The psoas muscle (pronounced so-as) is part of the hip flexors. This muscle is located on the inner side of the core muscles on both sides of the body with the main function of lifting the thigh close to the chest. In addition, the psoas muscle is useful for stabilizing the lower back, pelvis, and hips. Sitting too long while working or driving often triggers stiffness or shortening of the psoas muscle. This condition can be treated by strengthening and stretching the psoas muscle along with the tendons and other muscles around it.
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Method 1 of 3: Stretching the Psoas Muscle
Step 1. Perform the psoas stretch while kneeling on 1 leg
Begin the exercise by kneeling on the floor with your right foot on the floor and bending your knee 90°. Make sure the spine until the tailbone is perpendicular to the floor. While contracting your glutes, push your hips forward until you feel a stretch.
- Hold for 20-30 seconds while breathing deeply. Do the same movement while kneeling and placing your left foot on the floor.
- To overcome stiffness in the psoas muscle, do this movement 2-3 times a day.
Step 2. Combine the psoas stretch with the quadriceps stretch
The buttocks and quadriceps muscles support and strengthen the psoas muscle. To stretch these muscles simultaneously, continue the exercise in the step above by lifting your right leg off the floor and holding it with your right hand and bringing it close to your buttocks. After holding on for a moment, lower your right leg slowly to the floor and then do the same movement by lifting your left leg off the floor.
Step 3. Perform internal rotations to fully stretch the psoas muscle
This movement is done while kneeling on one leg and then pulling in the leg that is pointing back so that the psoas is fully stretched.
- In order to modify this movement with the correct technique, slightly move the leg that is pointing backwards so that it is in a diagonal position instead of straight back. Lift the sole of the foot off the floor and then bring it to the other foot so that the position is rotated inward.
- Hold for 30 seconds then do the same movement while resting on the other leg.
Step 4. Perform soldier I posture to isolate the psoas
Stand facing a wall and step your right foot a little further back. Bend your left knee and straighten your right leg while on tiptoe. Straighten your arms up and press against the wall with your palms. Push your hips forward until your left knee is bent 90°.
- Hold for 20-30 seconds while breathing deeply. Stand back up straight and do the same movement by stepping your left foot back.
- Beginners will find it more comfortable to do warrior I posture with the help of a wall. Even if you've been practicing yoga a lot, these posture modifications can still be helpful in isolating the psoas muscle.
Step 5. Perform the bridge posture to fully stretch the psoas muscle
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Pull your heels close to your buttocks. Straighten your arms at your sides with your palms pointing up. While activating your core muscles and breathing deeply, lift your hips off the floor so that your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
- Hold for 5-10 seconds then lower your body slowly to the floor. If you've practiced a few times, hold on a few seconds longer.
- Back-bending postures, such as the bridge posture, help you fully extend your hip muscles while stretching your psoas.
Step 6. Do the half frog posture for a more challenging exercise
Start the exercise by lying on your back and hugging your right knee in front of your chest while straightening your left leg. Hold for a moment until you feel comfortable and then lower your right knee to your left so that your right thigh crosses over your left thigh. While still bending your right knee, roll over to your left so that your right thigh is perpendicular to your hip and then lie on your stomach.
- While lying down, you can straighten your arms up or spread them out to the sides while bending your elbows 90°.
- Lift your upper body off the floor so that your shoulder blades are perpendicular to the floor. The higher the body is lifted off the floor, the more intense the stretch on the psoas. Hold for 10-15 seconds and then slowly return to lying on your back. Perform the same movement by pulling the left knee to the chest.
Step 7. Perform hip muscle extensions
Cycling and running often cause tension in the hip flexors. Overcome this by exercising that stretches your hip muscles, such as rollerblading or ice skating.
If you work out at the gym, do cross training or use an elliptical machine in addition to running on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike
Method 2 of 3: Strengthening the Psoas Muscle
Step 1. Do a warm-up exercise by walking like Frankenstein
Stand straight while pulling your shoulders back slightly. Prepare an area that is spacious enough so that you can walk straight ahead with wide strides. Extend both arms forward parallel to the floor. With each step, straighten your legs in front of you and lift them as high as you can. Lower your foot to the floor while stepping forward and then lift the other leg in the same way.
