I firmly believe static stretching is often over-prescribed, an easy default recommendation for some fitness professionals who don’t dig deeper.
“Tight” hamstrings? Time to stretch them.
“Tight” hip flexors? Better stretch them too.
Bad hair day? You might be told to stretch.
Spoiler alert: this isn’t the right way to stretch your hip flexors.
THE “REAL” VS. “BS” HIP FLEXOR STRETCH
I don’t think static stretching is a complete waste of time, mind you. Sometimes, it can play a crucial role in helping people get out of pain and address various muscular imbalances or postural issues.
Side note: Most people don’t realize that what we call “stretching” isn’t always doing what we think it’s doing. To truly lengthen a muscle, you need to increase the number of sarcomeres in series. This takes a lot of time.
I know this may sound outdated, but it can take tens of minutes or more of holding a continuous stretch to noticeably increase a muscle’s length.
What most of us are doing when we stretch for 30 seconds is increasing our tolerance to the stretch.
And even if static stretching is deemed necessary, there’s one crucial detail that’s often overlooked: performing it correctly.
Take the hip flexors as an example. People love stretching their hip flexors.
The reality is you’ll rarely see it done right. Despite weeks, months, or even years of “stretching,” nothing may change. Many people will still point to the same area that feels “tight.”
I’m not the first to point this out: guys like Mike Reinold, Mike Robertson, Dr. Evan Osar, and Cobra Commander have been highlighting this for years.
Side note #2: I’m more inclined to add dedicated hip flexor strengthening exercises rather than stretching (but that’s a topic for another time).
So let’s take a look at how to properly stretch the hip flexors.
“REAL VS. “BS” HIP FLEXOR STRETCH
