01/19/2026
Stiff or pinchy hips stopping you from getting down into a deep squat?
This banded hip mobilization might be for you.
We want our hip joints to be mobile enough to allow us to get into deep squatting positions and various positions sitting on the ground all without having to compensate at the lower back (think of a butt wink in a deep squat- ideally not what we want when under a lot of weight at the bottom of a squat).
Tight muscles around the hips can cause restricted motion, but so can stiff joints and hip capsules. The hip capsule is a connective tissue that surrounds the hip joint to provide stability. But it can cause restrictions into certain directions if tight and keep the ball in socket from sliding and gliding as it’s supposed to. This can lead to a front of hip pinchy pain at end ranges and a general “firm” end feel instead of a stretchy end feel that is found with muscle tightness only. In this case, stretching usually isn’t enough to relieve pain and improve movement.
Using a band as shown is a great way to get the hip joint moving better for improved hip flexion and internal rotation. It should be pain free. You can keep the knee above the hip instead of pulling all the way to the chest if needed to avoid any front of hip pinchy pain
This is specifically for better knee to chest movement, necessary for a deep squat.
Give this one a try for 1-2 rounds of 60 seconds before exercise.
