Anterior Pelvic Tilt Exercises: A Corrective Routine for Healthy Hips and Lower Spine Alignment (Free PDF)

Do you often find yourself with your butt sticking out in that female Instagram model pose?

Anterior pelvic tilt (APT) can not only cause lower back pain but also poor upper body posture.

A sedentary lifestyle leads to underused glute, hamstring and core muscles. Moreover, your hip flexors are shortened if you spend hours of your day sitting at work.

On the positive note, you don’t have to live with APT.

Doing the anterior pelvic tilt exercises you’ll discover below will realign your pelvic position over time.

How Anterior Pelvic Tilt Exercises Work

Anterior pelvic tilt (APT) is a postural deviation where the front of the pelvis drops and the back rises. This leads to an exaggerated curve in your lower spine and can shift your posture out of alignment.

In other words, when you have an anterior pelvic tilt, your butt sticks out and your lower back is excessively arched.

Although APT can be caused structurally, most of the time, the tilt is caused by a combination of muscle imbalances.

Causes:

• Prolonged sitting.
• Weak core muscles.
• Weak gluteus muscles.
• Weak hamstrings.
• Shortened hip flexor muscles.
• Shortened quadriceps muscles.

Symptoms:

• Excessive arching of the lower back.
• Lower back pain.
• Postural compensations in the thoracic and cervical spine.
• A prominent belly.
• Tight hip muscles.

Anterior pelvic tilt exercises counter these muscular imbalances and bring your pelvis back in alignment.

To effectively address APT, focus on strength exercises for your core, glutes, and hamstrings. At the same time, mobilize your hip flexors and quads.

Hip Flexor / Quad Smash

Work the soft tissue of your hip flexors and quads in the beginning of your workout to loosen up your muscles.

Instructions:

• Use a foam roller or massage ball to massage your quads and hip flexors.
• Begin by lying face down on the floor with the foam roller positioned under your hip.
• Gently lower your body weight onto the foam roller or massage ball, searching for tender spots.
• Once you find a tender spot, pause, and apply pressure for 15 to 30 seconds while trying to relax your muscles.
• Ensure you breathe deeply to help your body relax and sink down into the foam roller or ball.
• This should be a bit uncomfortable but not painful.

Lunging Hip Opener

When addressing anterior pelvic tilt, the Lunging Hip Opener is a potent exercise to mobilize your whole body, including your hips, spine, and shoulders.

Instructions:

• Go on your hands and knees. Position your hands directly under your shoulders.
• Step one foot forward and position it just outside your hand on the same side.
• Step the other foot backward a bit, lift your knee off the ground and squeeze your glute to stabilize your lower back.

• Try to bring your front elbow down towards the ground just inside of your foot until you feel a slight stretch.

• In a slow and controlled way, stretch your arm out to the side of your body and circle it up towards the sky. Rotate your torso with it and look towards the sky.

• Turn further in the same direction and bend your arm to place the back of your hand on your back without rolling your shoulder forward. Look behind you.
• Hold the position for a second.
• Slowly turn back in the same, controlled way and drive your elbow towards the ground again.
• You can leave the knee of the rear leg on the ground if taking it off is too difficult, but keep your glutes squeezed to stabilize your lower back.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) is another beneficial exercise. The RDL targets your hamstrings, glutes, and core while keeping activation of the quads low.

However, it is important to perform the exercise with proper form.

If your APT makes it impossible for you to maintain a neutral spine during the Romanian Deadlift, it is best to avoid this exercise initially. Instead, focus on other corrective exercises. After a few weeks, reassess your ability to perform the RDL and integrate it into your workout once you’re ready.

Instructions:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell (palms of your hands facing back) with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Squeeze your glutes and engage your core; Maintain a neutral spine and tension in your core during the exercise.
• Slowly lower the barbell down the front of your legs by hinging from your hip (pushing your hips back and bending at the waist), while bending your knees slightly.
• The emphasis of this exercise is on the slow descent.
• Keep the barbell close to your body as you lower it.
• Lower the barbell until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings or until the bar is a hand width below your knees. Only go as far as you can without rounding your back.
• Pause a second at the bottom.
• Return to the starting position by engaging your hamstrings and glutes to drive your hip forward and bring your upper body upright. Straighten your legs.
• Keep the barbell close to your body as you lift it.
• Again, make sure to maintain a neutral spine during the whole exercise, don’t round your back.

