Hip Drop & Quadratus Lumborum Stretch

stretchpelvisintermediate

Content last reviewed: 2026-07-18

3 × 25s

Multi-position exercise for lateral pelvic tilt, lengthening the quadratus lumborum and hip structures on the raised side through several positions.

An illustration is coming soon. Follow the step-by-step instructions below.

How to do it

Lie supine and actively drop/lower the habitually raised hip, reaching the foot away as if touching something just out of reach.
Seated, reach the arm overhead on the raised side to lengthen quadratus lumborum.
Stretch the adductors on the raised side.
Use a trigger ball against a wall on the gluteals of the lower side, or a foam roller on the IT band of the lower side.

Form cues

Lengthen the raised side, reach the leg long
Keep the trunk facing forward, don't twist

Why this exercise helps

Lateral pelvic tilt involves one hip sitting higher than the other, which can shorten the quadratus lumborum, erector spinae, and hip structures on the raised side while placing different demands on the hip abductors of the lower side. This multi-position protocol combines a supine leg-lengthening cue to mobilize the raised hip, an overhead arm reach to lengthen the lateral trunk, and adductor and soft-tissue work to address several contributing structures in one session. Using more than one position allows each structure to receive attention without expecting a single technique to fully address a pattern that may involve multiple muscles and habits.

Stop or modify if

Twisting the pelvis during the overhead arm reach instead of keeping the trunk facing forward and lengthening purely sideways.
Raising the non-targeted hip during the supine leg-reach, which reduces the effect on the intended side.
Over-gripping or applying excessive pressure with the trigger ball, particularly near the hip and gluteal area.

Modifications and progressions

Perform only the supine leg-lengthening and seated overhead arm-reach steps if floor-based soft-tissue work is uncomfortable.
Substitute a gentle lying side-stretch for the foam-roller pass if rolling is uncomfortable on the lower-side outer thigh.

Muscles worked

quadratus lumborum — anatomical illustration — quadratus lumborumAnatomical illustration from Z-Anatomy (derived from BodyParts3D), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

erector spinae — anatomical illustration — erector spinaeAnatomical illustration derived from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY-SA.

hip adductors — anatomical illustration — hip adductorsAnatomical illustration derived from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY-SA.

hip abductors — anatomical illustration — hip abductorsAnatomical illustration derived from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Stretches: quadratus lumborum, erector spinae, hip adductors

Strengthens: hip abductors

Part of a program

Part of Front Splits

This exercise is one move. Front Splits puts it in a plan — so you know what to do, in what order, and how much, week by week.

Sequenced & dosed — the right exercises, in the right order, at the right volume.
Progresses with you — difficulty ramps as you get stronger, not on a fixed calendar.
Personalized — built around the specific limiter actually holding you back.
Tracks your progress — see what's working and adjust over time.

Week 1: 5 sessions · ~15–20 min each

See the program →

Free · a quick assessment finds your starting point

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