Strengthen Hip Flexors At Home With These 8 Exercises

Hello! In this article, I’ll show you 8 exercises you can use to strengthen your hip flexor muscles, all without using any exercise equipment – you can do these exercises at home, in the gym, or wherever you prefer.

What Are Hip Flexor Muscles, Exactly?

The most popular hip flexor is the iliopsoas, a muscle consisting of 2 muscles – the iliacus and psoas. The psoas muscle is the only muscle that originates from the lumbar spine and attaches to the femur bone.

This makes this muscle very important for maintaining the health of the lower back.

In addition to the iliopsoas, hip flexor muscles include: rectus femoris, sartorius, pectineus.

Their function is to flex the hip joint, with the iliopsoas being the main hip flexor during hip flexion greater than 90 degrees.

Hip Flexors Strengthening Exercises At Home

This video demonstrates all the exercises in this program. Below, you can read how to perform each of these exercises correctly.

Supine Leg Raise

Lie on your back and place your hands on the floor beside your body. Lift one leg upwards and tighten the muscles on the front of your thigh.

Tip: Bend your ankle towards your body to activate the muscles in your thigh more easily.

Repeat this movement 3×10 times.

Half-Supine Leg Raise

Assume a semi-supine position on your back by placing your palms on the floor behind your body.

From this position, lift one leg upwards and slowly lower it back to the floor.

Repeat this exercise 3×10 times.

Seated Leg Lifts

Sit on the floor with your legs fully extended. Cross your arms and lift one leg off the floor.

Try not to bend your lower back and hold your leg in the air for a few seconds. Repeat this exercise 3×10 times.

Seated Leg Circles

Sit on the floor with your legs fully extended. Cross your arms and lift one leg off the floor. In the air, make small circles with one leg ten times.

Tip: If you experience muscle cramps in your thighs, reduce the number of repetitions or include this exercise after a few days of hip flexor training.

Standing Hip Flexion

From a standing position on one leg, lift the other leg upwards so that you bend your hip to 90 degrees.

Do not bend your back and lift and lower your leg at a slow pace. Repeat this movement 3×10 times

Standing Hip Flexion (Over 90 Degrees)

From a standing position on one leg, lift the other leg upwards so that you bend your hip to 90 degrees.

Then, lift your knee upwards so that the knee is above hip level. Repeat this movement 3×10 times.

This exercise is excellent for strengthening the iliopsoas muscles.

Standing Hip Flexion (Hold)

From a standing position on one leg, lift the other leg upwards so that you bend your hip to 90 degrees.

Press down on your knee with both hands while resisting with your hip flexors. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

Standing Hip Flexion (Different Angles)

From a standing position on one leg, lift the leg with the bent knee upwards and slowly return to the starting position.

Then, rotate your hip slightly outward and during the knee lift, perform a slight abduction of the hip. In the next repetition, add even more rotation and abduction to the hip.

Repeat this exercise in all directions, from a neutral position to a fully abducted hip.

How Often Should You Train Hip Flexors At Home

There’s no exact answer to this question. You can do these exercises three times a week at the beginning, especially if you don’t go to the gym and want to strengthen these muscles for better functionality during activities like running, etc.

On the other hand, if you train at the gym, you can do these exercises once a week if you feel you’re not targeting them enough with your gym exercises (unfortunately, most people tend to avoid these exercises).

Good luck!

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