Want to know if Unlock Your Hip Flexors will actually deliver on better posture, less back pain and better athletic performance? Read on for a detailed review before buying.
Unlock Your Hip Flexors is a downloadable movement routine by injury specialist Rick Kaselj, MS, and Mike Westerdal, CPT, RKC.
The program is built specifically to show you how to take the parking brake off your hips so that you can move better, be more explosive in the gym, and improve your posture.
It’s a popular program, having been downloaded tens of thousands of times, and there is plenty of well-known fitness and strength training personalities who have high praise for it.
That said…
I wanted to try this bad boy for myself and see if it could help me with my shoddy posture and help me lift a little more in the gym.
Let’s jump right in.
What is Unlock Your Hip Flexors?
Unlock Your Hip Flexors is a digital handbook and set of videos that teach you everything you need to know about your hip flexors (and psoas—more on that later).
The main part of the program is an eBook that has pictures, an exercise/stretch routine, instructions, and a detailed breakdown of the effects of tight hips (probably more than you realize…) and why spending just a few minutes doing this routine can help you in so many different ways.
The eBook goes into depth about how loosening up and strengthening the muscle around your hip flexors can improve your athletic and general life performance
Tight hips (and the resulting sore backs and knees) are a serious problem in the western world.
Long bouts of sitting and sedentary behavior are a leading cause of tightness and pain in the lumbar spine [1].
The program includes PNF stretching (this is what the popular stretching program Hyperbolic Stretching is based on), dynamic stretches, core stability exercises, joint mobility exercises, fascia stretching, and activation exercises.
I know that sounds like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, but essentially the program helps you loosen up the joints, muscles, tissue, and activates them so that they are working effectively and properly.
In sum, Unlock Your Hip Flexors promises to:
- Increase range of motion
- Help liminate back pain from poor posture
- Reduce slouchy shoulder syndrome
- Freesup power and speed that have been locked up in your hips and core (vertical jumping and running, in particular)
- Reduce injury
- Make you 15% better looking*
(* Kidding.)
Sounds pretty good so far!
What’s Included with Unlock Your Hip Flexors
After I plunked down the $10 for the program, and wading through an avalanche of upsells and add-ons (including Unlock Your Shoulders and Unlock Your Back programs), I finally cracked open the program:
- 63-page eBook (downloadable PDF that works on any device).
- Two downloadable coaching and exercise/stretch instruction videos
The eBook contains all of the information required to get started, including why hip flexor mobility is so important, the benefits of improving hip flexor range of motion, the exercises, instructions, and so on.
There are a couple of “surprise” bonuses that come with this program, too.
(Sorry for ruining the surprise ahead of time…)
The first one is a complimentary Unlock Your Tight Hamstrings program, which consists of two HD videos and a 20-page manual that includes a series of stretches and mobility exercises.
Hamstring flexibility is complimentary to your hips, so this is an excellent add-on to the hip flexor program.
Most of the exercises in the hamstring add-on are mobility exercises (also known as dynamic stretches), which, in my experience with clients and myself, are a much more enjoyable way to increase range of motion compared to static stretching.
The second bonus is something that is dear and near to me and my guts—another eBook called The Ultimate 7-Day Anti-Inflammatory Diet.
As someone who has been dealing with an autoimmune disease for the past couple of decades, I am always down to read more about anti-inflammatory eating.
The book is 54 pages long, breaks down how inflammation affects the body, slows recovery, and causes us a lot of unnecessary grief and illness.
Anyways.
The book is an excellent primer on cleaning up your diet from inflammatory foods and includes a basic meal plan to help you beat inflammation.
What I Liked About Unlock Your Hip Flexors
Okay, let’s get into the main event, the actual program.
Here are the main things that I really liked about this eBook and the videos.
In my experience, when clients understand the why of a particular stretch or exercise, they are much more likely to stick with it.
This program clearly breaks down the benefits of better hip ROM.
And better yet, it’s done in a way that someone who is unfamiliar with anatomical vocabulary can grasp and understand.
This program is easily adaptable for anyone. You don’t need to have experience with mobility exercises, or foam rolling, PNF. Leg swings, side planks, and glute bridges are straightforward and simple exercises.
The stretches are all explained clearly, including cues, how long you should hold them, and so on. Even though the benefits of increased hip flexibility can feel complex, the simplicity of this program keeps things clear and focused.
The types of stretching and mobility exercises in this program have been proven to work in a wide range of situations.
Using a combination of static stretching and PNF, athletes improved hip power and performance between 3.7-4.4% [2]
Well-trained individuals who did six sessions of a hip extension stretching program improved range of motion and trunk flexor muscle performance [3].
This isn’t hokey programming, and the two strength training and injury specialists who put this program together have decades of experience between the two of them, repping professional sports teams, college programs, and countless more.
