Tight hips and the ripple effect in training

As coaches, trainers, and athletes, we have learned that our bodies are complex machines and must be trained as such. In the pursuit of peak performance, strength, and fat loss, we have come to fully appreciate the benefits of body weight and free weight exercises. This could mean starting with push-up variations instead of putting a 130-pound novice on the bench. Similarly, you can try performing a single bodyweight pistol squat before removing your knee wraps and maxing out the leg press. The theory is that if we use our body as a unit at home, on the field and under the bar, it should be trained that way, as a unit. By doing so, you or your clients will progress to more intense multi-joint exercises like the squat, clean, and push press. Each of these multi-joint movements has a specific kinetic chain. This kinetic chain can also be described as a ripple effect of muscle contraction throughout the body. Learning to contract your muscles in the correct sequence is what dictates good form and makes an exercise like the squat functional and safe.

When there is an injury, knot or strain in a particular muscle, its kinetic chain is interrupted. The tense area will tighten with little to no muscle contraction. This interruption of the sequence forces the body to “skip track” to the next phase of the movement while recruiting stronger muscles to make up the slack of the non-contracting muscles. It’s a detour, if you will, but it’s the body’s most efficient route to finish the lift at that point. This is where the form breaks down and new or additional injury can potentially occur. This can also happen if there is a weak area (relative to the other muscles working in the movement) or any imbalance from one side of the body to the other. But since tension creates a weakness that can cause injury, we’ll start there. One of the most common kinetic chain disruptors is tight hips.

The most obvious sign of tight hips is pain on one or both sides during the hip movements involved. Whether you’re a beast and not in pain or just used to it, here are some more specific signs of less than optimal hip health.

* Difficulty or inability to widen the knees in a medium-width squat

* Difficulty performing full-range lunges with an upright body

* Losing explosiveness in squats or lunges

* Having trouble locking at the top of a deadlift

* Having trouble shooting from the bottom of the crouching box

If you think all of these things are hard and it’s just a sign that you’re training hard, read on. It is important to be able to recognize a problem or weakness so that you and/or your clients continue to improve and achieve your goals. If you’re still not sure, here are three fast-moving tests you can do anywhere:

body weight bridge

Lie down on the ground. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Press through the heel, squeeze your butt and lift your hips creating a plank position from your shoulders to your knees. Ideally, you should be able to create a straight body line from shoulder to hip (no higher). If you feel pain in the hip area or are unable to complete this movement in the plank position, then you have tight hips.

Bodyweight Bridge 1

Bodyweight Bridge 2

Wide Stance Wall Squats

Face an empty wall with your toes no more than an inch apart. Before you begin, be sure to clear the area behind you or your client, as there is a chance that you may lose your footing and fall back. Although an awkward move, the wall squat leaves no room for you to fool yourself into not having good squat form. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and turn your toes slightly out. Sit down and slowly pull your body down keeping your knees extended over your toes. Do not stand more than you can reach your knees. If there is pain or tightness in one or both hips, the mobility of the hip must be worked on.

Wide Stance Wall Squat 1

Wide Stance Wall Squat 2

split squats

Stand in a split lunge position with your front foot firmly on the ground and your back foot elevated on a low step or bench. Your back heel should be off the step and your front knee slightly bent. Keep your chest up and your shoulders back. Lower your hips, allowing your trailing knee to drop to a point just before you hit the ground. Press firmly through the front heel and return to the starting position. Be sure not to lean forward as this will relieve tension and keep your hip from stretching.

split squat 1

split squat 2

If you didn’t pass one or more of these tests, then I think you know what that means… that’s right: 90 minute Hot Yoga classes, 3-4 times a week.

GOLD…

Make some reasonable changes to your daily routine and some necessary changes to your training. Here are some examples of common causes and suggestions for improvement.

session

This could be a customer with a sedentary career sitting in front of a computer all day or a traveler who spends many hours in the car. Maybe a high school or college athlete who sits in class all day and tends to get tighter than everyone else. Less chronic incidences may include having to travel to games or meets or taking a long plane flight. Either way, get rid of the chair whenever possible and as soon as possible. Try using a hands-free headset or blue tooth and get out from behind the desk. If you’re traveling, buy a short foam roller. If you’re a traveling athlete, bring the short foam roller and get a good dynamic warm up before your activity.

Inadequate warm-up before training or competing

This is self explanatory. If you’re in a hurry, the last thing you want to skip is the basic warm-up. I say you because everyone is different and the more attention you pay to maintaining your flexibility, the less tedious and long your warm-up will seem. Make sure you, your client, or your athlete have a warm-up planned. This prevents you from rushing into random moves or wasting time trying to figure out what to do next.

Don’t be a lazy ass

Literally. Be sure to use your glutes to their fullest potential. When squatting, deadlifting, or even lunging, wear a flat shoe (Chuck Taylors are great). Wearing a flat shoe helps you keep your body weight on your heels and use as much of your posterior muscles as possible, ie your buttocks, buttocks, and lower back. You can practice or teach glute activation with exercises like the kettlebell swing, pull-through, and bodyweight bridge as mentioned above.

Inadequate active recovery

This could be Big Pete in the gym hitting a new 1/4 squat PR and calling it quits. But he’ll feel like he got hit by a Mac Truck tomorrow morning. Because? Because an ammonia-induced landing dance after a PR doesn’t classify as a proper active recovery. Make time for accessory work that complements your training and specific mobility needs. If your sessions are strictly timed, try an additional workout 24 hours after max effort to increase your recovery time.

Finally, I’ll discuss some logical suggestions on how to modify your training without compromising it. Start with a planned warm-up. Before a session, it is always better to choose dynamic stretching (movement) instead of static stretching (maintaining a single position for a while). You can use all three movements discussed above for moderate repetitions using just your bodyweight in a circuit. Again, any other hip mobility moves you’ve learned along the way will work just fine. Whatever hits the nail on the head, so to speak.

Now that you’re ready to train, consider training the box squat as your max effort lift. I say this because the box squat is very easily and safely modified to slowly increase and control hip mobility. You need good mobility in your squat to be able to keep your knees out, get into a wider stance, and get to parallel or below (depending on your goals). If it’s too tight, start with a taller box and medium stance. Never stand more than you can reach your knees. Also keep in mind that you should wear a very flat shoe to ensure you get as much posterior chain engagement as possible.

So you have a fixed stance (as wide as you can stand while keeping your knees at the same level as your toes) and a tall enough box that you can sit far back, under control. This is his starting point. As he trains this lift, every three to four weeks, he lowers the box half an inch and assumes a slightly wider stance. Remember the knee rule! This will gradually and safely increase your range of motion. One last suggestion: To preserve all your hard work, it might be a good idea to train your abs standing up or with Janda squats to exclude hip flexor involvement. Hey, in the end, every little effort equals your success. Reading about what to do is not enough. Have the will to do it.