Iliopsoas
Exercises that target the iliopsoas, grouped by whether they stretch or strengthen it.
The iliopsoas is the main hip flexor, made of the psoas (from the lumbar spine) and the iliacus (from the inside of the pelvis), joining to attach on the inner thigh bone. It lifts the thigh toward the trunk and helps stabilize the lumbar spine and pelvis.
Because so much of modern life is spent sitting with the hips bent, the iliopsoas commonly becomes short and tight. A short psoas tips the pelvis forward and pulls on the lumbar spine, deepening the low-back curve — a central driver of anterior pelvic tilt and the associated low-back tightness.
It responds to hip-flexor stretches (kneeling lunge, couch stretch) paired with glute and lower-abdominal strengthening so the pelvis can settle back to neutral. See the hip exercises and the anterior-pelvic-tilt guide.
