If you’ve ever felt like your hips are tight, you may have been told to stretch more, strengthen a particular muscle, or improve your internal or external hip rotation. But what if we looked at hip rotation differently
Rather than thinking of hip rotation as the thigh turning along a vertical axis, we can also consider a different movement pattern—one where the thigh moves end-over-end. This is key to transitioning from what you might refer to as hip flexion to hip extension, especially when moving forward efficiently.
A crucial part of this motion is how the foot interacts with the ground to create an anchor and how the calf muscles engage to hold and secure the knee end of the thigh. When the foot is anchored, it sets the ankle so the shin holds steady, and the thigh travels in the end-over-end path, taking it from behind the anchor of the foot (hip flexion) to in front of the anchor of the foot (hip extension).
This approach can change how we think about hip mobility and efficiency. Instead of forcing a range of motion, we can improve how the foot, calf, and thigh interact—creating more fluid, coordinated movement and reducing unnecessary strain.
What this looks like and how to set it up: