Hip Dominant Exercises

Chapter 7- Hip Dominant Exercises

A chapter on hip-dominant exercise could actually be an extension of the core chapter, or it could follow the chapter on knee-dominant exercise as it does here. I have often asked myself when bridging ceases to be an exercise for core stability and glute activation and becomes a strengthening exercise for the hip extensors. In reality the line between core strength exercise and hip-dominant exercise is impossible to draw. Many of our core stabilization exercises are actually foundational movements that morph into our hip extension exercises. The concept of glute activation learned from the bridging exercises carries over directly into all of the bent-leg hip extension exercises. In fact the bent-leg hip extension exercises are simply progressions from bridging done in a concentric-eccentric manner.

The training of the entire posterior chain, as the glute and

hamstring group are often referred, becomes more critical as we begin to further our knowledge of functional anatomy. The posterior chain works in conjunction with the quadriceps to control all

locomotor movement from walking to running. Janda referred to the systems of the posterior chain as the “deep longitudinal

sub-system” and the “posterior oblique sub-sub-system” (figure 7.1) and demonstrated how critical these muscles are in transferring force from the ground to the upper body.

Figure 7.1 – The deep longitudinal sub-system and posterior oblique sub system

When the foot is placed on the ground the ankle is stabilized by the anterior tibialis and peroneals. This allows force to be transmitted through the hamstring into the glute max. If we do not perform single leg hip extension exercises we will again miss a critical part of force transmission and of ankle stability. The exercises must begin at the ground with the peroneal group and anterior tibialis and then proceed literally up the chain through the lateral hamstring and into the glutes. The use of the thoracolumbar fascia as the

crossing point of movement through the lumbar spine reinforces our core training concepts as both the transverse abdominus and

internal oblique act on the same thoracolumbar fascia. Movement is literally linked from the feet to the shoulders by the core muscles and fascia.

In spite of the above information, the muscles that extend the hip, primarily the gluteus maximus and hamstring group, are often neglected in many training programs. When we view the systems from a functional anatomical perspective, it is obvious that hip- dominant exercise is as important or potentially more important than knee-dominant exercise. Many coaches mistakenly believe that squatting is enough exercise for the entire lower body. These

types of programs are characterized by a “leg” day that consists primarily of squat type movements with a token single-joint

hamstring exercise like a leg curl. This places excessive emphasis on the knee extensors and neglects the hip extensors. As was discussed in chapter 4, this can be a major problem particularly if glute function is inhibited. Athletes with inhibited glute function will present with large quadricep muscles in relation to the glutes but still may be able to squat large amounts of weight. Most often these quad-dominant, glute deficient athletes will prefer a narrow, knee- dominant, squatting style.

In recent years, the Olympic lifting community has advocated doing variations of the straight-leg deadlift. This exercise has been called the Romanian deadlift and is a hip-dominant deadlift done with a limited knee bend. I prefer to use the term “modified straight-leg deadlifts.” Many U.S. powerlifters used this lift for years prior to the introduction of the term “Romanian deadlift”. Whether you choose to use the term Romanian deadlift or straight-leg deadlift, this type of exercise at least addresses the need for hip dominant exercise.

What this exercise does not address is the need for unilateral hip dominant exercise. If you study the subsystems carefully it

becomes obvious that unilateral exercise is critical to proper function of the posterior chain.

To make matters worse, the hamstring group, a secondary hip extensor, is still often mistakenly trained as a knee flexor. Although some anatomy texts describe the hamstring group as knee flexors, science now tells us that the hamstrings is actually the second most powerful hip extensor as well as a stabilizer of the knee.

Hamstrings are only knee flexors in nonfunctional settings. In any locomotor activity the function of the hamstrings group is not to flex the knee but to extend the hip. As a result, lying or standing leg curls are a waste of time for athletes. Exercises like leg curls train the muscles in a pattern that is never used in sport or in life. The training and retraining of the hamstring muscles in nonfunctional patterns may explain the frequent recurrence of hamstring strains in

athletes who rehabilitate with exercises such as leg curls or through the use of isokinetic machines such as the Cybex. More

importantly, strengthening the hamstrings in the absence of proper glute function is simply attempting to train a synergist to do the job of a prime mover. I believe that most hamstring injuries are actually the result of poor glute function. If the glutes function poorly, then the hamstring becomes what Janda calls “synergistically dominant”.

