As riders we spend a lot of time with our hips flexed, doing mini squats in the tack. Which means we are prone to chronically tight hip flexors.
Why is this a bad thing? Not only do the hips flexors (psoas major and rectus femoris) attach to the lower spine and front of the pelvis, they also affect how we move. If they are tight they are pulling the pelvis forward and the spine forward. Creating a mechanically deficient posture, and enabling compensations in our movmeents. Signs of this can be low back pain, hip pain, knee pain, and even foot pain.
So. A stretch for those beasts. In the “proposal” position as shown above, pushing the pelvis forward with the glute muscles until there is a stretch in the front of the hip and thigh. Then, rock in and out of that stretch.. Pushing farther into each time.
Do this for 3 sets of 10 pre and post ride for a lovely feeling of freedom in your hips. This will help improve your spine posture and make your ride much more bio mechanically friendly!
