The best hip stretch you aren’t doing

In last week’s safety squat bar video I mentioned poor hip mobility as a cause for the inability to maintain an upright chest when squatting. To improve an athlete’s squat, I need to address their hip INTERNAL rotation.

Why internal rotation?

External rotation of the hip is easy and hip internal rotation is a great predictor of overall hip health.

It is common for an athlete’s knees to cave in when they squat. An immediate fix is to cue hip external rotation, which is the correct thing to do. But why are the hips collapsing into internal rotation? The answer is likely that they already lack motion in that direction.

Hip internal rotation should be viewed the same as spinal flexion. You need a good amount of spinal flexion (touch your toes) to correctly perform a deadlift, but you don’t want to actually flex your spine when deadlifting.

Lack of internal rotation can be a main cause for the common hip pinching in the front of the hip when squatting.

How do I improve my hip internal rotation?

INSERT VIDEO

If you’re experiencing hip pinching in this stretch, or when squatting, I encourage you to get your hips looked at by a professional to make sure there isn’t anything intrinsically wrong. Unfortunately lacrosse balls/bands + YouTube aren’t the new doctor!