Controlling Rogue Hips - Keeping Your Hips Square in a Split
Controlling Rogue Hips - Keeping Your Hips Square in a Split
On Monday I talked about what it means to have “square” hips in a split, and why that’s often a preferred position to train in. Today we’ll talk about ways to help train your hips to stay square to ensure you’re getting that sweet sweet hip flexor stretch, and avoid letting your hips open to “cheat” the stretch.
Square Hip Tip #1: Use the Wall
This is actually how I originally learned how to work on my front splits in my first contortion class (shoutout to some fabulous bendy times at Esh Circus Arts!). It is a bit more intense on your hip flexors and quads than “traditional” splits on the floor, but if you have tight hip flexors that like to cheat your stretches, they could probably use the extra focus this variation provides!
Start kneeling in front of a wall with your back foot up the wall. The farther away your back knee is from the wall, the easier this stretch is. The closer your knee is to the wall (ex. touching the wall), the harder this will become. If you are a super bendy person working on oversplits, you can even put a block under your back knee and place that at the wall. Make sure your shin is vertical and your foot/toes are reaching straight up the wall. If your foot starts to slide out to the side, that’s a sign your back leg is trying to externally rotate to cheat the stretch
Keeping your torso lifted (using blocks under your hands if needed), lightly press your back foot into the wall (so that it doesn’t slide) as you straighten your front leg and slide your front foot forward into your split. Because the back leg is “pinned” against the wall, that hip can’t slide backwards to unsquare your split! Note: it is technically still possible to reach so far forward with the front leg that it pulls that hip forward and unsquares your hips, so you do still need to be a bit conscious that you don’t overdo it!
Hold for 20-60 seconds
Want an extra active flexibility challenge?
Option 1: Butt Kicks - Once you’ve slid out into your wall-supported split, engage your hamstrings to try and pull your back foot away from the wall as if you were going to kick yourself in the butt (it will feel pretty squeeze-y!), then relax your foot back to the wall. Repeat for 8-12 reps.
Option 2: Contract-Relax - Once you’ve slid out into your split and are comfortable (or as “comfortable” as your body will allow…), contract your quads by pressing/kicking your back foot into the wall for 10 seconds. Then relax the back leg for 20 seconds, just hanging out in your split. Do 1-2 more rounds of contract-then-relaxing to give your quads a real challenge.
Square Hip Tip #2: Use a Resistance Band
I like this variation because it can help you practice squaring and un-squaring your hips with some clear physical feedback while you’re in a lunge, which can be easier to train in than a full front split because you don’t have to worry about the stretch in the front leg. You’ll want a strong resistance band for this exercise.
Start in a kneeling lunge. Loop a high tension resistance band around the “thutt” (where the back of your thigh meets your butt) of your back leg toward the front ankle or foot. If your band is looped, like a superband, you can loop it around your front ankle. If it’s not a loop, you can just firmly step on the band with the front foot. You’ll want to start with a decent amount of tension in the band
Slide your legs out into as deep a lunge as is comfortable, keeping your torso lifted. Feel the tension of the band pulling your back-leg thigh and hip forwards - the band is helping keep that hip rotated toward the front, keeping both hips “square.”
Now try to unsquare your hips: try to open your hip bones out to the side, pushing the outer back side of your back hip against the band. Then let the band gently tug your back leg hip back to “square” (both hip bones pointing forwards). Repeat unsquaring and squaring your hips a couple of times.
You can try to replicate this drill in a full front split, although it does get more awkward/challenging is your hips get lower to the ground. If your split is still pretty high off the floor, give it a try! Otherwise I’d suggest doing the wall-supported exercise above instead if you really want to drill your square hips while in a front split.
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