The program is the result of real-world experience combined with research.
This was one of the things I liked most about this program. Besides a little bit of floor space and a can-do attitude, there’s no equipment required.
You can ditch the clunky foam rollers and set to taking the lid off of your hip potential.
At $10, there’s not really an excuse to not buy and download this program.
When you consider this is a fraction of the cost that it would require to go to a chiropractor or physical therapist, it’s a no-brainer.
Combine that with the bonus eBooks, and this is literally a steal.
Of course, this is the main question you have. Will Unlock Your Hip Flexors work for me?
Do the stretches and exercises daily, and yes, you will notice a very quick improvement in your posture.
Some of these same stretches and activation exercises helped me work through some knee pain I was experiencing during the latter stages of my swimming career, so I am well aware of how beneficial this kind of program can be. (I also had to pay about $180 a pop for a physical therapist to put together what is essentially the same program.)
The program will help unlock your hips, there’s no doubt about that.
But, like any exercise program, you still need to show up each day and do it.
For athletes, whether you are a powerlifter, track athlete, or someone who simply like to lift a lot of weight in the gym, this routine is an excellent addition to your activation and warm-up routine.
Having an optimal range of motion will simply help you lift more weight and perform your athletic activity of choice with more power and speed. Proper range of motion in your hips will also help you exercise and compete in a manner that will decrease the chances of injury.
Less injury and more performance?
Giddyup.
Suggestions for Improvement
While there is a lot that this program offers, there is one suggestion I would have to make future editions of this program even better.
And that is a simple printable PDF of the routine, reps, and stretch-hold durations would make it easier to make it part of your workout routine.
That said, this is a pretty easy issue to overcome—simply write out the exercises and stretches in a text file and print it off.
Who will Benefit from this Program
Most fitness products and programs are generally targeted at a specific portion or person.
The Unlock Your Hip Flexor program is one of the few things I’ve seen offered that can benefit literally anyone.
The most obvious people who will benefit immeasurably from Unlock Your Hip Flexors include:
Athletes and weightlifters.
This is the angle I viewed this program at the outset.
Hip flexors are the key to the glutes and hips, which provide most of the power on the field, court, pool, and in the weight room.
Speed and power come from the center of the body and having tight hip flexors is like having a parking brake on your potential.
Chronic sitters.
We’ve become a society of sitters. On the couch, at the office, in the car—we spend a shocking percentage of our day with our rear ends parked on a seat.
The backward tilt that happens from sitting for extended periods of time causes tightness in the hips, which is why we feel stiff and creaky when standing after a long car drive or sitting for several hours writing a review on a program that promises to unlock your hip flexors
People who want to live longer.
That’s pretty much everyone, right?
Yup.
Tight hips and a chronically tightened psoas signal that we are in a state of fear and arousal, which slowly but surely taps the adrenal glands and handicapping the immune system.
Crazy to think that tight hips can be the source of such enduring misery, but the endless sitting (which is a modified fetal position, when you think about it) is a source of adrenal imbalance.
This leads to increased cortisol production, fat gain, muscle imbalances, and so on.
All because of tight hips.
While I don’t like painting with such a broad brush, just about anyone can benefit greatly from the use of this program.
The accessibility in terms of immediate download, clear instructions, simplified language (not too much jargon or anatomical vocab to stunt interest), and the incredible range of applications make this a must-have for anyone who wants to move and feel better.
Final Overview
- Unlock Your Hip Flexors is 10-part stretching and mobility routine for your hips
- Digital download for just $10
- Helps improve posture, increase range of motion, reduces chronic stiffness and pain, improve athletic performance
- 60-day money back guarantee
Unlock Your Hip Flexors – Where to Buy
To recap, I really like this program. I can see how applicable it can be to a wide range of people (including myself).
This program is exclusively available at the Critical Bench official website, which you can access here.
The program is a digital download, and you have lifetime access to it and the bonus materials.
The creators back it with a 60-day money back guarantee, so if you aren’t moving better, lifting a little more at the gym, and sitting with better posture after trying it for that long, you can return it no-questions-asked.
References
[1]: Konrad A, Močnik R, Titze S, Nakamura M, Tilp M. The Influence of Stretching the Hip Flexor Muscles on Performance Parameters. A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1936. Published 2021 Feb 17. doi:10.3390/ijerph18041936
[2] Behm DG, Blazevich AJ, Kay AD, McHugh M. Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 Jan;41(1):1-11. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2015-0235. Epub 2015 Dec 8. PMID: 26642915.
[3] Godges JJ, MacRae PG, Engelke KA. Effects of exercise on hip range of motion, trunk muscle performance, and gait economy. Phys Ther. 1993 Jul;73(7):468-77. doi: 10.1093/ptj/73.7.468. PMID: 8316580.