strategy AT THE HIP JOINT is probably going to have some up stream and down stream effects on the rest of your body.

Especially considering you walk, climb stairs, lift weights, jog, ride bikes, play sports etc.

You know, things that require a STABLE lumbar spine/ pelvis and freedom of movement at the hip joint (femur in the hip).

If you’re compensating through the low back/ pelvis (rounding the low back)  every time you bring the knee up or hinge into the hips you’re probably robbing yourself of health and performance.

Miniband Hip Flexion

Checklist:

• Chest up, NEVER collapse the chest. LOCK it in place.
• Maintain a slight/ natural arch in the low back. If the low back touches the floor you either have no ass and need to fix that or you’ve lost your pelvic position. That belt buckle should point directly at the ceiling through the whole movement.
•  Mini band goes around the feet/ toes. Mostly just make sure it goes in a place where it’ll stay on during the exercise.
• Squeeze the quad of the “down” leg HARD the whole time, DO NOT RELAX.
• Drive the heel of the down leg into the floor with the glute <—–Hip extension, think “drive the whole leg down”.
• At the top of the movement the hip and knee should be at or as close to 90 degree angles as possible.
• The heel should be in the same plane as the knee.

Bro Tips:

• If you have a hard time rounding the chest down think “arch up” while flexing the hip.
• Try not to allow the band/ hip to completely unload at the bottom, this will limit the total range of motion some, it’s fine.
• It’s better to go with a lighter band, have a smoother movement and get better range of motion than a heavier band and shorten the range.
• If you have a deep hip socket your hip flexion will be limited. If that’s the case get what you can. But in all cases DO NOT FORCE FLEXION. <—PRECISION above all. 
  • the end range of motion is the end range.
  • that said, using too much weight and cutting the range of motion in half pretty much negates the effectiveness of the exercise.
• Don’t allow the hip/ femur to internally rotate. Keep everything lined up or have a very slight external rotation of the femur.

The Great and Mighty Psoas

One of the great strengths of this exercise is that it activates and can strengthen the psoas.

Many people have or develop this low back rounding/ lack of real hip flexion compensation due to, or resulting in, a tight and usually weak psoas.

Getting the psoas active and strong with miniband hip flexion can help alleviate everything from anterior hip to low back pain.

When it comes to minibands, I’m partial to the Perform Better ones, you can get them on Perform Better or Amazon, here. Mini Bands

If you’re new to these, go with yellow or green.