Written by: Andrew Millett
Do your hip flexors feel "tight" when you reach the bottom of your squat? Do they feel sore after squatting? Do you feel pressure in the front of your hips, or do you think you have to stretch your hip flexors after squatting?]
Well, your hip flexors are actually on slack when you get to the bottom of a squat.
There can be several reasons your hip flexors hurt or feel “tight” at the bottom of your squat, ranging from trunk to foot position. The two big takeaway points from this are:
stopping trying to squat through that tightness
stopping trying to stretch your hip flexors
If you notice that hip pain continues with other exercises besides squats, like deadlifts, you should check out our article on reducing hip pain with deadlifts. The stretches mentioned there would also help the pain in the hip flexors when squatting.
Here are three helpful tips if feel tight when you get to the bottom of your squat.
Not everyone is made to squat feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing straight ahead. We are all made a little differently, so adjusting the width of your stance or the orientation of your foot position to point slightly out can make a big difference.
Adjusting your stance to what you’re comfortable with will reduce tightness or pain in your hip flexors as you squat.
Try adjusting your stance and see what feels the best. You can also go toe out and widen your stance as you squat.
Looking from the top down, the position of your trunk or ribcage over your pelvis can make a big difference when it comes to feeling a tight or pinching sensation in the front of your hip when you approach the bottom position of the squat.
Instead of arching your back as you descend into the squat, try getting your pelvis to sit underneath your rib cage or slightly tucking your tailbone underneath you before you descend into the squat.
Getting into a better starting position can help the hip move better on the pelvis and can help alleviate that tight or pinching sensation as you descend into your squat.
As crazy as this may sound to some people, if you have tried making the adjustments above and are still getting that sensation, try not squatting as deep. We are all made differently; some people can squat super deep, while others may experience tightness or pain.
Some athletes have deeper hip sockets than others and, due to their structural makeup, may not be able to squat deep and are just running out of space to move at their hip joints.
If you're unsure how deep you can comfortably squat, try doing a squat stretch with just your body weight to get an idea of your baseline.
photo credit: https://themovementfix.com/
when you get to the bottom of your squat, try adjusting your stance and trunk position or not squatting so deep that you experience that sensation.
Feeling pain in the low back in combination with hip tightness when squatting? You should do some hip stretches for squats and low back pain in case your form is causing discomfort.