Body weight hip flexor exercises are ideal workout movements for beginners. The hip flexors are a small group of muscles that are best trained using only your body weight or light free weights, to reduce the risk of injury. Body weight movements do not require the presence of a spotter, making these exercises convenient tools for shaping up your hips. Consult a physician before starting a resistance training regimen.
Anatomy
Your hip flexors consist of a series of muscles spanning from your upper thighs to your hips. These muscles include the Lliopsoas, sartorius, rectus femoris, tensor fasciae latae and pectineus. You recruit your flexors when you flex your hips or twist your torso from side to side. Body weight hip exercises target your flexors by effectively mimicking either one of these movements.
Hanging Leg Raises
Hanging leg raises help develop your hip flexors and strengthen your lower abdominal muscles. The exercise involves pulling your knees into your chest while hanging from a pull-up bar. If new to this exercise, use ab straps to keep your body stable and better target your hip flexors. Ab straps are supporting nylon attachments that you place around your arms and the pull-up bar to reduce swinging or jerking. Keep your knees extended throughout the movement to increase the intensity of the exercise. Do four sets of 12 repetitions, resting for 60 seconds between sets.
Roman Chair Sit-Ups
Roman chair sit-ups target the Lliopsoas muscles within your hip flexors. The movement involves performing a crunch on a flat bench with your feet secured under a weighted barbell. Make sure your feet are propped securely against the barbell to avoid injury. You can also do these sit-ups on a Roman chair apparatus with padded supports to hold your feet in place. Do four sets of 12 repetitions each to tone your hip flexors. Rest for 60 seconds between sets.
Standard Procedure
Warm up with five minutes of light jogging to bring blood into your hip flexors, helping to optimize your workouts. Stretch for 10 minutes before and after your workouts to reduce the risk of injury and increase your flexibility. Train your hip flexors once a week to ensure adequate recovery time between workouts.
Member Comments