Athletes and dancers are able to lift their legs above their heads, demonstrating flexibility and muscle strength. This skill is needed by ballet dancers, figure skating and martial artists, and other people. This is a fairly challenging movement, but if you develop your reaction time, strengthen your core, and work on your stretching, you too can lift your legs higher than your head.

Steps

Working on flexibility

Stretch your thigh muscles. The thighs contain muscles that allow the legs to move. By stretching these muscles, you will be able to spread your legs further. There are stretching exercises for these muscles, including flexor, extension, anterior and posterior muscles. To stretch the flexor muscle:

• Kneel on your right knee and place your other foot on the floor. The other hip and knee should form a 90-degree angle.
• Pull your right thigh forward until it is above your knee. Keep your hands on your hips. The back should be straight, shoulders straightened.
• Inhale as you stretch and wait until tension appears in the muscles. Stay in this position for 15-60 seconds. Release your leg and move to the second leg. Do 5 exercises on each leg. Perform these sets several times a day, every day.

1. Stretch your hamstrings. These muscles are located along the back of the thigh. There are several ways to work these muscles, and these exercises usually require resistance work or support (e.g., a table, a doorframe, the floor, a ballet barre). To stretch with support on a door frame:

   • Lie on the floor near the door frame. Place one foot on the other side of the jamb and the other on the wall.
   • Begin to slowly walk up towards the wall without lifting your leg from it. You will feel a stretch in the muscles of the back of your thigh.
   • Stay in this position for 15-60 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the other leg. Perform 5 exercises on each leg. Repeat this exercise several times a day every day.
   • Once you have mastered this exercise, try other exercises that require you to pull your leg harder or raise it higher, such as standing on a table or sitting on the floor.

2. Do butterfly or frog exercises. You will need to sit on the floor, bring your heels together and press your legs to the floor with your hands. These exercises are usually done by ballet dancers, but they are also useful for mountain climbers and other athletes. They allow you to increase muscle flexibility. To do this exercise:

   • Sit on the floor, bring your feet together so that your legs form a diamond shape.
   • Grab your ankles and place your elbows on your feet. Gently press your feet to the floor. Hands should not be placed on your knees - this will increase the risk of injury.
   • Stretch until you feel a stretch in your inner thigh and groin. Hold for 10-20 seconds and relax. Repeat the exercise again, but hold for 20-30 seconds.
   • Lie on your back. Keep your legs in the same position. Lower your feet to the ground until your knees gently touch the floor. Don't spread your feet. Stay in this position for 30-60 seconds. Repeat the exercise several times a day every day.

3. Stretch your legs along the wall. As you become a little more limber or limber, start stretching your legs against the wall. Place your foot along the wall and begin to slowly press against the wall so that your leg gradually rises higher and higher. To maintain your balance, hold on to a chair or table.

   • It is better to perform the exercise with bare feet, as the socks will slip. If your foot suddenly slips, you may be injured.
   • Practice doing the same on the other leg so that the muscles are stretched evenly.

4. Raise your feet. These exercises will strengthen the lower back and abdominal muscles. To perform this exercise, lie on the floor with your arms extended along your body. Raise one leg at a time, then the other, 30 centimeters above the ground, slowly and smoothly. Hold for 10 seconds, then lower your leg. Don't bend your knees. Do 10 repetitions on each leg. Perform the exercise 1-3 times a day every day.

   • To make the exercise more challenging, try lifting both legs at the same time. Slowly and smoothly lift them above the floor by 30 centimeters, hold for 10 seconds, and smoothly lower them down.

5. Do lateral raises. Stand straight and bring your legs together. Place your hands on your belt. Slowly raise one or the other leg to the side 15 centimeters above the ground. Slowly lower your leg. Do not let your body bend along with your leg, keep your body straight. Repeat 10 times on each leg. Perform the exercise 1-3 times a day every day.

   • Tighten your core and glutes to prevent your body from swaying.
   • As the muscles become stronger, begin to raise your legs higher. You can raise your legs in front of you. Exercise so that every day you can raise your legs a little higher. Hold on to something so you don't fall.

6. Exercise with weights. A kettlebell is a small metal sports equipment with a handle. By lifting weights, you force your core muscles to help you maintain your balance. To strengthen your core, start with 5-pound weights. Do a variety of exercises with them (for example, circling a kettlebell around your head in a kneeling position).

Maintaining balance

Keep your balance on one leg. This is a useful exercise, especially if you also move other parts of your body. Exercise helps develop balance.

Do an exercise with your arms. Your arms will rotate like the hands of a clock, while you will stand on one leg. Stand on one leg and look straight ahead. Place your hands on your belt. Raise one arm up, then lower it a quarter, another quarter, another quarter, and then return to the starting position. Repeat with the second leg and second arm.

