Placeholder protocol. Real exercise content and visuals will replace this.
Why This Matters
When you sit, your hip flexors are shortened for hours at a time. The body adapts: the front of the hip locks, the glutes go quiet, and the lower back ends up doing the stabilizing work it was never designed for.
This sequence wakes the glutes up, restores length to the front of the hip, and gives your lower back permission to rest.
The Protocol
1. Glute Squeeze Wakeup (1 minute)
Target: Re-activate the glutes after sitting.
Setup: Stand with feet hip-width apart.
Movement: Squeeze both glutes hard for 5 seconds, then release. Don't tuck your tailbone — just contract.
Reps: 10 reps.
Feel for: A clear, conscious sense of the glutes firing. If you can't feel them, you're not alone — that's why we're starting here.
2. Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch (3 minutes)
Target: Iliopsoas, rectus femoris.
Setup: Kneel on a mat or padded surface. Right knee down, left foot flat in front, knee at 90°.
Movement: Tuck your tailbone slightly under (this is the part most people skip — it's what actually opens the front of the hip). Then shift gently forward until you feel a stretch along the front of your right hip and thigh.
Hold: 90 seconds per side.
Feel for: A deep, broad stretch across the front of the down-side hip, not in the lower back. If you feel it in your lower back, tuck your tailbone more.
3. Glute Bridge (2 minutes)
Target: Glute strength, lower-back relief.
Setup: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides.
Movement: Press through your heels and lift your hips toward the ceiling. Squeeze your glutes at the top — don't arch your lower back. Lower with control.
Reps: 12 reps. 2 sets.
Feel for: The work happening in your glutes and hamstrings, not your lower back.
4. Knees-to-Chest Decompression (2 minutes)
Target: Lower-back release, post-stretch settling.
Setup: Lie on your back. Draw both knees toward your chest.
Movement: Wrap your arms around your shins. Gently rock side to side, then forward and back. Breathe slowly into the lower back.
Hold: 2 minutes total.
Feel for: The lower back lengthening into the floor.
After the Protocol
Stand up. Take a few steps. Notice how your hips feel — there should be a new sense of space at the front of each hip, and your lower back should feel quieter. If you sit for a living, doing this once a day undoes a remarkable amount of damage over a week.