8 Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen Your Psoas Muscle

# What the psoas is and why it matters The psoas is a deep core muscle that runs along the lower back in the lumbar region, with one on each side of the spine. It's one of the primary hip flexors and becomes active any time you lift your knee toward your chest—walking, running, climbing stairs, or doing exercises like mountain climbers and leg raises. When the psoas is too tight or too weak, it can disrupt pelvic and spinal mechanics and create hip or lower-back tightness.

# How tightness or weakness shows up You'll often feel psoas tension in the front of the hips. Common signs tied to psoas imbalance include persistent tightness across the hips or lower back and changes in walking or movement patterns. Because the psoas engages during everyday movements, addressing it can improve comfort and movement control.

# Eight exercises to stretch and strengthen the psoas Below are the exercises described. Each entry explains the basic action and the reason it helps the psoas.

• Kneeling lunge stretch
• What it does: Targets one side at a time by extending the hip on the kneeling side, creating direct lengthening of the psoas.
• Why use it: It isolates side-to-side differences and releases tension at the front of the hip.

• Camel pose
• What it does: A full front-body opening that extends the hips and spine and stretches both psoas muscles simultaneously.

• Bridge pose (glute bridge)
• What it does: Drives the hips into extension while also activating the glutes.
• Why use it: Extending the hips lengthens the iliopsoas and strengthens posterior chain support to balance hip flexors.

• Quadriceps stretch
• What it does: Lengthens the muscles along the front of the thigh and hip.
• Why use it: Reducing quads' tightness can indirectly relieve psoas tension because these tissues interact at the front of the hip.

• Cobra stretch
• What it does: Gentle backbend that opens the chest and stretches the abdominals while extending the hip flexors.
• Caution: Like other spinal-extension moves, avoid or modify if you have spinal conditions.

• Supine hip flexor stretch

• Why use it: Controlled, gravity-assisted extension can provide a deep but manageable stretch.

• Straight leg raise

• Why use it: Builds strength in the psoas and quadriceps by increasing load compared with bent-knee raises.

• Marching in place
• What it does: Repeated knee lifts with straight-leg emphasis to mimic walking mechanics.
• Why use it: Strengthens and conditions the hip flexors in a functional, movement-based pattern.

# Safety and practical notes If you have existing lower-back or spinal problems, approach spinal-extension exercises (camel, cobra) cautiously and consult a healthcare professional first. Balance stretching with strengthening: widespread tightness often improves when glutes and hip extensors are also strengthened, which stabilizes the pelvis and reduces compensatory load on the psoas.

# Author and context