Do your hips feel tight, or do you sometimes get pain deep in the back of the hip? Maybe you’ve even experienced tingling or discomfort radiating down your leg—these are often signs of a tight piriformis. The Pigeon full range strength exercises are designed to develop both strength and flexibility in your hips and piriformis muscles, helping you move better, reduce hip tension, and improve overall hip function.
Why These Exercises Matter
The piriformis plays a key role in stabilizing the hips and assisting in rotation. In past cultures, people spent much of their time moving, squatting, and sitting in positions that naturally kept the piriformis strong and flexible. Modern lifestyles—prolonged sitting, lack of full range hip movement, can leave this muscle tight and underactive. This tightness can:
- Cause deep pain in the back of the hip.
- Limit hip mobility (in standing internal thigh rotation of the thigh or the flexibility to cross the leg across the midline when sitting).
- In some cases, irritate the sciatic nerve, leading to radiating leg pain.
The Pigeon full range strength exercises help restore natural hip function by combining flexibility and strength, reducing hip tension, and supporting healthier movement patterns.
Who Needs These Exercises?
You’ll notice the need for these exercises if:
- Hips feel tight or stiff when trying to cross your legs while sitting.
- There’s deep hip discomfort or occasional tingling down the leg especially when climbing stairs or walking.
- You want to improve hip mobility and functional strength.
Outcome Measure: You’re progressing when you can move through the exercises with no pain, maintain good form, and feel your hips opening without compensation.
Pigeon Full Range Strength Progression Framework
This is a stepwise framework to gradually improve piriformis and hip function:
- Mobility: Standing thigh external rotation or bent hip abduction
- Static Strength: Figure 4 push
- Eccentric Strength: Pigeon drop
- Concentric Strength: Weight bench pigeon pushes
- Functional Strength: Oblique sits
Reps, Sets, and Frequency:
- Mobility: 30–60 sec, 3x/day
- Static Strength: 20–40 sec, 2x/day
- Eccentric Strength: 5–15 slow reps, 2 rounds, once/day
- Concentric Strength: 10–20 reps, 3 rounds, every second day
- Functional Strength: 10–20 reps, 4 rounds, 1–2x/week
Key Takeaway
The Pigeon full range strength exercises aren’t just about flexibility—they’re about rebuilding hip function by training strength and mobility together. Following this progression framework, you’ll reduce hip tension, support piriformis health, and build strong, resilient hips that move freely without discomfort.
Watch the video to start your Pigeon full range strength progression and take the first step toward stronger, more functional hips!