Troublesome tight hip flexors

Training
21

I’ve vetted this video with my Ph.D PT friend and he strongly approved and supports it for general back strengthening:

I’m also currently laid up with a similar issue; extremely tight lower back and working hard to stretch and open my back and hips.

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22

Lots of good advice but I will just strongly advocate for stretching the front and strengthening the back. All the stretching likely won’t counteract the cycling efforts and sitting all day. You must strengthen the opposing side.

I do:
Clamshells with perform better bands
Hamstring curls with my feet on an exercise ball and usually with a perform better band
RDLs (both legs… one leg causes piriformis pain for me)
Good mornings
Donkey kicks
Bridges
Hamstring curls using a machine or laying on my stomach with a heavy dumbbell between my feet or standing with an exercise band

Then I do clock squats (these are shallow), step downs from about 4 inches (also shallow squats)…

I foam roll the front and sometimes stretch - couch stretch, quad stretch… but this does do much for me.

This is a standard physical therapy protocol basically for knee and front of hip issues.

Also I now avoid sweet spot intervals and do more polarized since SS exacerbated my issues.

23

I’ve been here and somewhat still am. I did all the things: yoga, dry needling, bike fit, couch stretch, all of Kelly Starrett’s protocols, saw a PT multiple times. All of these taken together got me most of the way there.

I recently got a rocker plate and using it seems to piss off the flexors less than not using it. Might be worth looking in to. (I got the rockr pod lite)

edit: a higher saddle height and shorter cranks also did wonders for me.

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24

I’ve struggled with tight hip flexors for as long as I can remember. My desk job certainly doesn’t help. Yoga, core work, etc are in my routine to combat this.

A few months ago I picked up a walking pad (treadmill) for my standing desk. Walking a few miles throughout the day has been the single biggest difference maker in my mobility in general. Highly recommend if you find yourself strapped to a desk for the better part of your waking hours.

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