Butt and Hip Stretches
~Increase Flexibility, Decrease Injury~

One of the major benefits of hip stretches is that it increases the range of motion in your hips.

Your hip muscles are used every single day, so getting in the habit of stretching your hips is highly beneficial to you.

The hips are designed for mobility but the hip muscles can get tighter as we get older, unless you stretch them frequently.

All these muscles control the movement of our hips. By incorporating hip stretches into your routine your helping to open your hips and prevent hip pain and any hip injury.

Don't bounce during these stretches, just hold the position. You're stretching to relax your muscles, not to contract them by bouncing.

Learn more about your Butt and Hip Muscles.

Stretches for the Hip and Butt:

Frog Stretch
Kneeling Lunge
Hip and Butt Stretch
Angled Straight Leg in Front
Single Straight Leg

Frog Stretch
Main Muscle Worked= Inner Thighs

Get down on your hands and knees.

Keep your hands in position and start to slide your knees outward.

Go as far as you can while it's still comfortable.

Hold for 15-20 seconds.

Repeat. As you become more flexible, you will be able to go down further and further.

Kneeling Lunge
Main Muscle Worked= Hip Flexors

Kneel down on one leg, making sure the front knee doesn't go past your toes.

Hold your shoulders up and back.

Place your hands on the floor for balance and keep your head up looking forward.

Keep your hips straight and flatten out the back knee.

Keeping your knees in position, gently lean your body forward and feel a nice stretch.

Hold this position for 20-30 seconds and remember not to bounce.

Repeat on other leg.

Hip Stretch
Main Muscle Worked= Outer Thighs

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Take your left leg and place your left ankle on top of your right thigh just above the knee.

Lift your right leg off the floor while keeping your left ankle on the right thigh.

Bring your right leg up and pull as close to the chest as possible, the closer to your chest, the more you'll feel the stretch.

Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side.

Angled Straight Leg in Front
Main Muscle Worked= Hip Extensors

Kneel down on one leg and put the other leg straight in front on the step (mat or pillows).

Shift your body back, leaving just your heel on the mat (point your toes).

Your back leg should be at a 90 degree angle while your hips are facing forward (not turned to the left or right).

Keeping the front leg straight, lean forward as far as possible trying to touch your hands to the step (mat or pillow).

Hold for at least 30 seconds.

Single Straight Leg
Main Muscle Worked= Hip Extensors

Lie on your back, legs straight (not locked) and pointed.

Keeping legs straight, raise one leg in the air.

Try to grab the elevated leg under the calf area, close to your ankle.

Hold this stretch for 20-30 seconds.

Strengthen Your Butt and Hips

The hips play a huge part in upper body support as well as lower body coordination. While hip stretches increase flexibility, your hips also need strength to support your bodyweight.

Having stronger hips also helps to protect your knees from injury.

Maintaining a strong, healthy butt making us look and feel better (especially for women). Since the butt muscles are the largest muscles in the body, and make up our posterior, the butt muscles help the rest of our bodies to work more efficiently.

If these muscles are weak, then other muscles are recruited to maintain certain movements. This will overwork the "other" muscles. If you want a "bigger butt" you need to work ALL these muscles by stretching and exercise.

So keep a strong butt, point blank!