Why Hip Flexor Strength Matters (and How to Build It!)
At Dance Fusion Studios, we believe strong technique starts with a strong foundation, and that includes your hip flexors. Whether you’re leaping into a grand jeté or holding a développé in centre, these small-but-mighty muscles are hard at work behind the scenes.
And yet, they’re often undertrained and overlooked.
What Are Hip Flexors… and Why Do They Matter in Dance?
Your hip flexors are a group of muscles that help you bend at the hips and lift your knees. The major players include the psoas, iliopsoas, rectus femoris, and sartorius. These muscles are constantly engaged in dance styles like ballet, contemporary, jazz, and lyrical, which are all part of our programs here at Dance Fusion Studios.
Strong hip flexors support:
Higher leg extensions (think grand battement and développé)
Balance and core control
Injury prevention (especially in the lower back and hips)
Smooth transitions and stability during jumps and turns
If you’ve ever felt your hips clicking, catching, or tiring early in class, it might be time to give your hip flexors a little extra love.
Why Hip Flexors Get Weak or Tight
In our day-to-day lives, we spend a lot of time sitting at school, work, or even on the way to the studio. This keeps the hip flexors in a constantly shortened position, which makes them tight but also weak. For dancers, this can impact flexibility, mobility, and control.
Three Dancer-Friendly Exercises to Strengthen Your Hip Flexors
At Dance Fusion Studios, we welcome dancers of all ages, levels, and body types, and these exercises can be adapted for everyone:
1. Seated Marching
Sit tall on a chair or the floor.
Engage your core and lift one knee at a time, holding for 3 seconds.
Repeat 10–15 times per leg.
✨ Why it works: Low-impact and beginner-friendly, ideal for building control.
2. Block Leg Lifts
Sit with legs straight out in front.
Place a yoga block or small object beside your leg.
Lift your leg over the object and back again 10 times per side.
✨ Level up: Use a taller object for more of a challenge.
3. Wall Holds
Stand with your back against a wall.
Lift one knee to hip height and press into your hand for resistance.
Hold for 5–10 seconds and switch sides.
✨ Bonus benefit: Builds both strength and stability—perfect for turns!
Don’t Forget to Stretch
Strength and flexibility go hand in hand. After strengthening, stretch your hip flexors with lunges, figure-four stretches, or gentle quad openers. Never force the stretch, always listen to your body.
The Dance Fusion Approach to Strength
At Dance Fusion Studios, we empower dancers to move with joy, confidence, and safety. Whether you’re learning your first plié or preparing for recital season, we’re here to support your strength, flexibility, and personal growth every step, leap, and lunge of the way.
Ready to Get Stronger?
We offer a wide range of dance classes for kids of all ages and experience levels, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, and more. Whether your child is dancing for fun or training seriously, we’ll help them build confidence and strength from the ground up.
📅 Check out our class schedule and sign up today!
📍 Dance Fusion Studios – A2-2212 Gladwin Crescent, Ottawa, ON K1B 5N1