- Perform this movement 10 steps forward, reverse direction, then walk 10 steps back to the starting position.
- Try to keep your back straight as you walk. Usually, your body will lean forward when you lift your leg if your psoas and hamstring muscles are stiff.
- This movement makes you step forward with your body and legs straight like the monster in Frankenstein. In addition to stretching the psoas muscle, this movement is useful as a warm-up exercise to flex the lower body.
Step 2. Do the boat posture to contract the psoas muscle
Start the exercise by sitting up straight on the floor, bending your knees and placing your feet on the floor. Straighten your arms in front of you and grab your shins. Lean back while straightening your back. When your elbows are straight, remove your hands from your shins, but keep them parallel to the floor.
- Hold for 20-30 seconds while breathing deeply.
- Get into perfect boat posture by straightening your legs up so that your body and legs form a V shape. Modify by straightening your arms parallel to the floor without holding your feet. Start practicing by holding out for 10-15 seconds. As your muscles get stronger, hold on for 5 seconds longer with each exercise.
- In addition to strengthening the psoas muscle, boat posture is useful for training body balance while strengthening the back muscles and core muscles.
Step 3. Perform a reverse plank (reverse plank posture)
Sit on the floor with your palms behind your buttocks shoulder-width apart with your fingers facing forward. Activate your glutes and hamstrings and lift your hips off the floor while straightening your elbows and bending your knees 90°.
Hold on for 20-30 seconds if it's your first time practicing. When the muscles are stronger, do this posture for 30-60 seconds while straightening your legs, pulling your shoulders back, and straightening your arms
Step 4. Perform leg lifts (leg lifts) to strengthen the psoas muscle
While hanging on a pole to practice pull ups, lift both legs close to your chest while bending your knees. Use the strength of your core muscles to do this movement to keep your body from moving. Don't take advantage of the momentum to swing your leg up.
- Start practicing by doing this movement 5-10 times. As the psoas and surrounding muscles get stronger, gradually increase the amount of movement.
- Make sure the post is high enough for you to hang on while extending your arms and legs off the floor.
- If you don't have a bar for doing pull ups, sit in a chair and lift your legs as high as you can. You can bend your knees to make the exercise less strenuous or straighten your legs if you want something more challenging. Hold for 10-15 seconds, lower your feet to the floor, doing the same movement several times.
Method 3 of 3: Testing and Protecting the Psoas Muscle
Step 1. Perform the Thomas test to evaluate psoas muscle flexibility
Lie on your back on a bench (for weight training) or on a table. Make sure your butt is on the edge of the table and hug your right knee in front of your chest. Straighten your left leg and lower it to the floor without lifting your back off the table. Do the same movement by hugging your left knee in front of your chest.
- If the psoas muscle is stiff, the leg cannot come down to the floor. You may need to arch your lower back to lower your legs.
- Often, the left and right psoas flexures are different. If you experience this, exercise the stiff muscles more to balance the flexibility.
Step 2. Evaluate the strength of the psoas muscle
Stand leaning against a wall and lift 1 leg up until your knees are at hip level while bending your knees 90° and hold for 30 seconds.
- This exercise is also useful for testing the strength of other muscles, such as the buttocks muscles. Do the test on both feet.
- Basically, the psoas muscle is relatively strong. You don't need to strengthen stiff muscles. If you are able to stand 1 time for 30 seconds, the psoas muscle is quite strong. If you can't hold on to 30 seconds, do hip flexors to strengthen the psoas muscles.
Step 3. Take a break if you need to sit for a long time
Sitting working or driving for long hours makes the psoas muscle stiff and shorten. In addition, the muscles become weak if you sit too much.
- When working at the computer, take the time to get up and walk for a while after sitting for about 1 hour. If possible, use a height-adjustable workbench or work standing up so you don't sit too long.
- Every 1-2 hours sitting in the car while traveling long distances, stop by the rest area for a leisurely walk to relax your legs and hips.
