My hips are shit - Don't let poor Hip Mobility ruin your movement.

Jordan Devanney
Aug 20
2 min read

Man in cap and sunglasses reclines on a rocky cliff edge above green fields under a clear blue sky.

Improving Hip Mobility: A Personal Journey

I’ve got shit hip mobility.

There.

I said it.

Not exactly the sort of thing a strength coach normally advertises. But it affects my squat, it affects how I move, and generally makes my hips feel like they've been welded together.

Taking Action

So rather than complaining about it, I've done that crazy thing you know... actually started doing something about it.

Every day.

Nothing fancy.

About 5–8 minutes.

My Daily Routine

At the moment I'm using:

90/90 Hip Stretches: Hold each position for 30-45 seconds, focusing on glute contraction on the internal rotation.
Single-leg Internal Rotation Biased RDLs: 3 sets of 12 reps for each leg, performed slowly and controlled. The main thing I lack is internal rotation.
Skateboard Adductor Pulls: If you think your adductors are strong, they're probably not! This exercise is a sort of cossack movement with one leg on a skateboard, which really challenges the adductors.
Hip Flexor Stretches: 3 sets of 45 seconds for a basic stretch.

That's it. And already, my hips feel considerably less like two rusty door hinges. My squat feels better, and general movement feels better.

The Key Insight

I've noticed something that gets missed quite often with mobility work: you don't necessarily need more exercises. You probably need more frequency.

If something is a problem, work on it frequently. It sounds ridiculously obvious, but if your hips are stiff, doing 30 minutes of stretching once a week probably isn't going to magically transform them.