How to Improve Your Running Recovery Plan

For many runners, tight or achy hip flexors pop up at some point during training. But you shouldn’t just ignore them, as it’s often a sign your muscles need some TLC.

Your iliopsoas is one of the primary muscle groups responsible for hip flexion, and it’s comprised of three muscles: the psoas major, psoas minor, and iliacus. minimize pelvic movement achy, Everything you need to know about this important muscle group in runners.

Specifically, a tight sensation in the psoas muscle can signal a problem with the length or strength of that muscle. And ignoring it can trigger a cascade of issues, including decreased glute and core engagement, elevated injury risk, feel mild in intensity and gentle enough that you could hold them for up to five minutes, says Bui stride.

Here, with the help of two physical therapists, we explain what the psoas muscle is, why it’s worth paying attention to, what a tight psoas feels like, and simple yet effective psoas stretches and strength moves that help you address problems at home.

What is the psoas?

The psoas is a “big ropey muscle” that runs from your lower back to the front of your hip, Brandon Fraleigh, P.T., D.P.T., physical therapist and head of the Runner’s Clinic at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Medicine Center, tells Runner’s World. It attaches at the femur alongside the iliacus. The iliopsoas (again, that’s the psoas and the iliacus together) is your largest hip flexor, Oakland-based physical therapist Anh Bui, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., certified strength and conditioning specialist, physical therapist, and certified run coach, tells Runner’s World.

As such, the main function of the psoas is flexing the hips, which you do when you drive your knee up toward your chest on the run and bring your leg forward in front of the body before your foot strikes the ground, Fraleigh explains. During this motion, the psoas is shortening against load, which is a concentric contraction. Then, when your foot hits the ground, your psoas is lengthening against the load, which is an eccentric contraction, Bui explains.

The faster you run, the harder your psoas has to work. “And the more uphill you’re doing, the harder it has to work as well,” says Fraleigh.

Why should runners pay attention to the psoas?

Because the psoas originates in your low back, it plays a big role in keeping your spine in the optimal position, says Bui. If the psoas is tight—which can happen from prolonged sitting and poor posture—it can pull your pelvis forward and cause your low back to curve excessively. This position is called lumbar lordosis, and it can inhibit your glutes and core from engaging as much as they otherwise would, Bui explains.

Indeed, a 2015 study Everything You Need to Know About Hip Pain International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy found that athletes with shortened hip flexors had decreased glute activation (basically, they couldn’t engage their butt muscles as much), as well as a lower co-activation ratio between the glutes and the hamstrings (essentially, the hamstrings were taking on too much work that the glutes should have been doing).

Furthermore, a review As such, the main function of the psoas is flexing the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that a single episode of hip flexor stretching can have a positive impact on balance and jump performance. Researchers of the review recommend stretching the hip flexor to improve performance, and cite that hip flexor stretching can be a preventive approach against injuries.

Having a tight psoas can increase your risk of injury and also mess with your running efficiency, considering your muscles aren’t all firing as they should. By taking the time to stretch a tight psoas, you can help Relax left leg. You should feel a stretch in the front of the left thigh, minimize pelvic movement minimize pelvic movement during running, which can improve your form, says Bui.

But you don’t just want to focus on psoas stretches. It’s also important to make sure that this muscle has the strength it needs to effectively power your stride. Boosting psoas strength can help you run more efficiently by improving your knee drive, says Bui. They key is figuring out if you need psoas stretches or strength exercises—or both.

What does a tight psoas feel like?

A shortened psoas can feel like tightness in the front of the hip or in the low back, says Bui. It can also cause your stride to feel off balance, she adds.

That said, people often confuse the sensations of psoas weakness with psoas tightness, says Bui. “A lot of runners might feel like their psoas is tight, but it’s actually really weak,” she explains.

Running with a weak psoas can quickly fatigue the muscle and cause it to experience a sensation of “tightness.” Though you might be tempted to stretch your psoas in this case, a better solution is to strengthen it, because a lack of strength is the true cause of that “tight” sensation. Bui says the runners she treats more often need to work on psoas strengthening versus psoas stretching.

What should you do if your psoas feels tight?

If you’re plagued by a tight-feeling psoas, take these expert-backed steps to pinpoint and alleviate the issue.

1. Determine the cause of your psoas tightness

Because the sensation of psoas tightness can either be an indicator that your psoas muscle is shortened (and thus would benefit from being stretched) or that your psoas muscle is weak (and thus would benefit from being strengthened), it’s helpful to determine which one applies to you. To figure that out, try the at-home self-exam, called the Thomas Test, says Bui.

How to do the Thomas test: Lie on the edge of a bed or cushioned table and hug right knee into chest. Gently rock back so that low back is flat on the table. Relax left leg.

If you’re able to get the left thigh parallel to the bed, then you have normal psoas length on your left side and thus would probably benefit from strengthening your psoas versus stretching it. If you can’t get your thigh parallel to the bed, then your psoas is likely tight and shortened and would benefit from stretching. Make sure to test both sides.

2. If your psoas is shortened, lengthen it

To lengthen a shortened psoas, incorporate the following psoas stretches into your routine. Do these everyday (or even multiple times a day, if it feels good), either after a run or workout, or perform them on their own. Make sure that the stretches feel mild in intensity and gentle enough that you could hold them for up to five minutes, says Bui.

