06/06/2026
The alarm goes and it’s time to get up. You pull the doona off, make your way up to standing and find.. sticky hips.
The kind which reminds you that things are changing and momentarily has you reminiscing about the rubberiness of your former 20 year old self.
Often, people carry on and think they’re done. Occasionally some opt to stretch.
The stretching sort of helps — but it’s always temporary. And it misses a foundational rule of what the body needs to actually change.
Energy. Load. Intensity. A reason to positively adapt.
Which brings us to one of our biggest Move Well principles — and one of the most important takeaways from the incredible framework created by the clever brains over at .
Passive vs Active Range.
Passive — the positions we can access without considering our control or load bearing capacity in that position. Often found through stretching.
Active — the space we own. A greater sense of freedom with our movement. Found through mobility and strength exercises that prioritise range. Take the hips.
The modern day human has what’s often described as “tight hip flexors.” To alleviate them, people try couch stretches or similar — seeking a lengthening sensation in the front of the hip.
Useful. But this approach doesn’t build capacity.
That’s done through load.
Through intentional work designed to increase both the range we control and the load bearing capacity within that range.
And if you’re athletically minded — or simply aspiring for an active life where you’re doing stuff with your body — gaining a little more hip goes a long way to feeling great, functioning well and kicking arse.
This is one of many concepts woven through our training at Northside — specifically in our Move Well sessions running twice a week, and throughout almost every strength session we program. To help you find more hip and feel all the good that comes from going that extra step beyond stretching — here are five of our favourite hip things you can do anywhere, anytime. Save this for later 📌 🙌🏼
