If you have just had surgery or if you have mobility issues, then one of the best ways to help that is by doing some hip strengthening exercises for seniors. There are many options that would be available and some of them you can do while you are sitting down or you can do them while you are standing up. Read Here: Best Treadmill Machines For Walking

Here is everything that you are going to want to know about this, including why you would need to do them, how to do them and when you might want to do them, so keep reading on. Read Here: Top 5 Best CrossFit Shoes

 

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Why You Need to Do Hip Strengthening Exercises

hip strengthening exercises for seniors

If your waist area isn’t as strong as it should be, then hip strengthening exercises for seniors are a great way to increase mobility. This can be done as part of physical therapy after you have had an injury or even if you have had surgery. It might also be something that your doctor would recommend if your mobility isn’t as good as it should be and if you want to increase it.

If you have any questions about whether or not this would be a good idea for you or your loved one, then the best way to get the answer is to talk to the doctor. They would let you know if this would be able to assist them and if they would see any major benefits from the workouts. Also, make sure that you are asking them if you can do it yourself or if you would need the help of a therapist or other type of expert who has experience in helping with this type of work.

 

BENEFITS OF STARTING HIP STRENGTHENING EXERCISES

When you are thinking about starting or doing hip strengthening exercises for seniors there is going to be a wide variety of benefits that you can get. Some of them include:

  • Stronger gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles
  • Easier mobility and the ability to walk easier
  • Allows you to keep yourself in the best condition
  • Faster recuperation from injuries or surgery
  • Prevention of needing future surgery
  • Lowers the risks of future injuries
  • Maintenance of a healthy weight
  • Increases the blood flow
  • Reduction of pain levels
  • Boosts balance and stability
  • Improvement in the lean muscle mass

Make sure that if you are thinking about any of these or if you want to see a higher quality of life that you are using the hip strengthening exercises for seniors in your daily life. Start out with a few repetitions every day and then start increasing them as you see the benefits and the muscles become stronger.

WHAT ARE THE MUSCLES TO TARGET?

 

When it comes to hip strengthening exercises for seniors there are a few muscles that you are going to want to target during the workout. These include:

  • Gluteus maximus, which is the main muscle for extending
  • Gluteus medius, which is the main muscle in this area

This means that you are going to be working to strengthen both of these muscles that are on the sides and the back of the area. You should ensure that you aren’t overworking the IT band or TFL (tensor fasciae latae) that is on the front of the joint area. If this muscle is overused, then you can suffer from unwanted back, knee or general pain in the area.

The stronger these muscles are, then the less pain and issues you are going to have to deal with when you are trying to walk. Make sure that you are asking the doctor to tell you where these muscles are so that you can be sure you are feeling the stretching in the right places. Go ahead and start working on these muscles so you can be stronger and fitter now.

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What Exercises to Do

hip strengthening exercises for seniors

There are plenty of hip strengthening exercises for seniors that one can do, but do you know what they are? Here are a few of them, such as:

Straight leg raise

  1. Lie down flat on the right side
  2. Bend the left leg so that your foot is resting on the ground
  3. Slowly lift the leg on top around 2 feet above the ground
  4. Hold the leg up for around 5 seconds and then slowly lower it
  5. Repeat this 5 times and then change to the left side

Isometric Gluteus Medius Exercise

  1. Lie on the left or right side
  2. Wrap a belt loosely around both of your ankles
  3. Lift the top leg up while pushing against the resistance of the belt and keep the knee straight
  4. Hold this for 5 seconds
  5. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides

Wall Slide

  1. Stand straight against the wall with your feet about shoulder distance apart
  2. Slowly start to bend the knees while sliding your back against the wall while you count to 5 until the knees reach a 45° angle
  3. Hold for 5 seconds
  4. Start to straighten the knees for a count to 5 while sliding back up the wall
  5. Repeat 5 times

Hip Flexion

  1. Stand up completely straight
  2. Lift one leg off the floor and bend it to create a 90° angle from your hip
  3. Hold this for 5 seconds and then lower the leg slowly
  4. Repeat this 5 times for one side and then do the other side

Frankenstein Walk

  1. Stand up with your arms fully extended to the front with the palms facing down
  2. Walk forward while swinging your legs out straight so they are fully extended
  3. Lower the leg to the ground and do the same with the opposite leg
  4. Do this for 1 minute

