Why Tight Hip Flexors Stop Your Glutes From Activating.

Yes — according to Dr. Aaron Horschig, tight hip flexors can directly inhibit the activation of your glutes during movements like deadlifts. He explains that this is a common problem for many people, and points to research showing tight hip flexors are associated with limited glute activation. This isn't just a stretching preference; it's a mechanical relationship between the front and back of the hip that can quietly sabotage your lower-body strength work.

His patient April is a clear example: she came in with back pain and noticed her left glute just wouldn't fire on deadlifts, even though her right side worked fine. That asymmetry pointed straight to a hip flexor length issue rather than a glute strength issue.

You test hip flexor length using the Thomas test, an assessment Dr. Horschig used to evaluate April's hips. The test checks whether each leg can drop fully down toward the bed when the opposite hip is flexed toward the chest.

In April's case, when she moved to her left side, her leg did not drop all the way down to the bed the way her right leg could. That limited range on the left side was the tell-tale sign of a tight hip flexor restricting motion — and it lined up exactly with the side where her glute wasn't activating on deadlifts.

You stretch tight hip flexors with a targeted movement that combines a pelvic tilt, a forward shift, and a side lean, which Dr. Horschig used to fix April's glute activation issue. Here's the exact sequence he had her follow:

1. Perform a posterior pelvic tilt.
2. Shift forward into a lunge-like position.
3. Take your hand and lean to the opposite side.

This brings out a stretch to the front of the hip and continues up into the lower abdomen, targeting the psoas muscle. April held the stretch for 5 reps of a 5-second hold, and afterward she could feel her glute working hard again during her deadlifts — direct evidence that the hip flexor tightness had been limiting her glute the whole time.