• Try to make sure that only your arms move. Breathe evenly and try to focus on stillness.

1. Make turns with your torso. The torso is the foundation of your body, so balance exercises that involve your torso will help you stabilize your body and improve your ability to maintain balance. Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. It is better to stand on a small springboard or any other unstable surface. Pick up a heavy object (such as an exercise ball, dumbbell, or something similar). Turn your torso one way, then the other. Repeat 10 times. The legs should not move after the body.

   • Movements should be smooth and clear. The body should not swing to the sides. Feel how all the muscles work with each turn. Don't use the momentum from one turn to make a turn the other way.

2. Do challenging leg exercises. The following exercise can only be done by a person with strong leg muscles and the ability to maintain balance when working with weights. Stand on your left leg with a slight bend. Bend forward and reach towards the ground right hand. Hold a two-kilogram weight in this hand. Step your right leg back. Smoothly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise on the other leg. Perform 5 sets several times a week.

   • Try to make sure that all movements are uniform. Don't shake. Breathe evenly and concentrate on your core and legs so that all movements are precise.

Low impact exercises

1. Do yoga. Yoga uses a variety of poses to relax, stretch, and strengthen muscles. Yoga is performed in special studios and gyms. You can also buy special video lessons or watch them online. There are many varieties of yoga, from beginner classes to more advanced classes. Yoga poses will allow you to develop the flexibility and muscle strength needed to lift your legs above your head. Such exercises include:

   • Downward-facing dog pose
   • Chair Pose
   • Warrior pose 1 and 2
   • Moon Crescent Pose
   • Bound Angle Pose

2. Try Pilates. Pilates is a training system that develops flexibility, strength and endurance of muscles (especially the core muscles). A classic 60- or 90-minute workout consists of repetitions of strength exercises. Pilates is available in many gyms and studios. Find a suitable location in your city. Exercises that strengthen your core muscles include:

   • Leg stretching
   • Leg raises
   • Leg spread
   • Collapse
   • Bridge

3. Do complex core exercises. Many exercises can be combined into a comprehensive workout. These exercises work different core muscle groups to give you a quality strength workout.

The mobile hip joint is the basis of many exercises in sports such as swimming, yoga, karate, boxing, stretching, tai chi, etc. In addition, the muscles attached to this joint are actively involved in walking, jumping and running. Lack of freedom of movement in the hip joint leads to the development of diseases of the genitourinary and circulatory systems.

Also, with the “ossification” of this, the largest joint in the human body, excessive tension occurs in kneecap, which causes pain in the knees and back. In other words, to make your aerobics, gymnastics, or any other sport a healthy and enjoyable activity, you need to work on your mobility. hip joints.

Before you begin exercises aimed at increasing the elasticity of the muscles and ligaments in the hip joint, you need to sensibly assess how mobile they are at the moment. There are a number of exercises that can serve as a criterion for determining the degree of mobility of a given joint:

1. Stand straight, with your knees straight and slightly apart to the side. From this position, bend down as far as your joint will allow and hold in this position for a couple of seconds. If you reach the floor with the entire surface of your palm, then you passed this test perfectly. If you only touch the floor with your fingertips, then your level of flexibility is average, and if you don’t reach the floor at all, it’s very low.
2. Press your back against the wall and lift one leg as high as possible, hold it in this position for a couple of seconds. If the angle between your legs is 90 degrees or more, then you have excellent flexibility. If this is an angle of 70 degrees, then your joint flexibility is average; if less, then it is poor.
3. Lie on your back and bend one leg at the knee, leaving the other straight on the floor. Grasp your knee with your hands and pull it towards your chest as much as possible. If your thigh is in contact with your body, then the flexibility of the joint is at a good level; if not, then intensive training is required.
4. Lie on your stomach and straighten one leg. Take the second one by the ankle with your hand and pull it as far as possible towards the buttocks. If your leg rests on your buttocks, you have excellent flexibility and mobility of the hip joint; if it doesn’t, you have poor flexibility.
5. Sit on the floor so that your back is perfectly straight and your legs are straight on the floor. Spread your legs as wide as you can. If the angle formed between your legs is greater than 90 degrees, you have excellent hip flexibility; 90 degrees is average; less than 90 is poor.
6. Lie on your back so that your elbows rest on the floor. Bend one leg so that you create a 90-degree angle between the straight leg and the bent shin. If in this position the knee of the bent leg touches the floor, you have remarkable flexibility and elasticity of the joint, if not, start training immediately.
7. Sit on a chair and straighten your back. Place the foot of one leg on the knee of the other. By pressing your hands on the bent leg, determine the degree of horizontalness of the lower leg. If you were able to ensure that the knee of your bent leg is pointing straight to the side, your joint flexibility is excellent; if it sticks out diagonally upward, then the joint is not mobile enough.

