How to Strengthen the Psoas Muscle (Exercises, Stretches, and Hip Stability)
Rheannon Reid
The psoas (pronounced "SO-as") is a thick muscle deep inside your body that connects the upper and lower parts of your body. Every time you lift your leg, climb stairs, walk uphill, or stand up from a chair, the psoas is involved.
The psoas muscle plays a major role in hip movement, posture, and pelvic stability, which is why problems with the psoas muscle can contribute to hip pain and lower back discomfort.
If hip discomfort has been persistent, it may also help to understand how hip mechanics and pelvic positioning contribute to hip pain.
What Is the Psoas Muscle and What Does It Do?
The psoas is one of the deepest muscles in the body.
It begins along the lumbar spine and travels downward through the pelvis before attaching to the top of the femur. Because it crosses both the spine and the hip joint, it helps coordinate movement between the upper and lower body.
The psoas works together with another muscle called the iliacus to form the iliopsoas. Together they act as the primary hip flexors.
In everyday movement the psoas helps you:
• lift your leg
• stabilize your spine while standing or sitting
• support hip movement while walking or running
The psoas also helps maintain the relationship between the pelvis and the spine, which is an important part of overall postural alignment and movement mechanics.
How the Psoas Influences Hip and Back Pain
The psoas plays a key role in how force moves through the hips. If it becomes weak, poorly coordinated, or chronically tight, the pelvis can shift forward or rotate unevenly. When that happens, the hip joint often begins absorbing stress in ways it was not designed to handle.
For a deeper explanation of how restricted hip rotation contributes specifically to hip pain, check our guide on femoroacetabular impingement (FAI).
What Does Psoas Muscle Pain Feel Like?
Psoas muscle pain can feel different from person to person, but it usually appears around the front of the hip, the groin, or deep in the lower abdomen.
Some people describe it as a tight pulling sensation when lifting the leg, climbing stairs, or standing up from a seated position. Others notice stiffness in the front of the hips after long periods of sitting.
Because the psoas connects directly to the spine, discomfort often shows up as lower back tightness or fatigue during walking and exercise.
Additional signs of psoas irritation include:
- tightness or pinching sensations in the front of the hip
- lower back pain or fatigue
- difficulty lifting the knee toward the chest
- stiffness when walking, squatting, or standing up after sitting
- discomfort during running or stair climbing
- limited hip rotation
If you’re a runner and notice hip flexor tension and a change in your stride, see our article explaining why hip pain sometimes develops after running.
The good news is that these symptoms often improve when hip mobility, pelvic alignment, and surrounding muscle strength are restored.
The Psoas and the Body’s Stress Response
The psoas muscle also has an interesting connection to stress. When your brain senses danger, the nervous system prepares your body to react. Muscles throughout the body tighten in preparation to run, defend yourself, or bend forward to protect vital organs.
The psoas plays an important role in this response because it helps pull the body into a protective position, which is a useful survival mechanism for short term responses. Once the threat passes, the muscles normally relax again.
But many modern life stressors are psychological rather than physical. Chronic stress from deadlines, long work hours, traffic, and constant stimulation can keep the nervous system over-active without giving the body a chance to fully release that tension.
When this happens repeatedly, the psoas can remain slightly contracted for long periods. Over time this may contribute to shallow breathing, altered posture, tight hips and reduced hip mobility.
Movement, stretching, and relaxation practices help the nervous system return those muscles to a more balanced state.
Psoas Stretches That Improve Hip Mobility
Stretching the psoas can help restore mobility to the front of the hip, especially if you spend long hours sitting. These stretches work best when performed gently and paired with strength exercises that improve hip control.
Supine Hip Flexor Stretch
“Supine” means lying down on your back. This stretch is performed on a firm bed or table, which will allow gravity to pull one hip at a time into extension.
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Step 1: Lie on your back close to the right edge of the bed or table with your left foot flat on the surface and your right leg hanging off the edge.
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Step 2: Tuck your pelvis under so your low back is as flat as possible and let your right leg hang as you breathe into the stretch you feel. If you want more stretch, proceed to step 3.
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Step 3: Bend your right knee, pulling your right foot back toward you. This will further lengthen your hip flexor muscles. Pull your left knee toward your chest. Hold for 5-10 seconds and release.
Complete 2 to 3 rounds on each side.
Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
Start in a half kneeling position with one knee on the floor and the opposite foot in front, as shown in the video above.
