Out of the entire anatomy of the lower body, one of the most important muscle areas, but also one of the most forgotten, is our hip flexors. Hip flexors play a huge part in dance and having strong hip flexors gives us access to higher kicks, better leaps, excellent developpes, and the list goes on! So, today we will be sharing with you some of our favorite exercises that directly target our hip flexors and make for very fast results. Let’s do it!
1. Sumo Squat
Squats are to the lower body as peanut butter is to jelly. The two just work hand in hand! Though they make you “feel the burn”, squats are extremely versatile because they come in so many variations. It’s like there’s a squat for any part of your lower body that you would want to target, and Sumo Squats are the perfect variation to get those hip flexors. When executing a Sumo Squat, be sure to place your feet about shoulder width apart as opposed to the standard hip width stance used in a traditional squat. This is what gives this exercise a direct shot to your hips. Add about 2 reps of 10-15 of these bad boys to your workout and watch your progress flourish!
2. Lily Pad
The Lily Pad is one of my favorite hip flexor exercises because it isolates your hip flexors to the point that no other your body is being targeted at all! Sit with one leg bent in front of you and the other leg bent behind you, almost like you’re in a jazz split. From there, place both of your hands on the knee of the leg in front of you and shift your weight forward. Once you are in this position, see if you can pulse your back leg up and down for 8 to 10 counts. Rest and repeat to the other side. This exercise may take a bit of practice, but the results are INSANE and will totally be worth it.
3. Side Leg Lifts
You may have seen this move in every 1980s aerobics tape known to man, and though this move is parodied quite a lot, it’s the real MVP! Lay on your side with your body in a straight line with your legs stacked on top of each other. From there, slightly bend the leg that is underneath you, while keeping the leg that is on top straight. Finally, lift the top leg up and down at a mid tempo pace for 10-15 reps. Rest and repeat on the other side!
4. Single Leg Hip Bridges
A twist on a lower body classic, the Single Leg Hip Bridges are the last exercise on today’s list! To execute this move, simply lie down on your back and go about this exercise as you would regular Hip Bridges. However, instead of keeping both feet on the ground, you’ll bring one leg straight out in front of you and raise your hips up and down. While classic Hip Bridges are an excellent lower body move already, adding this extra bit of resistance is what will really target your hip flexors and make them nice and strong! Do about 10 reps of these on each leg and you are good to go!
As always, I hope you found all of the help that you may have been looking for in today’s post! Be sure to warm up before executing these moves, as well as cool down after your workout is finished. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and remember…
Keep dancing!
Lexi
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