The Hooklying Hip Flexor Exercise

For golfers with low back pain, hip tightness and restriction, and even referring nerve pain down the leg, the movement of the pelvis and hip can be a major player in the rehab process. I want to walk you through a movement that helps address hip mobility, restore pelvis and low back mobility, and relieve tension through the low back and hip. This is the hooklying hip flexor move. 

The hooklying hip flexor 

Here is what this exercise achieves. The hip joint moves through extension (pushing the ball of the hip into the front of the hip capsule), the glute and hamstring of the same side activate the drive us into hip extension, and the pelvis is oriented into a posterior tilt (a stretch or lengthening of the low back muscles). When we maintain this posterior tilt through hip extension, we inhibit the biggest problem golfers with low back pain have, over-active lumbar paraspinals. The chronic tightness and hypertonicity of these low back muscles shut down movement in posterior and anterior tilt at the pelvis (two moves critical for the golf swing) and create consent compression at the vertebrae of the low back.  

An ongoing problem with golfers (and most active adults) is that the pelvis, hip, and low back begin to lose mobility and independent motion. Instead, these regions begin moving together as one big unit. One of the first things to go is true hip extension, or the action of pulling your leg behind you. This range of motion is smaller than most, but it is important to get right. Instead, these golfers with low back pain have lost this ability at the hip and instead orient their pelvis into a forward tilt along with the low back and the hip, making it look like hip extension is happening but instead just creating more compression the lumbar spine. 

Benefits of the hooklying hip flexor move

1. True hip extension 

This position is designed to limit you from using compensation patterns and forces the hip to move anteriorly in the hip socket. This explores the space in the front of the hip and creates a stretch for the hip capsule that has been missing in most for a long time. 

2. Pelvis and low back mobility 

With the hip actually creating the hip extension again, the pelvis is being limited from compensating, and instead is being driven and maintained in a posterior tilt. This will encourage the SI joints and lumbar vertebrae to move independently again to allow the position to progress. This relative motion at the lumbar spine and pelvis will create stretch and lengthening of these muscles as they should, giving us a moment without compression again at the low back. 

3. Improvement of the hip extension pattern 

We are now training true hip extension. This means the hip, pelvis, and low back are moving independently to create hip extension while the glute and hamstring muscles are pulling the hip into this position. This is an important change from the low back driven pattern of hip extension that plagues most active adults today. Building on this will be important to make sure we maintain and continue to improve hip mobility and create lasting motor control. Check out the article below for more drills and exercises to improve hip extension... 

-What is hip extension and why is it critical for golf performance? 

Conclusion

A strong golf swing depends on the ability of the hips, pelvis, and low back to move independently. When those areas lose their individual motion, the lumbar spine often compensates, leading to stiffness, excessive compression, and eventually pain. The hooklying hip flexor move helps reverse this pattern by restoring true hip extension, improving pelvic control, and reducing unnecessary stress on the low back. Over time, this exercise can improve mobility, retrain proper movement patterns, and create a more efficient, pain-free golf swing. If you struggle with persistent low back pain or hip tightness, don't just stretch what feels tight—restore the movement your body has lost. Once this foundation is rebuilt, you can progress to more advanced hip extension and rotational exercises that carry over directly to the golf swing and help you play longer with less pain.