03/24/2026
Most lifters with hip pinching in the squat spend months stretching their hips and nothing changes.
That’s because stretching isn’t the problem. The muscles that are supposed to control where your hip sits in the socket aren’t doing their job. So every time you squat, the joint closes wrong and you feel it.
The fix isn’t a new stretch. It’s getting the right muscles to fire before the bar moves.
One cue that changes it for most people:
“Drag yourself down. Push the floor away.”
The first part keeps tension in your hamstrings from the very top of the descent instead of dropping into the hole. The second part drives the hips through at the top instead of letting the chest shoot up. Both together take the stress off the front of the hip where you’re feeling it.
Before your next squat session, try this: heels slightly elevated, soft knees, hinge back until you feel your hamstrings load, hold for 20 to 30 seconds. One set. That’s it. It primes the muscles that the cue needs to work.
If you try all of this and the pinch is still there no matter what you do — that’s a different conversation. That means something needs to be looked at in person.
Book a free call and we’ll figure out exactly what’s going on. Link in bio.
