10 Easy Warmup Exercises For Your Hips
Daryl C. Rich, D.C., C.S.C.S.
[Core] Chiropractic and Wellness Center
The majority of us have little time to exercise and so we often skip the most important part of keeping your body healthy and pain free, the warmup! So as a reminder, here are 10 effective dynamic warm-up exercises to do before a run or any workout. These movements increase blood
flow, elevate your core temperature, improve range of motion, and activate key muscle groups (hips, legs, core, and upper body) without static holding. Pick four or five of your favorite exercises and aim for 10–20 reps (or 20–30 seconds) per exercise, moving continuously rather than pausing. The 5-7 minutes that you spend doing these exercises before your next workout or pickleball game will save you hours of recovering from sore muscles.
- High Knees—Jog in place (or move forward slowly) while driving your knees up toward your chest as high as comfortable. Pump your arms like running. This warms up hip flexors,
quads, and gets your heart rate up. - Butt Kicks—Jog in place or forward, kicking your heels back toward your glutes with each step. Keep your knees pointing down and focus on quick, light contacts. Great for hamstrings and quads.
- Leg Swings (Front-to-Back)—Hold onto a wall or stable surface for balance. Swing one leg forward and backward in a controlled arc, keeping it straight. Switch sides after reps. Loosens hips and hamstrings.
- Lateral Leg Swings—Face a wall or support, swing one leg side to side across your body in a controlled motion. Keep the swinging leg mostly straight. This opens up the hip abductors and adductors.
- Walking Lunges—Step forward into a lunge, lowering until both knees are bent ~90 degrees, then push off to step forward with the other leg. Alternate while walking forward. Add an optional overhead arm reach for extra core and upper-body activation. Targets glutes, quads, and hip flexors.
- Toy Soldier Walk (Straight-Leg Kicks)—Walk forward while kicking one straight leg up in front (trying to touch your opposite hand to your foot or shin). Keep the standing leg straight
and core engaged. Excellent for hamstrings and hip mobility. - Jumping Jacks— Don’t overlook this old tried and true exercise. Stand tall with your hands at your side. Jump up and spread legs out and arms overhead. Jump back to the starting position.
- A-Skips—Skip forward with high knee drive on each step, emphasizing quick ground contact and arm pump (opposite arm to knee). Mimics running mechanics and activates calves, glutes, and hip flexors.
- Hip Circles—Hands on hips or arms out for balance, make big circles with your hips (like hula hooping) — first clockwise, then counterclockwise. Mobilizes the hips and lower back.
- World’s Greatest Stretch (or Lunge with Twist)—Step into a deep lunge and rotate your torso
to reach the opposite arm toward the down leg. Hold briefly (1–2 seconds) then switch sides as you move forward. This hits hips, thoracic spine, groin, and core in one move.
Anytime you begin a new workout exercise remember to start slow and controlled, then pick up the pace as you feel warmer. I like to think of a warmup as if you are priming an old hand water pump. Start with small very controlled movements then pick up the pace and the range of motion as the body allows. If you like these exercises and want to use them as your strength building workout, then add a kettle bell or medicine ball to some of the exercises to add a bit of resistance.
Your warmup is the most powerful tool to reduce injury risk and make your run or workout feel smoother right from the start! At [Core] we love to fix running injuries and strains from your workout. But, even more than that, we love to help you prevent them! Our goal is to see every
patient continue to do what they love and to see you become healthier than you have ever been.
