Everyone and their mom these days is stretching the hip flexors. Did you know your hip flexors attach to the front side of your spine and are an important stabilizer? I’m not arguing that hip flexor stretching is wrong, in fact you should continue to do so to address the sitting and driving we do as a species. But let’s consider strength of the hip flexors in concert with the rest of the core muscles. Enter, the deadbug, bird dog, and side plank progressions. These exercises should be a staple in your prehab routine, as they are designed to help you build better motor control to allow your hips to work as hips without bringing your lower back into the equation. Keep your lower back pressed to the floor the entire time, no exceptions. If we allow the lower back to arch the hip flexors have won and you’ll always wonder why you can’t progress your hollow body or you struggle to link together toes to bar, pull-ups, and a wide variety of other movements. Quality of movement over quantity will pay off big time here.
Prescription: 2 days per week
Each minute on the minute x 9 minutes
Minute 1: dead bug x5 repetitions per side.