Healthy Hips

[Erik]

Good article on 'Healthy Hips' by Keith Scott

The hip complex is one of the most important areas in the body for the active person. If you have a bad back, sore knees, achy thighs, or just about any other painful condition, I would bet the farm that some if not all of the problems, are because of poor hip conditions. This week I am going to outline three common problems found in most people around the hip area and give three quick and reliable ways to do a self-assessment.

Three common hip problems that you probably have and how to assess your situation:

Tight hip flexors – These are the muscles and tendons in the front of your hips.

How do you know you have tight hip flexors? Lie down on your back, and pull one of your knees to your chest while keeping the other leg extended and flat against the floor. If that extended leg pops up as your bent knee approaches your chest, you have tight hip flexors. Test both legs.

Tight hip rotators – Your rotators are found deep in your hip. These are very important muscles for health and performance.

While sitting with your back straight, cross your right leg over your left knee (placing the outside of your right foot on your left knee/thigh.) If your right knee sticks up in the air and does not lie parallel to the floor (or close to parallel) then you probably have tight rotators. Make sure you test both sides.

Glute muscles are “asleep.” – What this means is that your glutes are not firing as they should and your hamstring is doing all of the work. Most people that have sitting jobs or sit for the majority of the day have this problem. This will lead to tight and strained hamstrings, hip pain, low back pain, and a host of other problems, including minimal strength levels during training.

One way to help tell for sure you have sleeping glutes is to lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, drive your heels into the floor and elevate your hips. Perform this motion for about 20 straight reps. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more than you do in your glutes (butt), this means your glutes are not working as they should. Even if you do feel it more in your glutes, chances are you need work. We all do.

Try these three assessments to find out if you have obvious “issues.” Even if you find out that your hips seem, “OK” chances are you still need work to stay healthy. Next week I will include part II and show you some basic, but effective ways to fix these conditions, stay healthy and maximize your performance in the gym and in life.

[Blondell]

nice

[Erik]

In the last article I talked about how to identify three common hip issues. Hopefully these tests helped many readers better examine their own problem areas around the hip. In this installment, I am going to give you a few “fixes” for those common hip problems and also some preventive exercises as well.

Tight Hip Flexors: I would be willing to bet that most of the people reading this have tight hip flexors. How can I make this bet? In the 15 plus years I have been working with athletes and non-athletes, most of the people that walked through my door had tight hip flexors.

So you have tight hip flexors, now what?

1. Box Lunge and stretch – This is a two in one exercise that will not only loosen up your tight hip flexors, but it will also stretch your glutes, and upper hamstrings as well. Find a box or platform that is above knee height, and place one of your feet on the top of the box. Your up knee should be bent more than 90 degrees. Slowly lean forward, placing more weight on the box. Keep the opposite, weight bearing leg in one place and fairly straight as you lean forward. You should start to feel a stretch in the front of the straight leg. You may also feel a stretch in your glute area and even a little in the mid to back thigh muscles (adductors, hamstrings.) If you are tight in the hips, this is a great stretch and will get more than you bargained for. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds and perform 5 reps. Switch sides and repeat.

An advanced tip for your hips flexors and groin area is to hold this same stretch but rotate slightly (and slowly) towards the bent knee.

Tight Hip Rotators: If you have found that your hip rotators are tight, you need some work to get the hips healthy. Try these exercises and watch your limitations go away in the next few weeks.

1. While lying on your back bend one of you knees to 90 degrees and rotate your leg in (like you are going to cross that foot over your opposite knee.) Grab onto the bent knee with one hand and your ankle of the same leg, with the other hand. Pull your bent leg up towards your chest, being extra careful not to torque the knee (apply even pressure.) Pull your ankle and knee evenly until you feel a stretch deep in your glute area. Once you feel that stretch, hold it for 20 seconds. Repeat 5 times and switch legs.

This stretch will loosen up your external rotators in your hip very well and if you have back pain, may very well help get rid of it.

Sleeping glutes: If you found that your hamstrings are overactive and your glutes are sleeping at the wheel, you need to work on activating them for not only hip health, but for back, knee and overall body health.

1. Using the test that you performed to find out if your glutes were really asleep is one of the best ways to activate them. Here is a review:

Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, drive your heels into the floor and elevate your hips. Perform this motion for about 20 straight reps. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more than you do in your glutes (butt), this means your glutes are not working as they should. Even if you do feel it more in your glutes, chances are you need work. We all do.

Perform this exercise in the same way except hold each bridge for 5 seconds, making sure to consciously squeeze your butt each rep. You can also bring your heels in closer to your butt before you start. Over time, your glutes will kick in and take over. Do this exercise everyday until you notice a difference. By day three you should feel your glutes working more than your hamstrings.

