Maximus Gage
The psoas muscle is a crucial part of the body, helping us to walk, stand, and run. It is a hip flexor, allowing us to lift our knees towards our bodies, and stabilising our spines when we stand. When the psoas is weak or tight, it can cause pain in the lower back and hips. To train the psoas, it is important to stretch and strengthen the muscle. This can be done through exercises such as hanging leg lifts, squats, and lunges, as well as foam rolling and taking regular breaks from sitting.
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What You'll Learn
Stretching and strengthening exercises
The psoas muscle is a hip flexor that connects the torso and the lower body, allowing you to walk and stand upright. It is a large muscle in the lower back that extends from the spine down through the hips to the femur. When the psoas muscle is tight or weak, it can cause muscle imbalances and pain, particularly in the lower back, hips, and legs. Therefore, it is important to incorporate both stretching and strengthening exercises into your fitness routine to target the psoas muscle and improve hip mobility and strength.
Stretching exercises
Stretching the psoas muscle involves moving the hip into extension behind the body. One of the best deep stretches for the psoas is the kneeling lunge. To perform this stretch:
- Begin in a half-kneeling position with your front foot flat on the floor.
- Ensure that your front knee and ankle are in line with each other, forming a 90-degree angle.
- Move your leg back behind your body, stretching the psoas muscle.
Another stretch to target the psoas muscle is the following:
- Lie on your back near the edge of a bed or surface.
- Bend one leg up towards your chest and wrap your arms around it to squeeze it close.
- Allow your other leg to dangle off the side of the bed.
- Hold for several seconds, then repeat on the opposite side.
Strengthening exercises
Strengthening the psoas muscle involves lifting the leg in front of the body. One effective exercise is the hanging leg lift:
- Hang from a pull-up bar with a firm overhand grip, ensuring your feet do not touch the ground.
- Flex your hips and knees simultaneously as you draw your legs out and up towards your chest without using momentum.
Another strengthening exercise for the psoas muscle is the standing slumpy psoas:
- Face a wall and lean forward, using your palms or fists to support yourself against the wall.
- Keep your pelvis level as you raise your knee, dropping the opposite hip towards the ground.
- Slowly lower your foot back to the ground.
- Repeat for 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps with 5-10 second holds.
In addition to these targeted exercises, it is beneficial to incorporate a mix of cardio, strength training, and flexibility workouts into your routine. Creating a balanced fitness plan that includes exercises such as Pilates or yoga can improve your overall flexibility, range of motion, and hip mobility, further strengthening the psoas muscle.
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Foam rolling
The psoas muscle is a hip flexor that lifts your thigh and allows you to walk and stand upright. When this muscle is too tight, it tilts the pelvis forward and increases stress on the lower back, causing pain and muscle imbalances.
To perform foam rolling for the iliopsoas muscle, place a foam roller at the top of both thigh muscles and roll upwards to the top of the hipbone. Use short up-and-down rolling movements, pausing at any sore spots. If you are a man, shift your body weight to one side to avoid sensitive areas in the middle. Women can keep the pressure even on both thighs or focus on one side by putting all their weight on it.
For the psoas component, place the foam roller under your lower back and roll slightly to the left, positioning your body weight so it lands on the foam roller immediately to the left of your spine. As you lean back, rest your upper body weight on your left elbow.
It is important to note that if you have lower back pain, you should proceed with caution and avoid rolling over the spine. Instead, stay in the soft tissue and maintain proper posture. With the iliacus, or the front side of the hip, you can roll to one side to increase pressure or lessen it by rolling both hips.
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Hip extension
The psoas muscle is a hip flexor that helps lift your thigh and powers your hips and legs. It is one of the primary muscles that allow you to move your knees up toward your body and stabilise your back when standing. When the psoas muscle is too tight, it tilts the pelvis forward and increases stress on the lower back. This can result in muscle imbalances that cause pain or hinder your ability to walk.
Kneeling Lunge
- Begin in a half-kneeling position with your front foot flat on the floor.
- Ensure that the knee and ankle of your front leg are in line with each other, forming a 90-degree angle.
- The knee and shin of your back leg should be touching the floor, with the knee and hip forming a 90-degree angle.
- Switch sides and repeat the lunge.
Camel Pose
- Start in a kneeling position with your buttocks resting on your heels.
- Place your hands on your hips and contract your glute muscles to lift your buttocks into a tall kneeling position.
