Hip Mobility Exercises: 3 Strategies For CrossFitters
Hip mobility is crucial in CrossFit and is necessary for many fundamental movements in any workout.
From deep squats to Olympic lifts, I have seen how important the hips are in power generation, stability, and overall performance as a Physical Therapist and CrossFit coach.
Restricted hip range of motion often leads to compensations, increasing the risk of injury and hip pain and limiting your potential for increased performance.
Also, poor hip mobility may cause excessive strain on the lower back and knees, potentially leading to knee and lower back pain.
Lastly, you are more likely to suffer “no-reps” in training and competition without adequate hip mobility.
Thus, addressing hip mobility limitations is essential for you as a CrossFit athlete, and today, I will show you how to do so.
This article will explore the three strategies I use to develop hip mobility exercises for my athletes’ mobility training.
These exercises effectively help them move better and enhance their athletic performance.
Understanding Hip Mobility For CrossFit Athletes
What Is “Good” Hip Mobility?
Good Hip joint mobility refers to the ability of your hip joint to move freely through its full range of motion.
Without a full range of motion, your training will suffer, but you may also find it difficult to efficiently complete simple daily activities.
This involves movement in three planes:
- Sagittal plane: Flexion and extension
- Frontal plane: Abduction and adduction
- Transverse plane: Internal and external rotation
Key CrossFit Movements Requiring Good Hip Mobility
- Deep squats (front, back, overhead)
- Olympic lifts (snatch, clean and jerk)
- Box jumps (high)
- Pistol squats
- Burpees
- Wall balls
Common Issues Caused by Limited Hip Mobility
The following are common negative side effects of having tight hips.
Reduced Squat Depth and Compromised Form
Limited hip mobility often manifests in shallow squats and poor positioning.
You might struggle to break parallel or maintain an upright torso, leading to inefficient movement patterns.
This reduces the effectiveness of squatting exercises and hinders progress in more complex movements that build upon the squat.
Decreased Power Output in Olympic Lifts
Olympic lifts require an explosive hip extension to generate maximum power.
Restricted hip mobility in the front of your hip, specifically tight hip flexors, can significantly impair your ability to fully extend your hips.
Particularly during the final pull during cleans and snatches.
The hip flexor muscles attach to the front of the femur and the spine, effectively crossing the hip.
When restricted, they act as a locking mechanism and reduce how much the hip can open and utilize the power from glute muscle groups.
Resulting in reduced bar speed and overall power output, limiting the weights you can successfully lift.
Increased Risk of Lower Back and Knee Injuries
When hip mobility is compromised, the body often compensates by placing additional stress on neighboring joints.
For example, if your right hip cannot flex and rotate, the right knee may be called upon to move more than it was designed to do as a stable joint.
This mismatch in mobility demands manifests as excessive lumbar (low back) flexion or knee valgus (knee caving) during squatting, lunging, and hinging movements.
Over time, these compensations can lead to chronic pain, overuse injuries, and potentially more severe acute injuries in the lower back and knees.
Inefficient Running Mechanics
Proper hip extension is also crucial for efficient running form.
Limited hip mobility caused by tight anterior hip muscles can result in a shortened stride length, reduced knee drive, and inefficient running mechanics in the lower body.
This not only slows you down but also increases energy expenditure, leading to faster fatigue during running-intensive WODs or endurance events.
3 Strategies For Improving Your Hip Mobility
Now that you know why you need great hip mobility, here are the three best strategies to improve it.
Traditional Mobilizations
Stretching & Joint Mobilizations
Traditional mobility work is a great way to optimize your movement to improve hip flexibility and mobility.
These techniques involve bringing the soft tissues to their end range in various positions and sustaining a hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
The mechanism behind this strategy is simple but effective.
By holding these hip stretches for sustained periods, you’re decreasing hip stiffness by lowering your tissues’ and nervous system’s resistance to stretch via long periods of time at the end of their range.
Tempo Strength Training
Tempo strength training involves intentionally manipulating the speeds to which you perform exercises to turn traditional hip-strengthening exercises into some of the best hip mobility exercises you can do.
Pauses In Squat, Lunge, and Hinge Positions
Tempo strength training offers another powerful tool for enhancing your hip mobility outside of traditional hip mobility drills.
One effective technique is to incorporate pauses in the most lengthened positions of squats, lunges, and hinges.
Doing so will allow the load of the dumbbell or barbell to mobilize your joints and soft tissues as you perform the movements.
The mechanism at work here is twofold.
First, you’re creating strength in your most vulnerable positions.
Second, you’re loading tissues at their end range.
This combination can significantly improve your hip mobility and overall strength simultaneously.