Bodybuilding and exercises to develop hip mobility

When exercising on exercise machines, it is very important to have a flexible and mobile hip joint. Large weights and increased loads with an improperly aligned joint can have a detrimental effect on the health of a bodybuilder. That is why, when systematically lifting weights, it is very important to work out the ligaments and muscles located in the pelvis and hips.

1 Exercise

This exercise is good for stretching the ligaments in the hip joint.

Kneel down so that the bench is behind you. Raise one leg bent at the knee and place your shin on the bench. Make sure that the thigh of the second leg is parallel to the floor, and the angle between the shin and this thigh is straight. The back must be straight during this exercise. Stand in this position for 1-1.5 minutes, then change legs.

2 Exercise

Aimed at soft fabrics lumbar region, which also affect the mobility of the hip joint.

Pick up one pancake weighing from 15 to 25 kilograms. Lie on the floor and place the pancake on your stomach, slightly moving it relative to the center (5 cm to the side and 3 cm down from the navel). Leave one leg straight on the floor, and lift the one that is on the side of the pancake with a bent knee up 10-15 times. Then change your leg, move the pancake to the other side and do the whole complex with the other leg.

Exercise 3

Aimed at softening the joint capsule and expanding joint mobility.

Take a wide resistance band and place it over a squat rack. Having formed a loop from the tape, thread your leg through it and pull it as close to the hip joint as possible. Step away from the counter until the band is taut, and step your free leg back. The other end of the tape should be fixed at a height equal to the height of your hip. Touch your hands to the floor in front of you. Perform 15-20 straightening and bending of both knees at once. Change legs.

Exercise 4

The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise, only both legs should be straight. Bend down 15-20 times in front of you, trying to touch the toes of your front leg with your hands. Change legs.

Exercise 5

Allows you to strengthen the ligaments and muscles of the thigh.

Place your leg through the loop, but lower the strap down the post. Place your feet at shoulder level. In this position, do 15-20 squats with a taut belt. Change legs.

Exercise 6

Aimed at improving the elasticity of the muscles of the rear thigh.

Sit on the floor and straighten your legs. Place a small ball under the thigh of one leg and roll it back and forth. Change legs.

Exercise 7

Attach a rubber band to the post, forming a loop at the end. Lie on the floor with your head facing up. Place your foot through the loop of the rubber band and do 15-20 straight leg raises and lowerings. Switch legs.

In yoga, there are a number of exercises (asanas) that have a beneficial effect on the hip joint. They help strengthen bone tissue, improve blood supply in the pelvic area, and increase the elasticity of ligaments. But any person who decides to practice yoga must understand that yoga is a complex technique that requires special training and strict supervision of an instructor, at least at the initial level. Otherwise, you may not only not help your body, but, on the contrary, harm it.

Baddha Konasana

Improves blood circulation in the back, abdomen and pelvic area.

1. Sit on the floor and straighten your back so that your spine is perfectly straight. Pay special attention to the lumbar area: the stomach should not lean forward, but a “donut” should not form at the back.
2. Spread your knees and place your feet tightly together. If the thigh does not lie on the floor, then place a blanket folded several times under the pelvis so that the knees and pelvis are at the same level.
3. Rest your palms on a brick placed behind you or simply on the floor. Open your chest as much as possible, lowering your shoulder blades down your back. Freeze in this position for 1-2 minutes.

Virabhadrasana

This asana allows you to open the hip joints, relieve cramps in the leg muscles, and improve blood circulation in the abdominal area.

1. Raise your arms up to your sides and place your palms together. Spread your legs as wide apart as possible.
2. As you exhale, turn to the right and turn your right foot 90 degrees in the same direction. In this position, bend the knee of your right leg until a right angle is formed between the thigh and shin. Make sure that the heel and knee of your right leg are at the same level. You need to stand in this position for 30-40 seconds.
3. After this, smoothly return to the starting position and turn in the other direction.

Gomugkhasana

Promotes the opening of the hip joints and improves the elasticity of the leg muscles.

1. Sit on both buttocks and bend your knees. Take your left foot and place it under your right knee.
2. Place your left foot on the floor with your knee pointing forward. Place your right foot behind your left knee and place it gently. Make sure both knees are in line.
3. Lean on your hands to “rebuild” your pelvis. Make sure that you are leaning on both sit bones at once, and that your body is perfectly level.
4. Now place both hands behind your back: the right one at the top and the left one at the bottom. Lock your hands together and hold for 30-60 seconds. Change hands.
5. Perform the asana in the other direction.

