The BEST Exercise

You're NOT Doing! (Vol. 3) This month's installment of "The Best Exercise You're Not Doing" is for all the coaches and athletes out there who are looking to improve their speed ! When it comes to sprinting, the posterior chain (spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings) always seem to get all the love. It's definitely not hard to find articles and info regarding tight and/or weak hamstrings. And then there's the glutes. The glutes get more damn pub than Kim Kardashian! Tight glutes. Weak glutes. Glute amnesia. The list goes on and on.



Please don't get me wrong; the posterior chain deserves all the attention it gets. But, the purpose of this newsletter is to reveal lesser-known exercises that people probably aren't doing. And when it comes to overlooked muscles in the body, the hip flexors immediately pop into my mind.



Now you might be thinking that the hip flexors aren't that overlooked. After all, many people realize that tight hip flexors are a major contributor to low back pain. Because of this, athletes (as well as the general population) are spending more and more time stretching and performing soft tissue work on their tight hip flexors. This is great.

BUT HERE'S THE CATCH...

Just because your hip flexors are tight, this does NOT necessarily mean that they're strong. In fact, I feel comfortable saying that 98% of the athletes I've worked with in my career lacked adequate hip flexor strength.



So I've decided to reveal my favorite hip flexor strengthening exercise. This is not meant to replace any of the flexibility work you're doing for your hip flexors. This exercise should be performed in conjunction with your hip flexor stretches and soft tissue work. Double-Banded Hip Flexion w/ Knee Extension

[To perform this exercise you will need 2 mini bands. "Choke" one band around a power rack (or other stable object) and then "choke" the second band around the loop in the first band.] 1 - Loop the band around your ankle and walk forward so there is no slack in the band at the beginning of the movement. (Start with the "working" leg extended about a foot behind the non-working leg. This will place your hip flexor on stretch.) You can hold onto a foam roller to help keep your balance.



2 - Drive your knee up to a point of 90-degrees hip flexion. (Pause for a split second.)



3 - "Kick" your foot out (in a controlled manner) to a point where you can just barely see the tips of your toes. (DON'T fully extend the knee.) Pause for a split second before returning your foot to the starting position for the next rep.



This is an incredible strength exercise for the hip flexors because it works both hip flexion and knee extension. It's an amazing way to "wake up" the often "shut down" hip flexors before a sprint session.



Try performing 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps at the end of your warm-up. You will notice an immediate improvement in knee drive during your sprints.



Joe D.



