5 Bed Exercises to Restore Hip Strength and Mobility

Maintaining strong, healthy hips is essential for graceful aging and an active lifestyle. Hips stabilize the pelvis and spine, boosting mobility for everyday tasks like climbing stairs. If gym time is limited, five simple bed exercises can restore hip strength, according to experts.

“As we receive older, we lose muscle mass, and muscles don’t fire as efficiently. Glutes, hip flexors, and deep stabilizers of the hip don’t work as well as they used to,” explains Suzana De Pina, Clinical Exercise Physiologist at Papayya. “This can lead to slower gait, shorter strides, and precarious balance, increasing the risk of falls. However, many people don’t specifically target their hips and legs for strengthening, leading to weakness even as hip power remains vital for balance and well-being.”

Bed exercises offer a gentle yet effective way to build strength without balance challenges or joint impact. “They are all gentle, but effective, and a good entry point for many older adults,” De Pina says.

1. Trunk Rotations

“This exercise stretches out your back,” notes De Pina. “It’s an incredibly intense strategy that is fundamental to the therapy regime, involving hip and trunk/core control.”

• Lie flat on your back.
• Bend your knees and preserve your feet flat.
• Move both knees to one side, then the other.
• Perform 10 repetitions on each side.

2. Modified Bridges

“This move strengthens your glutes and adductors, a muscle group responsible for stabilizing you when you walk,” explains De Pina.

• Plant both feet flat on the mattress.
• Lie flat on your back and press your hips 2 inches off the bed.
• Slowly lower.
• Complete 2 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions.

3. Hip Bends

“This exercise effectively increases hip mobility while activating your muscles,” says De Pina.

• Lie flat on your back.
• Pull one knee up toward your chest to stretch out your lower back.
• Slowly lower your leg to avoid joint strain.
• Stop with your hands on the mattress.
• Repeat 5 to 10 times on both the left and right sides.

4. Figure 4 Stretch

“This dynamic exercise is great for opening up the hips and easing stiffness,” notes De Pina.

• Lie flat on your back.
• Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh so that your knee is pushed away from you.
• Complete 5 to 10 repetitions on each side.

5. Hip Flexor Stretch

“This stretch improves flexibility in the hip flexors, which can become tight with age,” explains De Pina.

• Sit near the edge of the bed.
• Hug one knee in toward your chest and allow the other leg to dangle off the side of the bed.
• Repeat 5 times on each side.

Incorporating these bed exercises into your routine can aid restore hip strength, improve mobility, and support a confident, active lifestyle as you age.