What do crawling, walking and climbing all have in common? The hips. The hips are a highly important area of the body that connect the lower limbs to the trunk. Having strong and mobile hips are essential for fireground tasks such as manoeuvring tight spaces, climbing ladders, and balancing on uneven surfaces.
It is important to take the time to both strengthen and stretch the muscles of the hips. In fact, adding hip exercises to your routine can even improve symptoms of low-back pain.
Given that no equipment is required, consider implementing these proactive yoga poses into your routine.
Pose: Lunge
Purpose: Strengthen muscles of lower body, improve hip mobility
Primary Muscles:
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Gluteus Maximus
- Hip Abductors
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-distance apart
- Step one foot forwards
- Bend your front knee until it reaches a 90-degree angle
- Lengthen your back leg
- Option: Reach arms overhead
- Hold for 30 seconds
Pose: Figure 4
Purpose: Stretch and relieve tension of outer hip muscles
Primary Muscles:
- Piriformis
- Gluteus Medius
How to:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent
- Place your feet flat on the floor
- Cross one ankle over your opposite knee
- Flex your top foot
- Hold for 30 seconds
Pose: Childs Pose
Purpose: Stretch for lower back, hips, thighs and ankles
Primary Muscles:
- Gluteal Muscles
- Hip Flexors
- Erector Muscles
How to:
- Start in a four-point kneeling position
- Widen your knees to hip-width apart
- Sink your hips back towards your heels
- Reach your arms out in front of you
- Hold for 30 seconds
Hannah Flahr is a yoga teacher and clinical exercise physiologist with a master’s degree in Workplace Health Promotion. She is also the founder ofRegulate the Responder, which normalizes preventative health initiatives in the fire service.