Keep your torso upright and pelvis tucked under as you gently shift your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip. To get more stretch, reach your arms overhead and tilt your upper body away from the side you’re stretching.
Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat on both sides. Remember to breathe.
Glute Bridge Hold
The glute bridge moves the hips into extension, which gently stretches the hip flexors while activating the glutes. Building strength in the glutes helps balance the muscles around the hips and supports better pelvic and spinal stability.
How to perform it
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Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
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Lightly engage your core by flattening your lower back toward the floor.
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Press through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
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Squeeze your glutes at the top while keeping your ribs and pelvis aligned.
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Hold for 5–10 seconds, then slowly lower your hips back to the floor.
Repeat 10 times.
Side-Lying Psoas Stretch
This stretch is for the more flexible folks and places the hip into extension, which can help reduce tension in the psoas. Bending the knee also stretches the quadriceps at the front of the thigh.
How to perform it
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Lie on your side with your legs stacked and your head supported by your bottom arm or hand.
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Bend the top knee and bring your heel toward your glutes.
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Reach back and grab your ankle.
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Gently squeeze your glute to tuck the pelvis and move the hip slightly forward, then guide the knee slightly behind your body.
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Hold for about 30 seconds, then relax. Again, remember to breathe.
Repeat 3 times on each side.
A Natural Way to Reset Muscle Tension
Your body already has a built in system for releasing muscle tension.
It's called pandiculation.
You have seen animals do it. A cat wakes up from a nap, stretches its legs, arches its back, and yawns. That full body stretch prepares the body for movement.
Pandiculation works by gently contracting a muscle and then slowly releasing that contraction back to neutral. This allows the brain to sense how tight the muscle has become and reset its resting tension.
Instead of forcing a muscle into a stretch, pandiculation allows the nervous system to relax the muscle on its own.
Slow stretching, breathing exercises, and controlled movement often encourage this natural reset, but go ahead and give it a go. Imagine you just woke up from the best nap ever and go for that full body, yawning stretch.
Best Psoas Strengthening Exercises
Mobility is only part of the equation. The psoas also needs strength and coordination to guide hip movement properly.
Straight Leg Raises
Lie on your back, one leg straight and one bent. Lift the straight leg up to the level of the bent knee, focusing on activating the front of the hip, and lower slowly.
Seated Leg Lifts
Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Keep your spine straight and lift one leg off the ground an inch or two. Hold for 2–3 seconds, then lower. Avoid leaning backward. Repeat 5-10 times per side.
Supine Psoas March
Lie on your back, one leg straight and one bent. Engage the core to keep the back flat to the floor. Without using your hands, bring one knee toward the chest as you extend the other leg straight, keeping the feet flexed. Hold for 1–2 seconds, then switch legs. To increase the difficulty of this, add a small resistance band around the feet.
Standing March
Stand upright, holding a chair for balance if needed. Without using your hands, slowly bring one knee up toward your chest, hold briefly, and lower. To increase the difficulty of this, add a small resistance band around the feet.
Strong glutes also help stabilize the pelvis so the hip flexors can work efficiently. If those muscles are not contributing effectively, it helps to understand how weak glutes influence hip stability.
If one hip consistently feels tighter or shifts during movement, it may also relate to pelvic imbalance. This guide explains how uneven hips develop and how to correct them.
You can improve your core strength, alignment, and hip mobility in the MoveU membership.
Starting with the Back & Core program, you'll follow a progressive track beginning with breath work moving on to full body movements designed to help strengthen and mobilize your body into a better aligned position from head to toe.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Psoas Muscle
What does the psoas muscle do?
The psoas connects the lower spine to the thigh bone and helps lift the leg, stabilize the spine, and guide hip movement.
Can a tight psoas cause hip pain?
Yes. A tight or poorly functioning psoas can alter pelvic position and hip mechanics, increasing stress within the hip joint.
Why does sitting make the psoas tight?
Sitting keeps the hip flexed for long periods. Over time this position can shorten the hip flexor muscles and reduce hip mobility.
Can stretching the psoas help back pain?
Stretching tight hip flexors can improve mobility and reduce tension that contributes to lower back discomfort, but it's best to pair them with strength exercises.
How long does it take to strengthen the psoas?
Most people notice improvements in hip control within a few weeks when stretching and strengthening exercises are performed consistently.