Hip Thrust

The Hip Thrust is a powerful exercise to fire up your glutes which play an important role in your ability to correctly align your pelvis.

Instructions:

• Sit on the ground with your upper back resting against a bench or other stable surface. Your knees should be bent and your feet flat on the ground.
• Hold a loaded barbell on your lap, with your hands holding the bar on either side.
• It is recommended to use a barbell pad or something else as a cushion to protect your hips from the pressure of the weight. Otherwise it is very uncomfortable and you might not perform the exercise correctly.
• Engage your core, push through your heels, and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the ground, thrusting your hips upward.
• Keep your chin tucked and move the bar up until your hips are aligned with your shoulders and knees.
• At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes and hold for a second.
• Slowly and controlled, lower your hips back down to the starting position.

Walking Lunge

Walking lunges are a unilateral strength training exercise ideal for addressing an anterior pelvic tilt. They also dynamically mobilize your hip flexors.

Perform long steps to emphasize glute and hamstring activation.

Instructions:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a weight, such as a dumbbell or kettlebell, in each hand.
• Step forward with one leg, lowering your body until your back knee gently touches the ground; slowly and controlled.
• Keep tension in your legs and squeeze your back glute as you descent.
• Keep your body upright and your core engaged to maintain proper form. Don’t lean forward.
• Push off with your front foot to return to the starting position.
• Step forward with the other leg and repeat the movement.
• You can step your foot next to the other one and regain your balance first, if needed.
• Continue to alternate legs as you walk forward.
• If you don’t have enough space to walk, perform stationary lunges.

Side Plank Clam Shell

The Side Plank Clam Shell is an exercise strengthening your lateral stabilizers, including your gluteus medius and minor, oblique, and core muscles.

Instructions:

• Lie on your side with a slight bend in the knees and prop up on your elbow (placed underneath your shoulder).
• Make sure that your shoulder is not rolled forward but in a stable position.
• Lift your hips off the ground and drive them as high as possible while bringing them forward (in alignment with your feet and shoulders on that plane).
• Open your legs like a clam by keeping your feet together and driving the top knee toward the sky, without shifting the orientation of your pelvis.
• Hold a second at the top.
• Slowly lower into the starting position again.
• You can start with only your bodyweight and progress by wrapping a short resistance band around your legs just above your knees and/or by placing a weight on your hip.

Couch Stretch

The Couch Stretch is a much needed hip flexor mobilization countering the effects of prolonged daily sitting.

Instructions:

• Get on your hands and knees with your feet touching a wall behind you.
• Bring one knee in the corner between the wall and the ground with your foot pointing toward the sky (you could place some sort of cushion underneath, if your knee is sensitive).
• Reset your hands so they are positioned directly under your shoulders, with your elbows locked.
• Place your other foot just outside of your hands.
• Make sure your spine is and stays neutral during the stretch.
• If you can’t get into this position while maintaining a neutral spine, you can elevate your hand position by placing something underneath.
• Squeeze your glutes to drive your hips forward and stabilize your lower back.
• Drive your hips forward and down without arching or rounding your back, stretching your hip flexors and quads.

• Once you feel comfortable in that position, slowly bring your torso more upright.
• Make sure to keep your glutes squeezed and not arch your lower back. If you can’t do that, lower your upper body back down.
• Drive your hips forward to increase the stretch.

• To target the psoas on the side of your hip, you can lift up your arm on the side you are stretching and lean your upper body to the opposite side.

Building an Exercise Routine for Anterior Pelvic Tilt

Consistently doing this exercise routine to address anterior pelvic tilt, will align your pelvis into a better, neutral position over time.

Ensure progressive overload by gradually increasing the resistance and volume to continue improving muscle strength and pelvic position. Plan to train around 2-3 times per week for optimal results.

Remember, consistency is critical for correcting anterior pelvic tilt. It might be tough at first, but if you stick with the exercises, you’ll see notable improvements.

For a more comprehensive, full body posture improvement program, consider upgrading to this free training plan! It not only focuses on APT, but also postural problems further up your body.