For the past few weeks, we have discussed in detail on how the mobile ankle is crucial for the perfect squat technique. Today, we’re going to skip the knees for now and move onto the hips. This is another area of the body that tends to develop stiffness. A sedentary lifestyle and excessive sitting are a couple reasons for why we develop stiff hips. Limited range-of-motion at the hips can limit our ability to squat to full depth. Most of us could benefit from working on our hip mobility issues.
When the hips lack adequate mobility a few things can happen. First the knees will lose stability and start to bow inward. Second, the lower back will fail to remain stable and collapse into a rounded position. Each of these movement problems wreaks havoc on our power and increases our risk for injury.
Adequate hip flexion and hip internal rotation is needed to reach a full depth squat (hips below parallel). You can measure flexion of the hip by drawing a line with the torso and another line with the outside of the upper leg. The smaller or more closed the angle is, the more hip flexion the athlete has. Internal rotation is a little harder to judge on your own and will be a topic of a later lecture.
If you are unable to squat to full depth with toes relatively straightforward, hip mobility is likely a limiting factor. Today I want to introduce one of my favorite tools for assessing hip mobility. It is called the Thomas test (1).
This test is performed while lying on your back. The Thomas test’s main purpose is to look for either Iliopsoas (hip flexor muscle), Rectus Femoris (quad muscle) or Iliotibial band tightness. All of these soft tissue structure can contribute to hip mobility issues.
Start by standing next to a bed or a bench. Your hips should be in contact with the edge. Grab one of your knees and pull it towards your chest as you gently fall backwards. The knee you grab should be pulled as close to your chest as possible. As you lie on your back while holding onto your knee, allow your other leg to relax completely.
What position does your body end up? Having a friend help you with this screen is extremely beneficial. Once you screen one leg, perform the same movement on the opposite leg and see what you find.
Did you have checks in every box of the ‘pass’ column? If so you show adequate hip flexion mobility. However if you had any checks in the ‘fail’ column for this screen, you have a hip mobility restriction.
If you were unable to pull your knee fully to your chest, we are dealing with a possible hip flexion mobility issue. This could be caused by a number of factors including tight or restricted soft tissues, or even hip capsule restrictions.
If you were unable to pull one of your legs as far towards your chest as the other, you have a possible asymmetry in hip mobility. This is a red flag. Asymmetries are very important to take care of as they can negatively influence barbell squats. Often these small side-to-side differences go undiagnosed. Left untreated, asymmetries can lead to over-use injuries.
The Thomas test also allows us to screen for mobility restrictions in the opposite hip. An inability to keep your opposite leg flat on the bed and in a straight line can also point towards hip stiffness. These types of restrictions can often be due to soft tissue tightness and will be a part of the discussion in next weeks lecture.
Next week we will learn how to decipher between soft tissue issues and joint mobility issues of our hips. In addition, we will talk about a few ways to improve hip mobility with the goal of improving our squats.
Always assess movement first. If you found a problem in your single or double leg squat, we can then use different tools (like the Thomas test) to find out the cause of the breakdown the movement.
Until next time,
Dr. Aaron Horschig
With
Dr. Kevin Sonthana
References
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Excellent breakdown of hip mobility screening — the hip flexor assessment cues are spot on. I’ve been experimenting with SAM 3D https://sam-3d.com to create 3D models of movement patterns from video stills, which has been helpful for visualizing joint angles in coaching contexts.
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Great breakdown of hip mobility screening. I’ve been working on my squat depth and these tests are really helpful. For anyone creating video tutorials on mobility drills, cleaning up distracting text or watermarks can make the footage clearer. I’ve found AI Remover useful for that kind of video cleanup. Thanks for sharing these assessments.
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This article really highlights how crucial hip mobility is for achieving a full depth squat. I’ve noticed that when I focus on improving my hip flexibility, not only does my squat get better, but my overall lifting performance improves as well. It’s interesting to see how interconnected our body mechanics are, especially with how stiff hips can cause issues in the knees and lower back. The Thomas test sounds like a great way to assess this; I’m definitely going to give it a try! I also found Tomodachi Life Guide useful as a related resource.
This is a fantastic breakdown of hip mobility! I’ve been struggling with squat depth lately, and the connection between sitting too much and stiff hips really resonates. Definitely going to try these screening methods to pinpoint where I need to focus my efforts. Thanks for the clear guidance!
It’s interesting to read how hip mobility plays such a crucial role in achieving a full depth squat. The Thomas test sounds like a valuable tool for assessing mobility issues, and I’m definitely going to give it a try. I’ve noticed that after long hours of sitting, my hips feel tighter, which I’m sure affects my squat form. Finding strategies to improve this could really benefit my performance. Incidentally, I’ve been looking into various guides for fitness tips and stumbled upon GWYF Guide, which might provide additional insights into improving overall mobility and strength.
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The FABER and hip scour test sequence is really well explained. For client education materials I’ve been generating anatomical reference visuals using https://image-gpt.art/ — the AI-rendered muscle diagrams are surprisingly clear for non-medical audiences.
This hip screen is a useful reminder that photos and videos can make movement limits easier to explain. I keep a small list of ChatGPT Photo Editing Prompts for turning simple training snapshots into clearer visual notes, and the Thomas test is exactly the kind of assessment where that helps.