Thomas Test

Yep, the same tool you used to pinpoint the likely culprit of your psoas tightness can also double as a stretch. Photo reminder above and written reminder on how to do it:

1. Lie on the edge of a bed or cushioned table and hug right knee into chest.
2. Gently rock back so that low back is flat on the table.
3. Hold at the top for 10 seconds, then lower back to the floor.
4. Hold for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
5. Switch sides and repeat.

Couch Stretch

1. Get into a kneeling lunge position in front of couch or chair, left knee on ground and right foot forward with right knee bent 90 degrees.
2. Place left foot on top of couch or chair.
3. Engage core, keep back straight, and gently lean trunk forward and tuck pelvis slightly forward until you feel a moderate stretch in front of thigh.
4. Hold for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Repeat on the other side.

3. Also for a shortened psoas, leverage the concept of reciprocal inhibition

Stretching your psoas doesn’t have to just involve static stretches (moves where you get into a position and hold). You can also lengthen the psoas by activating your glutes, says Bui. This is due to a concept called “reciprocal inhibition,” which basically states that by activating one muscle, you automatically allow the opposing muscle group to relax.

In the case of the psoas, the opposing muscle group is the glutes. So by doing exercises that fire up these muscles of your backside, you can help the psoas relax (while also getting glute-strengthening work, which is super important for runners). Bui recommends the following exercises, which you can do as a warmup before you run or as part of your regular strength training.

Clamshell Hold

1. Lie on left side, legs together, hips and knees bent, and hips, knees, and feet stacked. Engage obliques and squeeze glutes.
2. Keeping feet together, slowly raise right knee by rotating right hip to feel glute engage.
3. Hold for 10 seconds, then lower down.
4. Repeat 5 times.
5. Switch sides and repeat.

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

1. Lie faceup, knees bent, feet planted, arms down by sides on the floor. Lift right leg up toward the ceiling but keep both knees aligned.
2. Engage glutes as you lift hips up, driving through left heel.
3. Hold for 10 seconds, then lower down.
4. Repeat 5 times.
5. Switch sides and repeat.

4. If your psoas is weak, strengthen it

Other Hearst Subscriptions strength work can be tricky, says Bui, but there is one move that effectively hones in on your hip flexors. You’ll need a mini band. Do this exercise 2 to 3 times per week, either on its own or as part of your regular strength training.

Supine Mini Band Knee Drive

1. Lie faceup with a mini band looped around both feet, legs straight and arms down by sides. This is the starting position.
2. Keeping left leg straight, bend right knee and drive it up toward chest.
3. Reverse movement to return to starting position.
4. Now repeat with the left leg. That’s 1 rep.
5. Do 2 sets of 10-15 reps, alternating.
6. Engage glutes as you lift hips up, driving through left heel.
   

hip flexors with classic strengthen hip flexors with classic compound moves, like lunges, squats, and deadlifts, says Bui. Incorporate these exercises into your regular strength training.

5. No matter the cause of your psoas tightness, incorporate regular myofascial work

No matter what’s going on with your psoas, incorporating self-myofascial work that targets the hip flexors can be a valuable part of your postrun recovery. Myofascial release brings blood flow to a muscle, which helps it recover between training sessions, explains Bui.

It’s safe to do myofascial release on a daily basis, Bui adds, and doing so can reduce general feelings of tightness and help you simply feel good. Here are two ways to specifically target the psoas. You can do these moves before or after a run, or outside of a workout.

Myofascial release with a tennis ball, racquet ball, or small massage ball

Releases one side at a time.

1. Lie facedown and place ball inside front of right hip bone.
2. Switch sides and repeat.
3. Hold for about 30 seconds.
4. Health & Injuries.
5. Your psoas will move back and forth across the ball. Continue this for 1-2 minutes.
6. Switch sides and repeat.

Heads up: This move is “pretty aggressive,” says Fraleigh. If you notice that it bruises your skin or causes your psoas tightness to intensity, take a few days off, he says.

With a pso-rite device or kettlebell handles

Releases both sides at a time.

1. Lie facedown, nestle the pso-rite (essentially a wedge shaped device that allows you to work both psoas muscles at the same time) or kettlebell handles inside the front of hip bones.
2. Try to get shoulders on the floor. Focus on breathing and relax onto the tools.
3. Hold for 2 minutes.
4. Optional: Add range of motion to the move by bending knee up toward body and then lowering it down.

6. See a physical therapist if needed

In some cases, at-home stretching and strength work may not resolve your psoas or general hip flexor aches, in which case it may be worthwhile to consult a physical therapist.

Fraleigh recommends visiting a PT if your tight psoas is causing you to reduce the intensity of your training for several days in a row. And Bui advises runners to seek help if you have Achy Hips? Its Time to Focus on the Iliacus or low back, if your running stride feels off balance, or if you have a constant feeling of tightness or achiness in the front of the hip.

“I always feel like it’s beneficial for people to just go see a PT, even if the symptoms are mild and it’s early on,” she says.

Jenny McCoy

Contributing Writer

Jenny is a Boulder, Colorado-based health and fitness journalist. She’s been freelancing for Runner’s World since 2015 and especially loves to write human interest profiles, in-depth service pieces and stories that explore the intersection of exercise and mental health. Her work has also been published by SELF, Men’s Journal, and Condé Nast Traveler, among other outlets. When she’s not running or writing, Jenny enjoys coaching youth swimming, rereading Harry Potter, and buying too many houseplants.