How to Fix Annoying Hip Popping During Core Workouts

Jen Landry Author

Say goodbye to annoying hip popping during core workouts. Learn why stretching won't fix it and simple tweaks to engage your core smoothly.

That annoying popping sound you hear every time you do your core work isn't really hurting you, but it’s super annoying. We want to try and troubleshoot and fix it, and here is how.

First things first: stop the stretching. That’s number one. All the stretching in the world isn’t going to help the hips.

Generally, what’s happening at the hip when you feel or hear that popping is that the hip flexor is rubbing over the joint in a way it’s not supposed to. Why does this happen? Because something is out of position. Everything in our body moves and glides nice and smoothly when everything is in the proper place—meaning our pelvis is probably not in a neutral or good spot during those ab exercises specifically, or in general overall. That’s why you get that rubbing and popping with the hip flexor.

The second reason might be that the core is just not as strong as it should be for the movements you’re asking it to do. Or maybe it is strong, but you’re just not quite engaging it properly.

We need to work on those things, help that hip flexor relax a little bit, and give it a smoother lane to work through so the popping stops.

Master Your Breathing and Core Connection 

The first thing you want to do is just get a better handle on breathing.

1. Inhale: Take a nice, big, full inhale into your armpits, down into the floor, relaxing that pelvic floor.
2. Exhale: Exhale nicely and audibly, lifting that pelvic floor and tightening those deep core muscles.
3. Stack and Stabilize: Maintain that stability with your hips and your ribs stacked.

As you go into your core exercises, try to keep that deep core connection and stabilize the pelvis as you go through those ranges of motion.

Troubleshooting Hacks to Ditch the Pop 

If that exhale and tightening of the core alone doesn't work, try these simple tweaks:

• The Towel Roll: Grab yourself a small towel roll and place it just at the tailbone. This will help get that pelvis into more of a neutral position and allow you to engage the core that much better to eliminate that pop. As you get stronger and are able to control that stability a little bit more, you can try again without the towel roll.
• Shorten the Lever: If you are currently doing long-lever exercises where your leg is getting extended fully out from your body, try shortening the lever. Keep the range of motion just a little bit smaller until you can strengthen and utilize that core better.

We want to remove the hip flexors from being the primary mover. It’s the core that stabilizes and helps move through that motion. Putting that pelvis in a more neutral or ideal position will also help everything glide smoother.

If this doesn't help you solve the pop, let me know and we'll dive into it a little bit more specifically, but this should be a great place to start to help get rid of that hip pop and strengthen your core.

Categories: : Deep Core, Pelvic Floor & Core Health, Workouts