Hip Circles

  1. Stand just on your right leg with the left leg tilted
  2. Move the right leg in small circles
  3. Do the circular motion around 20 times
  4. Repeat for the left leg

Sidestep Exercise

  1. Stand up in a half squat position using a resistance band in the lower thigh area
  2. Use the muscles while you take small steps to either the left or right
  3. Take  8 to 15 steps in a single direction
  4. Do the same for the opposite side

Lateral step up

  1. Hold a weighted plate or dumbbells in both hands out from the chest
  2. Have a box or bench to the right side
  3. Bend the right knee and put the foot on the bench
  4. Stand straight while tapping the left foot to the bench
  5. Slowly lower the left foot to the ground
  6. Do 8 to 15 repetitions 2 to 3 times

Hip Marching

  1. Sit close to the edge of your chair
  2. Raise the left leg up as high as you can with the knee bent
  3. Slowly and with some control lower the foot
  4. Do the right side
  5. Repeat the first 4 steps 2 to 3 times

Floor hip flexors

  1. Lie flat on your back and pull one leg towards your chest
  2. Press the opposite knee into the ground so you feel a stretching sensation
  3. Hold this for around 30 seconds
  4. Do on each side 2 to 3 times

Butterfly Pose

  1. Sit so your knees are bent with the bottom of your feet touching
  2. Interlace the fingers under your feet and press the knees down gently with your elbows
  3. Hold for 30 seconds and then move forward so your arms are extended
  4. Hold for up to 1 minute

Knee to chest pose

  1. Lie on the floor on your back with knees pulled in towards the chest
  2. Wrap your arms around the legs
  3. Tuck your chin into the chest to lengthen the neck
  4. Hold for around 30 seconds
  5. Repeat 2 to 3 times

These hip strengthening exercises for seniors can be done around 3 to 5 times every week and you should ensure that you are giving your muscles time to rest in between. This is important since you are going to want to make sure that the muscles are given the chance to heal if any injury happens or just rest.

Tips for Starting Hip Strengthening Exercises

hip strengthening exercises for seniors

For those who need to start the hip strengthening exercises for seniors, there are a few tips that you are must follow to make it easier on you, such as:

  • Following all of the instructions from the therapist or doctor
  • Doing the required number of repetitions daily
  • Start out with a  lower number of repetitions and working up as the muscles become stronger
  • Stop if you feel any significant amount of pain
  • Do the workouts that work the best for you since they don’t all work for everyone
  • Do them exactly as shown or described
  • Do them regularly and at the same time every day
  • Ensure you are giving at least 24 hours of the break for the muscles to recuperate

These are just some of the tips that will help ensure that you are getting the most out of these workouts and to help you achieve the right amount of mobility. Go ahead and ask for advice if you need it since there are plenty of trained professionals around to answer your questions or to show you some simple stretches.

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Questions to Ask My Doctor or Therapist

If you are thinking about starting these stretches and activities you should make sure that you are talking to your doctor beforehand. This would ensure that you are in the right health to undertake them and they can give you recommendations about what to do. Here are some questions that you might want to ask your doctor, including:

  • Will the hip strengthening exercises for seniors help me?
  • What types of workouts and stretching should I be doing?
  • Will this help to lower my pain?
  • Can I do this at home?
  • Do these types of stretches need to be done by an expert?
  • Should I use weights, bands and other items with my workout?
  • How often should I be doing this?
  • What do I need to do if I hurt myself?
  • Will this help any of my current ailments?
  • Will it aggravate any of the current issues I am facing?
  • How long and how often do I need to do the stretches?
  • Is there a good time of the day to do them or can I do them whenever I have time?
  • Do I need to do it for both sides? What happens if I don’t?
  • What are the muscles I am trying to make stronger?
  • What muscles will this help?

Go ahead and make sure that you are getting the answers to the questions that you are facing and the doctor would be able to answer them all. You shouldn’t ever work out before you talk to your doctor and they would let you know if they think this is going to be a viable option. If you have any other questions that you want to ask them, then make sure to write them down so you are fully informed before you start.

It is extremely important that you are aware of what some of the best hip strengthening exercises for seniors are and that you are using them if needed. These can help with mobility along with making the muscles stronger, which will keep you from falling over or even from being in a lot of pain.

If you are going to be helping an elderly individual with the stretching, then you need to know which ones would be ideal for them. Go ahead and ask the doctor any questions that you might have to get all of the answers that you need before you get started on this journey.