Bed Exercises for Hip Strength After 60

Do these five moves before you even get up—your hips will thank you all day long.

Maintaining strong, healthy hips is essential for aging gracefully and leading a confident, active lifestyle. After all, your hips stabilize your pelvis and spine, helping to boost mobility so you can conquer daily tasks like climbing stairs with ease. If you don’t have extra time to carve out for gym time, don’t fret. We spoke with an expert who shares five simple bed exercises that can restore hip strength faster than stretching after 60.

“As we get older, we lose muscle mass, our muscles don’t fire as efficiently and all-important glutes, hip flexors and deep stabilizers of the hip don’t work as well as they used to,” explains Suzana De Pina, Clinical Exercise Physiologist at Papayya. “Their gait may be slower, strides shorter, and balance more precarious, raising the risk they will accidentally topple over. But few of us specifically target our hips and legs for strengthening, which means they commonly weaken with age, even as hip power remains vital for our balance and well-being.”

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

“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.

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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.

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Hip Bends

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“This exercise effectively increases hip mobility, while also activating your muscles,” De Pina tells us.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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.

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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.

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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.

Alexa Mellardo

Alexa is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist based in Greenwich, CT. She has 11+ years of experience covering wellness, fitness, food, travel, lifestyle, and home. Read more about Alexa