For any Squash player looking to have any longevity in the sport, it would be wise to have a regime of exercises to keep hips supple alongside your cross-training strength and flexibility program.
Let us not forget in Squash you will do a lot of lunging, your hips will get tight, and you will walk oddly like a robot or a mummy from a horror movie, because of the stiffness in your hips.
There are so many hip exercises, you can do at the gym as a cool-down exercise, or in a comfortable space of your home; nevertheless, our recommendations are:
Kneeling hip flexor stretch
This stretching exercise is perhaps the most essential you can do in the gym – however, if you working out at home, it is recommended that you consider doing this one in a comfortable area.
First, kneel on your right knee, with toes down, and place your left foot flat on the floor in front of you, knee bent and aligned with ankle.
Then place your hands on your left thigh. Press hips forward until you feel the tension in the front of your right thigh. Extend arms overhead, with elbows close to head and palms facing each other, and slightly arch your back while keeping your chin parallel to the ground. Hold for 30 seconds, and then switch sides.
Spiderman stretch
Who would think a favourable character from a multi-billion pound movie franchise would a stretching exercise named after him? To do this stretching exercise, you must do the following:
- Get into the Push-Up position
- Step forward with left leg to the outside of left hand
- Drive hips forward into a stretch, holding for two seconds
- Return to start position and repeat with right leg
- Continue in alternating fashion for specified reps
Recommended Sets/Reps: 3×5 each leg
Butterfly stretch
This stretching exercise is very much one of the popular exercises for your hips, as you will sitting and will need to sit up straight and tall.
This stretch focuses on your inner thighs, groin, hips, and knees. Make sure you bring the soles of your feet together, knees opening out to the sides. Also, grasp your feet, ankles, and slowly lean forward, keeping your spine straight.
Spine Stretch
If you have been in the same, position for hours, because of a long sales meeting, your body will feel compressed. To combat this, the spine stretch is the best one to elongate your spine, to keep your muscles and body tissues limber to help you feel taller. This stretch involves rotation through the spine:
- Sitting with both feet on the ground, place your left hand on your left knee and your right hand behind you on the seat.
- By exhaling and twisting your torso to the right, keeping your hips forward and your shoulders down, then turning your head as if you are looking for something behind you.
- Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds, repeat on the other side and you feel your spine get taller, then breathe out, and unwind back to the front.
These stretches can help reduce the stiffness in your hip and are highly recommended, especially if you are sitting down all day.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are an amateur or professional Squash player after playing for a number of years you are bound to experience some form of pain or sharp pain that sounds so bad you end up swearing in agony.
Even if you are a young Squash player, there is a strong chance you will need to do hip-based exercises post-training or competition – as you do not want to have hip trouble at a young age.
So, it is important that you consult a physio not only for a posture assessment but if the pain persists once you return to playing. Furthermore, try to incorporate one or two into your workout and you will soon see and feel the difference in your walk, as a sense of reduced stiffness when walking.
