Mobility expert shares the 3 exercises you need to strengthen your hips and reduce lower body tension with just a foam roller | Tom's Guide

You just need a foam roller

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Mobility coach Igor says you can strengthen your hip flexor muscles and protect your lower back with three exercises and a foam roller. But you won’t be rolling during these moves, instead, you’ll use your roller as a marker as you perform a range of motion around your hip joints.

I stumbled across Igor’s video on socials and immediately hit my exercise mat with one of the best foam rollers to try these mobility exercises out. The moves require an existing range of motion but don’t worry if you find them difficult, as you’ll improve with regular practice. After all, that’s the whole point of lower-body mobility exercises.

Below, I detail each move so that you can strengthen your hips from home with basic gym equipment. Here’s why I love them.

“Weak hip flexors could be the cause of your lower back pain. These 3 exercises are for you,” says Igor. The demonstrations are brief, so we’ve included a few steps for each below.

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Start seated and place a foam roller on its tallest setting in front of you. Keep a tall spine and proud chest and rest your hands close to your hips for support. Bend one knee and extend the other leg in front of you. Engage your core, lift the straight leg up and over the roller to the other side, tap your heel to the floor, then return to the other side.

Igor doesn’t give sets and reps, but I would aim for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps per leg. Try to avoid collapsing into your back or hunching your shoulders. This exercise is a great way to strengthen your core muscles and hips without weights.

Keep the foam roller where it is, then come into a kneeling position. Step one foot forward and maintain the knee bend. Stay tall through your spine, rest your hands on your hips and engage your core. With control, lift your leg and step over the roller, landing on the other side. Then, lift the leg again and step back over to the starting position.

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Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps per leg.

Start on all fours with the foam roller to one side. Your shoulders should stack over your wrists and hips over your knees. Lift the leg closest to the roller, knee bent, and send your leg behind and around it, back to the starting position. Igor only works in one direction, but I recommend both — clockwise and anticlockwise. Your goal is to create circles around the roller while maintaining a tabletop position and neutral spine.

Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps per leg.

Leg mobility is crucial for functional movement, posture and injury prevention. Limited range of motion around the hips and poor joint health can negatively impact athletic performance and your ability to perform daily tasks like climbing or walking.

Throughout each exercise, focus on slowing the moves down and working with a maximal range of motion where possible. The foam roller works great as a marker, especially on its tallest setting, but you could start small with a dumbbell or kettlebell if you prefer.

The idea is to be as controlled as possible, keeping the hip flexors and core muscles under tension as you circle and lift your legs. The moves can be standalone or combined into a short hip mobility routine at the beginning or end of your day or before a workout.

Mobility drills performed before exercise are great at preparing the muscles and joints for movement, whereas static stretches are best saved for post-workout.

Research like this systematic review published in the Journal of Sports Sciences shows mobility training is beneficial for maintaining sports performance. But I recommend learning more about the different types of stretching and mobility so you can effectively increase your range of motion, boost flexibility, or both, depending on your goals.

Sam Hopes is a level 3 fitness trainer, level 2 reiki practitioner, and senior fitness writer at Tom's Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course. Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3. Having worked with fitness studios like F45 and Virgin, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight and calisthenics, and kettlebells. She also coaches mobility and stretching-focused classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body. Sam is currently in training for her next mixed doubles Hyrox competition in London this year, having completed her first doubles attempt in 1:11.

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