Should I stretch my hips before or after running?

Use gentle mobility and glute activation like this before a run as a primer, and save longer holds for after when you're warm. This routine works either way — shorten the holds before, lengthen them after.

Why do runners get tight hips?

Running repeats a narrow range and keeps the hip flexors working hard, while the glutes can switch off. Mobility plus glute activation restores range and balance.

Is pigeon pose bad for your knees?

Pigeon is fine for many people but can stress a sensitive front knee. If yours complains, use the supine (lying) figure-4 version — you get the same glute and rotator stretch without loading the knee. This routine offers that swap.

Workouts & Recovery · Recovery

Runner's hip mobility

Hip mobility and glute activation built for runners — open the flexors and rotators that pounding the pavement tightens, then switch the glutes on so they do their share of the work. Use it as a pre-run primer or a post-run loosen-off. The app names each move, times every hold and switches sides for you. If pigeon bothers a knee, swap to the supported version offered.

Moves: 6
Length: ≈ 6 min
Level: All levels

Also known as runners hip stretches, hip mobility for runners, pre-run hip routine.

How the session works

1Do it on a mat after a short walk or easy jog so the muscles are warm.
2Press start. The app names each move, cues it, and counts each interval down.
3Use it before a run as a primer or after one to loosen off — keep ranges comfortable.
4It runs six to ten minutes; switch pigeon for the supported version if a knee complains.

The moves

Standing hip circles20s · each side
Hold a support and draw slow circles with the knee — pain-free arc only.
Half-kneeling hip-flexor stretch30s · each side
Tuck the tailbone, squeeze the back glute, ease gently forward.
Pigeon pose40s · each side
Square the hips, keep the front shin comfortable, fold forward slowly.
Glute bridge30s
Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes at the top.
Clamshell30s · each side
Knees bent, open the top knee, keep your hips stacked.
90/90 hip switch40s
Stay tall, rotate from the hips, lower both knees side to side.

What it's good for

Opens the hip flexors and rotators that running keeps tight.
Fires the glutes with a bridge and clamshell so they share the load.
Works as a pre-run primer or a post-run loosen-off.

The evidence. Hip mobility and glute activation are commonly used by runners to move more freely and share load away from the knees; evidence supports short-term range-of-motion gains, with the biggest payoff from doing it consistently.

Safety

Knee-friendly by default — no routine here loads the knees deeply. Stop any move that causes sharp or pinching knee pain and use the gentler option offered; pad a kneeling knee with a cushion.
If pigeon pinches the front knee, use the supine/supported pigeon instead — it gives the same stretch off the joint.
Move slowly within a comfortable range and never force a stretch. Gentle mobility eases stiffness and improves range, but it is not a treatment for joint pathology — see a clinician for persistent or worsening hip or knee pain, or after an injury or surgery.

Frequently asked questions

Should I stretch my hips before or after running?: Use gentle mobility and glute activation like this before a run as a primer, and save longer holds for after when you're warm. This routine works either way — shorten the holds before, lengthen them after.
Why do runners get tight hips?: Running repeats a narrow range and keeps the hip flexors working hard, while the glutes can switch off. Mobility plus glute activation restores range and balance.
Is pigeon pose bad for your knees?: Pigeon is fine for many people but can stress a sensitive front knee. If yours complains, use the supine (lying) figure-4 version — you get the same glute and rotator stretch without loading the knee. This routine offers that swap.

Try another routine

Related calculators

Disclaimer. This guided session is low intensity and intended for healthy adults, but it is not medical advice. Move within a comfortable range, stop if anything hurts, and check with a clinician first if you're pregnant, recovering from injury or surgery, or managing a heart, joint or blood-pressure condition. FitHQ may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page.