By Bobby Aldridge

The Supine Groin Stretch opens your hips for a better golf swing

The supine groin stretch improves tight hip flexors, which are all too often reasons for back, shoulder, or foot pain. I know it sounds odd, but hear me out on this. Over my 30+ years as a strength and conditioning specialist, I’ve observed that sitting for prolonged periods of time is a big reason for hip flexors being tight. The supine groin stretch exercise will return your pelvis to a neutral position and help the muscles around your pelvis learn to hold it there. 

This directly impacts pain around the hips and lower back associated with hip bursitis, hip arthritis, degenerative hip, herniated disc, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, muscle spasms, spondylolisthesis, and sciatica. What does this mean for you at the end of the day? Less pain, more mobility, and a better golf game.

The Supine Groin Stretch loosens tight hip flexors and reduces low back pain.

How to perform the supine groin stretch:

  1. Lie on your back with one leg up over your ottoman or chair at 90 degrees.
  2. Your other leg is straight out on the floor with it propped up from the side so your foot doesn’t fall to the side
  3. You want to limit pronation and supination of the foot/ankle and foot abduction and adduction, which is very important for effective joint realignment up the entire body. This also helps maintain proper muscle length and tension throughout the leg and hip.
  4. Hold the ankle at about a 90-degree angle, which creates a slight lengthening pull on the triceps surea (or two major calf muscles – the soleus and gastrocnemius) via the Achilles tendon. The gastrocnemius has two heads that attach to the lateral and medial femoral condyles and, when lengthened in the Supine Groin Stretch, helps rotate your femur into a more neutral alignment and decreases tibial torsion.  
  5. Your arms should be at 45 degrees with your palms up. Relax your upper body and notice that your low back should begin to get flatter to the floor the longer you are in this position. BREATHE

The supine groin stretch is a simple exercise that will impact your body in many ways. I’ve seen clients use it to reduce pain in their neck and low back by loosening the hip flexors. It’s a super easy exercise. In fact, it’s so easy you don’t think it’s working, but the results can be immediate, and clients always see improvements with consistent use of the supine groin stretch exercise.

By using the BAM Mat and BloX you can do the supine groin stretch properly in your home or office.

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