Why Your Hips Are the Key to Running Faster & Staying Injury-Free

Ask most runners what they train, and they’ll tell you about their legs. Ask most footballers, and they’ll talk about their quads and hamstrings. But here’s the truth — if you’re not training your hips, you’re training around the most important joint in your entire athletic body.

At CoreMVMT, we see it every week in clinic — knee pain that’s actually a hip problem. Back pain caused by tight hip flexors. Hamstring strains that keep coming back because the glutes aren’t strong enough. The hip is where it all starts, and if yours aren’t strong, mobile, and stable, your performance will suffer and injury is only a matter of time.

Here’s what every runner and footballer needs to understand about their hips — and what to do about it.

The hip joint connects your pelvis to your femur and moves in every direction — flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and rotation. That’s six planes of movement, and sport demands all of them. Every stride you take as a runner requires your hip flexors to drive the leg forward and your glutes to drive it back. Every cut, pivot, kick, and tackle a footballer makes starts at the hip. When the hip is weak or restricted, other structures compensate. That’s when knees, lower backs, and hamstrings start breaking down.

Category 1: Hip Flexor Mobility

Movement: Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch with Reach

Drop into a half-kneeling position with one knee on the floor and the other foot forward. Squeeze the glute of your back leg and gently drive your hips forward until you feel a stretch through the front of the back hip. From here, reach the arm on the same side as the back knee up and overhead to the opposite side, creating a deep stretch through the hip flexor and thoracic spine. Hold for 30-45 seconds and breathe deeply. Tight hip flexors tilt the pelvis forward, compress the lower back, and shut down glute activation — making this stretch one of the highest-value drills any runner or footballer can do daily.

Coach’s Tip: Squeeze the glute of your back leg before driving forward. This activates the opposing muscle and deepens the stretch dramatically. If you don’t feel it in the front of the hip, squeeze harder.

Muscles Targeted

• Iliopsoas (hip flexor)

• Rectus Femoris

• Thoracolumbar Fascia

• Gluteus Maximus (reciprocal inhibition)

Movement: Banded Hip Flexor Marches

Attach a resistance band to a fixed point at ankle height, or step into a loop band and place it around both ankles. Stand tall with a slight bend in your knees. Keeping your core braced and your torso upright, drive one knee up toward hip height in a slow, controlled march. Lower it down and repeat on the other side. The band adds resistance directly to the hip flexor at the top of the movement, building the active strength that passive stretching alone can’t develop. For runners, strong hip flexors mean a more powerful stride and better running economy. For footballers, they’re essential for kicking power, acceleration, and change of direction..

Coach’s Tip: Keep your torso completely upright — don’t lean back as you lift the knee. Think tall spine, tight core. If you can’t feel it in the hip flexor, slow the movement down and focus on the last 10 degrees at the top of the march.

Muscles Targeted

• Iliopsoas

• Rectus Femoris

• Tensor Fasciae Latae

• Gluteus Maximus (stabilisation)

Category 3: Hip Mobility & Internal Rotation

Movement: 90/90 Hip Rotation

Sit on the floor with both legs bent to 90 degrees — one leg in front (front hip in external rotation) and one leg behind (back hip in internal rotation). Sit tall through your spine and place your hands on the floor for support. Gently press both knees toward the ground, feeling a deep stretch through the hip of whichever leg is most restricted. Hold for 30-60 seconds, then rotate to switch sides. Hip internal rotation is one of the most commonly lost movement qualities in athletes, and restricted hip IR directly contributes to lower back pain, groin strains, and knee tracking issues.

Coach’s Tip: Don’t force the knees down — use your breath. Exhale slowly and let gravity do the work. The 90/90 position can also be used as a dynamic warm-up drill by slowly rotating side to side before training.

• Hip External Rotators (piriformis, deep six)

• Hip Internal Rotators

• Adductor Group

Movement: Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Stand on one leg with a soft bend in the knee. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in the opposite hand. Hinge forward at the hip, keeping your back flat and your standing leg’s hip stacked over the foot. Let the weight travel toward the floor as your free leg extends behind you for balance. Return to standing by driving through the heel and squeezing the glute. The single-leg RDL is one of the best drills for building the hip stability and proprioception that running and football demand with every single stride. It also exposes and corrects side-to-side imbalances that lead to overuse injuries.

Coach’s Tip: Start with bodyweight and focus on keeping your hip level — not letting it drop or rotate as you hinge. Use a wall or chair for support until your balance improves. Once solid, add load.

Muscles Targeted

• Gluteus Maximus & Medius

• Hamstrings

• Hip Stabilisers & Proprioceptors

• Erector Spinae

Whether you’re a 5km runner, a marathon athlete, or a footballer training six days a week — your hips are the foundation of everything. Mobility, activation, stability, and strength: address all four and you’ll run faster, move more efficiently, and stay on the field and track for longer.

If you’re dealing with recurring hip, knee, or back issues, or you simply want to move better, book in with the CoreMVMT team. We’ll assess exactly what your hips need and build a plan to fix it.Your Hips Are the FoundationVariations