Goal: Touch your toes
Touching your toes when your hips feel stiff
Dr Nicola Tik
You notice it getting out of the car, or when you bend to tie your shoelaces. Your hips feel stiff, and folding forward can feel blocked or pinchy at the front. Your hips play a big part in how far you can reach, so working with them gently can help your toe touch along.
When you fold forward, your hips are meant to bend first, with your back following. If your hips feel stiff, your back often ends up doing more of the work, and your reach can stop short.
The muscles around your hips, including your bottom muscles and hamstrings, all affect how freely your hips bend. Gently building movement here can make reaching down feel smoother.
A pinching feeling at the front of the hip when you fold forward is common. Small changes to how you stand can give your hip more room. You could try:
If one hip feels stiffer than the other, that’s common too. You could spend a little more time on the stiffer side.
Practising the hip hinge can help your hips get used to bending. Push your hips back as you fold, as if closing a drawer with your bottom, and keep a soft bend in your knees. Doing this in everyday moments, like reaching into a low cupboard, can help it feel natural.
Exercise is commonly recommended for long-standing hip pain, and moving the hip regularly through a comfortable range can help it feel less stiff. About 10 minutes a week for each area is enough to see changes in flexibility.
Strength through the hips and legs helps too. Your goal videos include strength moves alongside stretches, with supported options for days your hips feel stiffer.
Try your forward fold with your feet slightly wider and toes turned out, and notice if the front of your hip feels easier.