Yoga mudra

Helps loosen the hip joints and improves blood circulation in the pelvis.

1. Sit on the floor and bend your knees. If stretching allows, you can fold your legs into a “lotus”; if not, put the foot of one leg on the thigh of the other.
2. Straighten your entire body and tuck your chin into the jugular cavity. Raise your hands up.
3. Starting from the cervical vertebrae, begin to slowly bend your spine until your entire body takes the shape of an arc. Make sure that when bending you do not miss a single vertebra.
4. Hold for 30-60 seconds.
5. Coming out of the asana, rest your hands on the floor in front of you and begin to lift your body, also bending vertebrae by vertebrae, but in the opposite direction.

Upavista Konasana

Improves blood supply to all organs located in the pelvic area.

1. Sit on the floor, spread your legs as wide as possible, turn your feet toes toward the ceiling, and straighten your back.
2. Using the index and middle fingers of both hands, grasp the big toes of your corresponding toes. Make sure that both legs are lying on the floor with their entire surface. In this pose, try to stretch up at the waist.
3. As you exhale, lower your body to the floor between your two legs, trying to touch the floor with your chest and forehead. Hold your body in this position for 30 seconds to a minute.
4. To come out of this asana, you first need to place your palms on the floor in front of you, and then, gradually bending your spine from your head, completely straighten your back.

Utthita Parsvokonasana

Helps eliminate congestion in the hip joint and sacrum, has a tonic effect on the leg muscles.

1. Spread your legs wide, press your feet firmly to the floor, and spread your arms to the sides.
2. Turn both feet to the right: right 90 degrees, left 60. In this position, bend your right leg until your thigh and shin form a right angle.
3. Place your right hand on the floor behind right foot, and straighten the left one and lift it up so that it forms one line with the body and covers the ear with its shoulder.
4. Turn your chest to the left, look towards the raised hand, as if through it. The asana execution time is from 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Return to the starting position and repeat the asana on the other side.

Bakasana

Improves blood circulation in abdominal cavity and the sacral region.

1. Squat down, bring your feet together and press them to the floor.
2. Lift your pelvis off the floor and try to balance your body enough to sit in this position.
3. Spread your knees and lean your torso forward. Place both hands behind your knees and place your palms on the floor.
4. With your elbows bent, lift your heels off the floor. The shins should be as high as possible.
5. Lean forward a little more and try to lift your socks off the floor as you exhale. Hold your entire body weight in your hands for 2-30 seconds.

If you decide to professionally engage in any kind of sport, remember that one of the most important conditions for healthy activities is a harmonious, correctly aligned body position. You can achieve beautiful, even posture only when you have mobility in the strongest joint in your body – the hip. By regularly performing all the exercises, you will not only prepare a good basis for sports activities, but also significantly improve your health.

We increase the mobility of the hip joints using video instructions

Hip joint- the largest of all joints. Large, well-developed muscles are attached to it, which provide the ability to perform a variety of movements - walking, running, jumping and many others.
To evaluate the mobility of the hip joints and the elasticity of the thigh muscles, perform several tests.

Checking the mobility of the hip joints

The simplest tests for flexion and extension of the hip joints:

1. Bend forward as much as possible (do not bend your knees). If you were able to reach the floor with your palms and hold this position for 2-3 seconds, then your flexibility is excellent; if you reached the floor only with your fingertips, it’s good; if your fingers are just below the knees, it’s bad.
2. Stand with your back to the wall, then smoothly lift one leg to the side as high as possible and try to hold it for 2-3 seconds (do not tilt your torso).

If your leg rises 90 degrees or more, then your flexibility is excellent; 70 degrees is good; less than 70 degrees is poor.

And these exercise tests are more complex. They can also be used for daily exercise.

TEST 1. Lying on your back, bend one leg, grab your knee with both hands and pull it as close to your chest as possible. The other leg remains straight. The thigh should be in contact with the front surface of the body.

TEST 2. Lying on your stomach (chin touching the floor), bend one leg and use your hands to try to touch your heel to your buttocks. The thigh of the bent leg should not come off the floor surface.

TEST 3. Sitting with your torso upright, spread your straightened legs as wide as possible. The angle between the legs must be at least 90°.

TEST 4. In a reclining position on your back with support on your elbows, bend one leg with your knee inward so that your shin is perpendicular to your straightened leg. The pelvis should be motionless, and the knee of the bent leg should almost touch the floor.

TEST 5. Sit on a chair, bend one leg and place your foot on the other knee. The shin of the bent leg should take a horizontal position with the help of your hands.

If the test results do not please you, try performing special exercises to improve the mobility of the hip joints and the elasticity of the thigh muscles.