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Now that we have covered some of the general benefits of stretching and exercise, let’s move onto the specifics. What are some of these exercises, stretches, and movements that can benefit us? As we stated earlier in our Stretching and Exercise blog we want this to be where readers can gain knowledge concerning stretching, exercise, and get an idea of some of the activities we do here at Sports Reality. Please recognize that Sports Reality suggests consulting your doctor before engaging in these exercises, stretches, and movements as they may not be suitable for everyone reading these posts.

One of the most common problems we run into at Sports Reality is tight hips. Tight hips hinder an athlete’s range of movement and can make performing certain exercises more difficult. We see this most often in athletes when they squat. To have a good squatting technique, your hips can’t be too tight. But what causes tight hips? In many instances, people get tight hips from sitting down for too long, poor posture, or standing after long periods of sitting. Tight hips occur when a group of muscles in your hips known as your hip flexors are not as flexible. The rectus femoris, tensor fasciae latae, Iliopsoas, and sartorius connect your upper legs to your hips and your ability to move in many ways depends on how flexible this muscle system is.

One of the most popular and beneficial stretches for tight hips is the butterfly stretch. Many times this stretch is done before and after workouts, as well as after one has been sitting for a while. To do this stretch, (1) sit on the floor with the bottoms of your feet together and back straight, (2) slowly move your heels towards you until you begin to feel a slight stretch, (3) while keeping your back straight, begin to lean forward and push down on your thighs with your elbows, (4) and hold this position for a few seconds. Repeat as needed.

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