Revitalize Your Hips: 5 Bed Exercises to Boost Strength for Seniors Over 60

Kickstart your day with these five hip-boosting exercises before even stepping out of bed—your hips will show their gratitude all day long.

Ensuring your hips stay strong and healthy is crucial for aging gracefully and maintaining an active, confident lifestyle. Your hips are fundamental for stabilizing your pelvis and spine, enhancing mobility, and enabling you to tackle everyday activities like climbing stairs with ease. If your schedule doesn’t allow for dedicated gym sessions, there’s no need to worry. We’ve consulted an expert who reveals five simple exercises you can perform in bed to quickly rejuvenate hip strength, proving more effective than post-60 stretching routines.

“As we age, we experience muscle mass loss, and our muscles don’t activate as efficiently. The critical glutes, hip flexors, and deep hip stabilizers don’t function as effectively as in our youth,” explains Suzana De Pina, a Clinical Exercise Physiologist at Papayya. “People may experience slower gait, shorter strides, and more precarious balance, increasing the risk of falls. Yet, many of us neglect specific strengthening exercises for our hips and legs, leading to their weakening over time, even though hip strength is vital for our balance and overall well-being.”

Bed exercises provide more than just a good stretch. The support of the mattress allows you to engage your muscles and build strength without the challenges of balance and joint impact.

Bed exercises accomplish so much more than simply stretching out your body. The support of the bed helps to engage your muscles and build strength without navigating balance challenges and impact on the joints.

“They are all gentle, but effective, and a good entry point for many older adults,” De Pina tells us.

Below are five bed exercises to add to your routine to restore hip strength.

Trunk Rotations

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“This exercise stretches out your back,” De Pina notes. “It’s an incredibly intense strategy that is fundamental to the therapy regime, involving hip and trunk/core control.”

1. Begin by lying flat on your back.
2. Bend your knees and keep your feet flat.
3. Move both of your knees to one side, then the other.
4. Perform 10 reps on each side.

Modified Bridges

“This move strengthens your glutes and your adductors, a muscle group responsible for stabilizing you when you walk,” De Pina explains.

1. Begin by planting both feet flat on the mattress.
2. Lie flat on your back and press your hips 2 inches off the bed.
3. Slowly lower.
4. Complete 2 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

Hip Bends

“This exercise effectively increases hip mobility, while also activating your muscles,” De Pina tells us.

1. Begin by lying flat on your back.
2. Pull one knee up toward your chest to stretch out your lower back.
3. Slowly lower your leg to avoid joint strain.
4. Stop with your hands on the mattress.
5. Repeat 5 to 10 times on both the left and right sides.

Figure 4 Stretch

“This dynamic exercise is great for opening up the hips and easing stiffness,” De Pina notes.

1. Begin lying flat on your back.
2. Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh so that your knee is pushed away from you.
3. Complete 5 to 10 reps on each side.

Hip Flexor Stretch

1. Begin by sitting near the edge of the bed.
2. Hug one of your knees in toward your chest and allow the other leg to dangle off the side of the bed.
3. Repeat 5 times on each side.