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Great article on hip mobility screening! The box squat test and hip scour test are really practical tools for identifying mobility restrictions. I’ve found that visualizing body mechanics through AI-generated images can help clients better understand what proper hip alignment looks like during movement assessments.
The hip mobility screening protocol in this post is genuinely one of the most practical frameworks I’ve found for identifying movement restrictions before they become injury patterns. For sports coaching content, I’ve been using Nano Banana 3 (https://nanabanana3.com/) to create clear anatomical diagrams and mobility drill visual guides.
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1. I was just testing the Thomas test on myself after reading this, and I noticed my left leg won’t stay flat on the bed like you described. Never thought about hip asymmetry affecting squat depth before. Meccha Chameleon
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1. I tried the Thomas test after reading this, and sure enough, my right leg won’t stay flat on the bed. I’d been blaming my tight lower back for my shallow squats, but it looks like the hip flexor is the real culprit. Looking forward to next week’s breakdown on soft tissue vs. joint restrictions.
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I’ve noticed that tight hip flexors really mess with my squat depth, even more than ankle mobility sometimes. Do you think the Thomas test can miss some issues if someone has overlapping problems like lower back tightness? By the way, I once found some useful visuals on hip mobility while browsing the Square Face Icon Generator site, which helped clarify a few movements.
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The point about lower back rounding being a downstream symptom of hip immobility, rather than a standalone cue to fix separately, is the piece most lifters miss when they’re just told to keep their chest up. We’ve started filming squat form from the side to catch this exact fault, then cleaning up the reference stills in Image to Image Generator to overlay ideal joint angles, which has made the coaching cues land a lot faster with clients.
I’ve noticed that tight hip flexors really mess with my squat depth, which makes the Thomas test seem super useful. Does this test give any clues about how to target stretches or just highlight tightness areas?
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I tried the Thomas test after reading your guide and noticed a noticeable difference between my left and right hip flexion, which explained why my squat depth was inconsistent. It was eye‑opening to see how a simple asymmetry can throw off knee tracking and lower‑back stability. Do you recommend any specific stretches or activation drills to address the tight iliopsoas before moving on to more advanced mobility work? Also, for tracking progress over time, would using a visual cue like a wall‑mounted mirror be helpful? I’ve found this resource useful for setting up a consistent training environment.
I’ve noticed that even a few minutes of daily hip flexor stretching can noticeably improve the Thomas test results over a couple of weeks. Do you recommend any specific dynamic warm‑up drills to complement the static work you mentioned? Also, when addressing asymmetries, is it better to start with unilateral mobility drills before moving to bilateral squats? I’m curious how these approaches compare to the protocols you outline in this resource. Thanks for breaking down the assessment steps so clearly!
This article really highlights the importance of hip mobility in achieving a proper squat. I’ve definitely noticed the difference in my own squats when my hips feel tight. Just last week, I was struggling with hip flexion, and it was frustrating to see how it impacted my depth. I found the Thomas test particularly useful and plan to incorporate it into my routine. By the way, I came across some interesting insights on this topic at Apostate Verity, which really helped me understand the nuances. Thanks for sharing your expertise, Dr. Horschig!
This is a great breakdown of the Thomas test. I’ve been struggling to figure out why my left hip always feels tighter than my right during deep squats, and it’s helpful to have a clear, at-home method to screen for that asymmetry. It’s interesting how a lack of hip flexion can lead to the lower back collapsing—I’ve definitely noticed that in my own form. On a side note, for anyone who wants to visually track their mobility progress or create a clear diagram of the test results, a tool like **Image to Pixel** can be handy for converting a reference photo into a clean, shareable image to keep in a training log. Looking forward to next week’s post on fixing these issues.
The point about stiff hips causing the knees to cave inward really clicked for me — I never connected that chain reaction before. I was putting together a mobility cue sheet for my training log and used https://museai.pro/ to clean up some reference photos of the hip hinge position.
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I was surprised to find this detailed hip mobility screening guide on Squat University – the Thomas test explanation is super clear, and honestly I didn’t expect to see starseed quiz concepts mixed into mobility assessment tips like this. My friend actually recommended this page after we discussed asymmetric hip movement issues during our last workout!
Clear explanation of why the Thomas test should come before choosing mobility drills. For coaches or lifters who record squat checks, it also helps to keep comparison clips easy to share: a browser tool such as Format Factory can convert or compress the video before uploading it to a client portal or training log. The reminder to compare both sides is especially useful because asymmetries can be easy to miss in a single rep.
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Great article! Hip mobility is often overlooked, yet it plays a huge role in improving squat depth, stability, and overall movement quality. The explanations and practical tips were easy to follow and very informative. During breaks between workouts, I’ve been enjoying Moto X3M—it’s a fun way to relax for a few minutes.
Great article! Hip mobility is often overlooked, yet it plays a huge role in improving squat depth, stability, and overall movement quality. The explanations and practical tips were easy to follow and very informative. During breaks between workouts, I’ve been enjoying Moto X3M—it’s a fun way to relax for a few minutes.
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Great breakdown of hip mobility. Many people focus only on stretching, but assessing the actual source of limited mobility is much more effective for improving squat mechanics. Consistently tracking progress and comparing range of motion over time can make a big difference. I also use CalcSolver for quick fitness-related calculations, percentages, and other training numbers. Thanks for putting together such an informative guide!
Great explanation of hip mobility issues and the Thomas test. I’ve struggled with hip stiffness for years and this gives me practical steps to assess and improve my movement quality.
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