How to Do a 90/90 Hip Stretch

Warm up first., Sit on the floor., Put your legs at 90-degree angles., Slowly lower your chest to your leg., Use the 90/90 hip stretch as a static or dynamic stretch., Switch and do the other side.

6 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Warm up first.

    It is important to make sure that your muscles are warm before doing any type of stretching.

    You can do 90/90 stretches after a run or other cardio workout, or just take about 10 minutes to warm up with some form of cardio. , To start the 90/90 stretch, find a comfortable seat on the floor or other flat, relatively level surface.

    You may want to sit on an exercise mat or folded towel to cushion your sitting bones.Make sure your back is neutral and your shoulders aren't hunched.

    Roll your shoulders back so that your shoulder blades are tucked alongside your spine. , To do the 90/90 hip stretch, place one leg directly in front of you with the outer thigh and outer part of the shin resting on the floor, and bend your knee at a 90-degree angle.

    Your front thigh should be perpendicular to your body.

    Extend your other leg out to your side with the inner thigh of your back leg resting on the floor, and also bend the knee at a 90-degree angle.Experiment to find the best way to get into this position.

    It may be easier for you to place your trailing leg first, and then your front leg.

    Ideally, your legs should be perpendicular to each other.

    Rest your hands on the floor on either side of your front leg – one beside your knee and the other beside your foot. , To stretch and open your hips, hinge your torso forward, keeping your back flat and neutral and your shoulders squared toward the floor.

    Avoid hunching your shoulders or crunching your neck.If you can drop all the way to your elbows without pain, do so.

    However, you should only go as low as you can evenly and without pain.

    Your shoulders should be roughly parallel with the floor.

    Avoid leaning to one side or the other. , Once you've folded forward, you can stay in that position and breathe deeply through the stretch, or you can immediately raise up and then fold again.If you're doing the static stretch, hold the position for between 20 and 60 seconds, breathing deeply.

    For a more dynamic stretch, hinge forward and hold the stretch for three seconds, then raise up.

    Continue this movement for 10 repetitions.

    Be careful not to bounce down into and up out of the stretch because this can easily tear the muscles of your inner groin and pelvis or compress the sciatic nerve. , Whether you're doing the 90/90 hip stretch as a static or dynamic stretch, once you've finished on one side you need to do the other so your hips are stretched evenly.To switch sides, simply switch legs so that your front leg becomes your trailing leg and your trailing leg is in front of you.

    Try not to go any more deeply into the stretch on one side than you did on the other.

    You want to stretch your hips as evenly and consistently as possible.

    If one side is more open than the other, this could lead to injury.
  2. Step 2: Sit on the floor.

  3. Step 3: Put your legs at 90-degree angles.

  4. Step 4: Slowly lower your chest to your leg.

  5. Step 5: Use the 90/90 hip stretch as a static or dynamic stretch.

  6. Step 6: Switch and do the other side.

Detailed Guide

It is important to make sure that your muscles are warm before doing any type of stretching.

You can do 90/90 stretches after a run or other cardio workout, or just take about 10 minutes to warm up with some form of cardio. , To start the 90/90 stretch, find a comfortable seat on the floor or other flat, relatively level surface.

You may want to sit on an exercise mat or folded towel to cushion your sitting bones.Make sure your back is neutral and your shoulders aren't hunched.

Roll your shoulders back so that your shoulder blades are tucked alongside your spine. , To do the 90/90 hip stretch, place one leg directly in front of you with the outer thigh and outer part of the shin resting on the floor, and bend your knee at a 90-degree angle.

Your front thigh should be perpendicular to your body.

Extend your other leg out to your side with the inner thigh of your back leg resting on the floor, and also bend the knee at a 90-degree angle.Experiment to find the best way to get into this position.

It may be easier for you to place your trailing leg first, and then your front leg.

Ideally, your legs should be perpendicular to each other.

Rest your hands on the floor on either side of your front leg – one beside your knee and the other beside your foot. , To stretch and open your hips, hinge your torso forward, keeping your back flat and neutral and your shoulders squared toward the floor.

Avoid hunching your shoulders or crunching your neck.If you can drop all the way to your elbows without pain, do so.

However, you should only go as low as you can evenly and without pain.

Your shoulders should be roughly parallel with the floor.

Avoid leaning to one side or the other. , Once you've folded forward, you can stay in that position and breathe deeply through the stretch, or you can immediately raise up and then fold again.If you're doing the static stretch, hold the position for between 20 and 60 seconds, breathing deeply.

For a more dynamic stretch, hinge forward and hold the stretch for three seconds, then raise up.

Continue this movement for 10 repetitions.

Be careful not to bounce down into and up out of the stretch because this can easily tear the muscles of your inner groin and pelvis or compress the sciatic nerve. , Whether you're doing the 90/90 hip stretch as a static or dynamic stretch, once you've finished on one side you need to do the other so your hips are stretched evenly.To switch sides, simply switch legs so that your front leg becomes your trailing leg and your trailing leg is in front of you.

Try not to go any more deeply into the stretch on one side than you did on the other.

You want to stretch your hips as evenly and consistently as possible.

If one side is more open than the other, this could lead to injury.

About the Author

K

Kevin Kelly

Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.

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