Adductor Stretches - pain in hip

I have really tight hips from lifting and lack of stretching.

When I do something like a side split (well, attempt a side split) I get some real discomfort in the hip.  It feels like it's the outer part of the hip joint, right around the area of the stretch when I do a piriformis stretch. 

When I do supine flares I get a lot of clicking and a clunking (I don't know how to explain this) feeling in the same hip.  Essentially it feel like the ball isn't freely rotating in the socket.

Any idea how to work around this or increase the mobility/smoothness of that hip.

It's the left hip and I don't even remember any sort of injury occurring that would cause 1 to give me issues but not the other side.

 

Pain is indicative of too much intensity.  In other words, you are working too hard, too soon.  

1) Reduce your R.O.M. until you are pain free.

2) Are you following a set protocol or simply trying to wing something together on your own?

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Middle Split series

Thanks, I will tone it back a bit.