Hip Mobility and Lower Body Stretch Routine for Climbers (Follow-Along)
Hooper’s Beta Ep. 37
Intro
In response to the last stretch 101 video I wanted to post my stretch routine I generally do before I start climbing to loosen up my legs and hips. This routine is designed to address some of my weaknesses while also keeping them as appropriate for climbing as possible. You’ll see a lot of adductor work so I can get those big foot reaches while staying close to the wall, and a lot of hip work so I can comfortably get those high knees.
You’ll notice that I do a combination of a little foam roll warm up, some dynamic stretches, and into some light static. I don’t try and hold the positions for too long so that I don’t start to rob my muscles of any power, but I hold them long enough to get the awesome effects you’ll see at the end of the video.
You can try this full routine out for yourself, or just pick what is applicable to you. If you have any specific questions about this in the future please comment and we will try and make some more specific videos.
We start with a little pre-stretch demonstration of mobility. Like most people, I start off a little tight, but let’s see how in less than 10 minutes I can open everything up!
The Pre-stretch Testing
Hamstring length - you can see I am a couple inches away from the floor when I first feel the stretch.
Adductor length - the yoga mat is a good measure to see how far my feet are from the ends
Deep squat position - this I have worked on *a lot* and I can comfortably sit in this position right away now, but I typically need to use my arms to stay in the position as my tight hips want to kick me backwards. Pay attention to the improved mobility at the end of the video.
The Stretches
Adductor stretch with lateral reach
I love using a dowel or band for this. It create more tension in my upper body and core which helps me as I move through these dynamic movements. If you don’t have that tool available, no problem, just emulate it with the same hand movements.
These moves are kept dynamic so I am never stopping for long at one spot.
Garlands pose/deep squat into hamstring stretch
I love this combo move, and there are a few great modifications you can do to make it even better.
For the garland / deep squat pose, I will work my feet further out to get different stretches, and I will place my arms inside of my thighs to push my legs out into a deeper stretch. Not only does that improve the stretch, but helps you to stay in position. If you can’t maintain this, hold something sturdy in front of you and work into the stretch.
When I stand up, I will do both a straight leg and a bent leg version. Both are targeting the hamstring, but shifting the attention to different parts of the muscle. Keeping the knees straight then shifting at the hips will feel different than shifting at the hips first then trying to straighten the leg. Essentially, you are creating tension at the insertion (knees stretch) vs. at the origin (knees bent). Both are great, but see if you feel a difference! Make sure to work both for optimal mobility.
Runners stretch with modifications
This stretch is quite helpful to work on my hip range and high knees for climbing.
Start with some dynamic movements to help open up the hips, then allow yourself to sink further in to the stretch.
Reach the hand underneath the knee, essentially to drop the chest further to the ground.
Pigeon pose
The pigeon pose is more about improving my flexion and external rotation of my hips, which will be followed up with a hip internal rotation stretch.
Notice that I will keep my feet out rather than letting it sink under my thigh. This is more aggressive but works more on the external rotation aspect.
Hip IR stretch
This is a weakness for me on the left hip. I have an old hip injury and my capsule on my left hip got tight over time. But, I have been working diligently on loosening it up. This use to be nearly impossible but with good, consistent work, it has improved! It’s never too late to work on mobility.
Jefferson’s stretch
This is a wonderful stretch, if done right. You should be moving segment by segment and you want to add the least amount of weight you need to get a good stretch, you don’t need to use a heavy weight to benefit from this stretch. You can stand on an object to get even greater depth from this (if needed) or just adjust the position of the weight.
If you feel any numbness or tingling, either 1) lift your head at the bottom of the movement or 2) stop doing this stretch
make sure you are not just hinging at the hip during this movement, it is meant to be a segmental mobility stretch so needs to be done step by step.
Straight and Bent Leg Adductor Stretch
The best for last? The all important split leg adductor stretch with both straight leg and bent leg positions
Straight leg will hit the gracilis muscle more whereas bent leg will hit adductor longus, brevis, magnus, pectineus, etc
So you can see, bent leg version is important
Work with trunk forward flexion and extension and work on reaching left to right both with the legs bent and straight. This again will keep it more dynamic but will also help isolate specific impairments better.
(note: Sometimes I’ll throw in a calf stretch as well if I feel like I have gotten tight but I generally have pretty good mobility there so I’m not too worried about it. Feel free to work it into your routine! Downward dog is great for this.
Post Stretching! All the gains!
I hope you guys enjoyed this video, but what else are you guys interested in? Foot/ankle stretching? Deep squat gains? Etc. Post or comment and we will work on a video to help!
Train. Climb. Send. Repeat.
Disclaimer:
As always, exercises are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting new exercises.
Written and Presented by Jason Hooper, PT, DPT, OCS, CAFS
IG: @hoopersbetaofficial
Filming and Editing by Emile Modesitt
www.emilemodesitt.com
IG: @emile166