- Push your hips forward as you arch your back and reach for your heels or ankles.
- Hold for 30 seconds, then relax and repeat 3 times.
Glute Bridge
- Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, knees bent, and feet on the floor, hip-distance apart.
- Position your feet so that your fingers can touch your heels.
- Squeeze your glutes and press into your heels to lift your hips off the floor toward the ceiling.
- Hold the position for a few seconds and repeat several times.
Leg Lift
- Hang from a pull-up bar high enough that your feet do not touch the ground.
- Flex your hips and knees simultaneously as you draw your legs out and up towards your chest without using momentum.
Hip Flexor Stretch
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
- Bend your right knee and lift your upper leg up as high as possible while keeping your trunk tall.
- Balance on your left foot for about 30 seconds, then slowly lower your right leg.
- Repeat on the other side.
In addition to these exercises, taking breaks throughout the day to stand up, stretch, or walk can help keep your psoas muscle loose and minimise the effects of prolonged sitting.
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Hanging leg lifts
- Hang from a pull-up bar that is high enough so that your feet do not touch the ground when your legs are extended. Ensure your palms are facing forward and your feet are together.
- Flex your hips and knees simultaneously as you draw your legs out and up towards your chest without using momentum.
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
- To increase resistance, wear ankle weights or use a light dumbbell securely between your feet.
It is important to note that hanging leg lifts are deceptively difficult and require extreme core activation to get your legs up. If grip strength is an issue, you can try using a Roman chair, which makes the exercise less demanding on your grip and upper back muscles.
In addition to hanging leg lifts, there are other exercises that can help train your psoas muscle, such as stretching, foam rolling, and strengthening exercises. These exercises can help improve your hip mobility, flexibility, and range of motion, as well as reduce the risk of injuries.
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Standing Slumpy Psoas
The psoas muscle is a pair of long muscles that run from the lower back to the top of the hips on either side of the spine. It is a hip flexor that allows you to walk and stand upright. The psoas muscle is also a back stabilizer and a connector between the lower and upper body.
When the psoas muscle is too tight or weak, it can result in muscle imbalances that cause pain or hinder your ability to walk. This can lead to psoas syndrome, which causes pain in the lower back, hips, or groin. The pain may get worse in certain positions, during physical activities, or when trying to stand up straight.
To relieve the pain and tightness caused by psoas syndrome, there are several stretches and exercises that can be done. One such exercise is the Standing Slumpy Psoas:
- Face a wall and lean forward, using your palms or fists to support yourself against the wall.
- Keep your pelvis level and pay attention as you raise your knee. You might need to drop the hip on the same side as the raised knee towards the ground.
- Suck your leg into the pelvis instead of reaching it towards the wall.
- Slowly drop your foot to the ground for a soft landing.
- Repeat for 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps with 5-10 second holds.
This exercise is beneficial because it dissociates the commonly associated movement pattern of hip flexion, which is when we flex our hips and posteriorly pelvic tilt and flex our lumbar spines. By doing the Standing Slumpy Psoas, we can effectively target the psoas muscle and start building strength in the proper way.
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Frequently asked questions
The psoas muscle (pronounced "so-ezz") is a long muscle that runs from the lower spine, down through the hips, and connects to the thigh bone (femur). It is the main muscular connection between the torso and the lower body.
The psoas muscle helps with motions that use the back, belly, and legs at the same time, such as standing, walking, and climbing. Training the psoas can help improve hip mobility, strengthen lower body lifts, and reduce back pain.
If you experience achiness and tightness in the front of your hip, your psoas muscle may need training. Prolonged sitting can cause the psoas muscle to become too tight, leading to increased stress on the lower back and muscle imbalances.
Some exercises to train the psoas muscle include the Standing Slumpy Psoas, Hanging Leg Lifts, and Frankensteins. For the Standing Slumpy Psoas, face a wall and lean forward using your palms or fists for support. For Hanging Leg Lifts, hang from a pull-up bar and flex your hips and knees to draw your legs towards your chest. For Frankensteins, extend one arm and walk forward, kicking the opposite leg towards the outstretched arm.
It is important to warm up and stretch before exercising to prevent injuries. Additionally, take breaks throughout the day to stand up, stretch, or walk, especially if you are sitting for long periods. Create a balanced fitness plan that includes cardio, strength training, and flexibility workouts.
