I had been suffering from lower back pain for the last few years, and presumed it was something I would just have to live with as a side-effect to being a slouching desk jockey, chained to my Mac 8 hours a day.

And then one morning, over my usual post-shower caffeine fix and social media catch up, I saw a Facebook post from a gym-bunny friend of mine, complaining about her sore hip flexors after using a foam roller incorrectly. To be honest, she might as well have been talking about home decorating, as 90% of her post initially made no real sense to me - until we caught up over lunch. And then she explained her muscle injury and how she wished that she did some research before launching into a new workout routine.

Now I'm most definitely not a gym addict - I try to go three times a week, and then mostly for light cardio on the treadmill, exercise bike and maybe the rowing machine if I'm feeling particularly adventurous. But after some research, it seemed that her injury and my constant back ache had something in common - hip flexors. This led me to carry out a lot more research, which eventually turned into this little book - and my release from constant nagging lower back pain.

Maybe like me, until recently you had never heard of hip flexors, and were unaware how easy they can be to exercise and stretch, and the everyday benefits that unlocking or loosening them can have. And that's why I wanted to share my discoveries, in the hope that they can benefit you too.

The idea is that you'll easily be able to read this book in one sitting, and that it'll be a handy form of reference for you to carry out the five simple exercises as often as you like.

I appreciate that many of us prefer videos over illustrations to explain exercises, so where possible I've included links to helpful instructional videos too.

I look forward to helping you to have stronger, less tight hip flexors and all the benefits that come with them!

L.W. Bentley

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