Eccentric Strength Training
Another aspect of tempo strength training involves eccentric movements.
Here, you’ll intentionally slow down the descent of your movement to a speed that’s slower than the ascent.
This technique works by increasing the number of sarcomeres in series within your muscles.
As a result, this also allows for greater muscle lengthening and strength development.
Stretch Contract Methods
PAIL/RAIL Training
The final strategy is Progressive Angular Isometric Loading (PAIL) and Regressive Angular Isometric Loading (RAIL) training.
This method involves a specific sequence of stretching and contracting.
You’ll start with a 2-minute stretch do decrease muscle tightness, followed by several intervals of 10-20 second maximal contractions of the target muscle.
After this, you’ll perform 10-20 second maximal contractions of the opposite muscle.
5-8 reps is sufficient for each.
For example, if you aimed to stretch the adductor muscles along the inner thighs, you would hold an adductor sit-back stretch for two minutes.
Then, you would contract the adductor against an immovable surface, such as the floor, followed by a contraction of the opposite group of muscles. In this case, the gluteal muscles.
The mechanism behind this technique is also focused on promoting strength at end ranges of motion.
By doing so, you’re teaching your nervous system that it’s safe to operate within these expanded ranges.
This can lead to mobility improvements that last over time versus a range of motion improvements via stretching, which can be a fleeting outcome.
Which One Should You Use?
Now that you know how to increase hip mobility, which one should you use?
Understanding Your Limitations
Before deciding on a strategy, it’s crucial to understand whether you’re dealing with true mobility restrictions or stability/motor control deficits.
Both are common with a sedentary lifestyle but can even be present in those who train regularly but don’t prioritize having a good level of mobility.
Mobility Restrictions
Mobility restrictions occur when your stiff joints or soft tissues physically limit your range of motion.
If you’re unable to achieve certain positions even when relaxed or assisted, you likely have a mobility deficit.
Stability/Motor Control Deficits
On the other hand, stability or motor control deficits manifest when you can passively achieve a range of motion but struggle to control or maintain that position actively.
This often indicates a lack of strength or neuromuscular coordination within that range.
For Mobility Deficits
If you’ve identified that your limitations stem from mobility restrictions, you should focus on techniques that directly address tissue extensibility and joint range.
Recommended Strategies:
- Stretching and mobilizations
- PAILs/RAILs
These methods work to increase your physical capacity for movement by targeting the soft tissues and nervous system’s tolerance for stretch.
For Stability/Motor Control Deficits
When your limitations are primarily due to stability or motor control issues, your focus should be building strength and control within your available range of motion.
Recommended Strategies:
- Tempo strength training
- PAILs/RAILs
These approaches help you develop strength and neuromuscular control at end ranges, improving your ability to actively use and maintain positions that you can already achieve passively.
The Versatility of PAILs/RAILs
You’ll notice that PAILs/RAILs appear in both categories.
This method is particularly versatile because it addresses both mobility and stability simultaneously.
By incorporating active contractions at end ranges, you’re not only improving tissue extensibility but also building strength and motor control in these positions.
Assessing Your Hip Mobility To Start
Before you start any hip mobility program, it’s crucial to assess your current ability.
Here are five key assessments used in my 1:1 Pain-Free Performance Program and Movement Screens:
Lumbopelvic Flexion
This test evaluates your ability to flex your lower back and hips while maintaining a neutral spine.
It helps identify restrictions in your posterior chain and lumbar mobility.
Looking for hands to touch the ground.
Overhead Squat
The overhead squat assessment examines multiple joints and movement patterns simultaneously.
For hip mobility, it specifically reveals hip flexion, external rotation, and abduction limitations.
Looking for full squat depth without compensation.
Inline Lunge
This test challenges your hip mobility in a split stance position.
It assesses hip flexion in the front leg, extension in the back leg, and overall stability and control.
Looking for control throughout the movement and the back knee to touch the ground.
Active Straight Leg Raise
The active straight leg raise tests your ability to actively lift your leg while keeping the other leg and pelvis stable.
It provides insights into your hip flexion mobility and core stability.
Looking for the leg to pass the mid-thigh with the opposite leg fully extended.
FABER Test
FABER (Flexion, Abduction, External Rotation) evaluates the mobility of your hip joint in multiple planes.
It’s particularly useful for identifying restrictions in hip external rotation and abduction.
Looking for the testing knee to be at or below the level of the opposite leg.
Final Thoughts On Improving Hip Mobility
Enhancing your hip mobility through traditional mobilizations, tempo strength training, and stretch-contract methods can significantly improve your CrossFit performance.
By prioritizing hip mobility, you’ll improve the quality of your movement, reduce injury risk, and improve your overall capacity.
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