Why Your Clients Always Feel Their Hip Flexors
- theziblingsalipoon
- Jul 2
- 2 min read
Few pieces of feedback frustrate instructors more than hearing:
"I just felt that in my hip flexors."
The immediate assumption is often:
"The client's hip flexors are tight."
But that's rarely the whole story.
Understanding why clients dominate with their hip flexors changes how you programme, cue and modify.
The Hip Flexors Are Doing Their Job
The iliopsoas is designed to flex the hip.
Exercises like:
Hundreds
Double leg stretch
Teaser
Leg lowers
Feet in straps
Rollovers
All require significant hip flexor contribution.
Feeling them isn't automatically a problem.
The question is whether they're contributing appropriately—or compensating.
Common Reasons Hip Flexors Dominate
Poor Abdominal Pressure Management
When clients struggle to manage intra-abdominal pressure, the hip flexors often increase their contribution to stabilise the trunk.
Limited Hip Extension
Clients who spend prolonged periods sitting often lack hip extension. This changes movement strategies throughout many Pilates exercises.
Weak Gluteals
Reduced posterior chain contribution frequently shifts more work towards the anterior hip.
Programming Too Far Ahead
Many instructors progress lever length before clients have developed sufficient trunk control.
The exercise isn't wrong.
The progression timing is.
Better Questions to Ask
Rather than asking:
"How do I switch the hip flexors off?"
Ask:
"Why are they working so hard?"
That question completely changes your clinical reasoning.
Professional Reflection
Confident instructors stop chasing muscles.
Instead, they analyse movement systems.
That's where real programming begins.
Continue Your Education
Our Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics Certification teaches instructors how anatomy translates into real movement, compensations, cueing and exercise selection across both mat and reformer classes.
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