2. Band Walks – Find an elastic band or tubing and tie it into a small circle. Place it around your ankles and spread your legs until the band is tight. Start to walk sideways spreading your lead leg as far as you can. Pick up your back leg (in other words, don’t drag it) and bring it close to your lead leg, while walking across the floor. Make sure you always have tension on the band. Walk across the floor at least 15 steps before simply changing lead legs and coming back to where you started. You should feel a burning in the sides of your hips. Perform 2 sets up and back. For the first set, keep your legs relatively straight. For the second set, slightly bend your knees while doing this.

This is a great way to fire up your smaller, but just as important glute muscles.

Prevent Exercises:

To ensure that you maintain mobile, flexible and fired up hips (in other words “Healthy Hips”) here are some exercises that I like to do with my clients to keep them healthy and at the top of their game.

1. Deep Squat Holds – Spread your legs past shoulder width and work on slowly squatting as deep as you can while keeping your back fairly straight. Once you find a spot where you cannot squat any deeper without discomfort or pain, hold that position for 30 seconds. Repeat about 5 times. To add some extra work, once you are in that position, push your knees out slightly with your elbows. This will put your adductors, and rotators on stretch, while forcing your other muscles to brace and fire. This is an excellent exercise to stretch and fire up your hips in a simple and safe manner. Each time out, try to go deeper and with your legs spread a little more.

2. Mule Kicks – If you really want to fire up your glutes try this simple exercise. Bend over a table or bed, or even a bench face down. Brace yourself with your hands while you kick one of your legs up and back. Make sure to extend your hip while slightly bending your knee. Once you kick that leg up and back, hold it for a count of 3 seconds. Return and repeat about a total of 12 times. Switch legs. This exercise will surely fire up your glutes and get them firing the way they should.

**if you have low back problems, be careful doing these in the beginning.

Try these exercises and watch your limitations shake loose before your eyes. You will move better and feel better after the first few sessions.

[Inatic]

Tight hipflexors and sleeping glutes were a huge problem for me. I've since over come most of it help of ART.

[Erik]

In this installment, I am going to list very simple, basic exercises that anyone can do to help keep the hips healthy. This article will briefly cover strength training for and around the hip complex. Plug these exercises into your routine to help keep strong, healthy hips. These exercises are meant to be simple and things that you can do at home, even if you do not have a lot of equipment.

Remember, this is a basic list. There are plenty of other exercises that you can do too. Start with these and move up from there.

1. Squats – Whole body exercise that should already be part of your program. Make sure to incorporate one-legged squats into your training.

2. Dead lifts – This is another exercise that will work the entire body as well as focusing on the hip complex. Make certain to keep a straight, neutral back. Perform these with your knees bent slightly to about 20 degrees. Pitch your butt tight as you extend (up movement) your hips. This is one of the best exercises out there for many things, but essential for a healthy hip complex! If you are not certain you can do these next to perfect, find someone that can help you do the correctly.

3. Russian Hamstring Curls - Start on your knees with a partner holding onto your ankles from behind. While trying to keep the hip extended and the back in neutral, slowly lean forward from the knees, using the glutes to keep the hips straight. Lean forward as far as your hamstring strength will let you, ultimately aiming for at least a 45 degree angle. If possible, pull yourself back upwards. If you cannot do this, then fall to the floor carefully and catch yourself in the push up position. This is an extremely tough exercise and may take a while to get it. Since you will be producing an eccentric load while doing these, limit this exercise to once a week.

4. Band Walks – Get a theraband or theratubing and tie the ends together. Place your feet into the newly made circle. Open your legs and make the band tight. Walk side ways across the floor very slowly and deliberately while fighting against the resistance of the band. Come back across the room working the other side. Do this with your knees bent and then perform with your knees straight.

[Birdie]

Excellent information! Healthy hips are really important. Thanks Thunder.

[Cindy Day]

:thumb:

[Ali]

:love:

[ritzgal]

My hips are healthy alright...:naughty:

Good post Erik!

[Audrey]

Great post! Thanks for posting :thumb:

[BSNJunkie]

Kind of related topic....any info on IT band issues. I know already know they are tight. Can feel them "pop" across my femur when stretching.

[TheDeliverator]

Kind of related topic....any info on IT band issues. I know already know they are tight. Can feel them "pop" across my femur when stretching.

Foam roller and tennis ball work.

[Redone]

*bump*

Thank you! My right hip has been killing me lately and the tests are v. helpful.

[clc315]

*bump*

Thank you! My right hip has been killing me lately and the tests are v. helpful.
Be wary on the hip flexor length test. The test, actually called a "thomas test" should actually be done by a qualified health care professional. It's too easy to "botch" up the test and incorrectly come up with a short/tight "hip flexor". The problem is....which hip flexor?

[lillybean]

This one is super too! Thanks!