In other words, we have a synergist attempting to perform the task of a weak prime mover. Over time the hamstrings will tire and eventually strain. If the solution to the hamstring strain is more hamstring strengthening, as is often the case, the cycle will continue. Any time as a coach or therapist you see a hamstring strain, look for a weak glute. Sahrmann’s quote from the pillar strength section bears repeating in this context:

“ When assessing the factors that contribute to an overuse

syndrome, one of the rules is too determine whether one or more of the synergists of the strained muscle is also weak. When the

synergist is weak, the muscle strain is probably the result of excessive demands” (2002,p37).

It has now become our habit to look for a weakness that is causing the strain and, to strengthen the weak muscle instead of the

strained muscle. This may explain the frequent complaint by athletic trainers and therapists that “ I can’t believe he pulled his hamstring again, he had great strength”. The reality is that

hamstring weakness was never the problem. The problem was a weak prime mover.

Exercises like slideboard leg curls or stability-ball leg curls are an exception to the “no single joint exercise” rule are. They are an exception because these particular types of leg curls use a closed-chain movement (foot in contact with a supporting surface) and require that the glutes are active to maintain hip extension.

Hip Extension Exercises

This section breaks down hip extension exercises into two distinct movement patterns: straight-leg hip extension and bent-leg hip extension. It is essential that movements from both categories are used to properly train the posterior chain muscles (glutes and hamstrings). Although some experts claim that bent-leg hip extension isolates the glutes, I have not found this to be true for closed-chain movements. When the foot is in contact with a surface (stability ball, ground, slideboard top), both the glutes and hamstrings work to some degree. Depending on the starting length of the hamstring group, the hamstring will emerge as either the prime mover or the synergist.

Both straight-leg hip extension and bent-leg hip extension target the glute and the hamstrings. The difference lies in the concept of length-tension relationships. Length-tension basically dictates that muscles will work best at normal length.

If they are shortened or overstretched, they will not develop optimal tension. It is not possible to truly eliminate one muscle group’s contribution, only to lessen it. Straight-leg hip extension unquestionably targets the hamstrings to a greater degree due to the fact that the hamstring begins at normal length, but I have found that all of the bent-leg hip extension exercises also involve the hamstrings as a synergist. The difference with bent-leg hamstring exercise is that the hamstring is deliberately shortened to decrease its contribution and increase the contribution of the glute. With the knee bent, the length-tension relationship of the hamstring is now poor and the glute will be literally forced to do more work.

Hamstring cramps with bent-leg hamstring exercises clearly demonstrate that the athlete or client has poor glute firing or activation. Why? Because in spite of the poor length-tension

relationship the hamstring is attemtpting to compensate for the weak glute. Due to the shortened state of the hamstring, the need to shorten an already deliberately shortened muscle causes that muscle to cramp.

The key to any of the hip extension movements is to instruct the client or athlete to think glutes first. Improvement of glute firing must be a conscious effort.

As I mentioned previously, many coaches feel that squatting is enough lower-body exercise. In reality, exercises such as squats and squat variations affect the glutes and hamstrings only as they relate to knee and hip extension involved in achieving a neutral standing position. In squatting the hip never moves into full extension. Quad-dominant athletes can become effective squatters with minimal glute involvement particularly if they are allowed to squat to positions above parallel.

To properly work the glutes and the hamstrings, the movement must be centered on the hip and not on the knee.

To understand this concept, envision a front squat. The hip moves through an approximately 90-degree range of motion in concert with the knee movement. Generally there is one degree of hip movement for each degree of knee movement.

The focus of the exercise is shared equally by the knee extensors and the hip extensors. In an exercise such as the modified straight-leg deadlift, the hip moves through a 90-degree range of motion, but the glutes are assisted by the hamstrings. A properly designed program must include both straight-leg, dominant exercises and bent-leg hip-dominant exercises to properly balance the lower-body muscles.

Most of the exercises in this chapter will initially use

the 8-10-12 body-weight progression, meaning that body weight is used for the first three weeks but the number of repetitions increases each week, from 8 to 10 to 12 reps. External resistance may be used when appropriate or obstacles of greater difficulty can be substituted.

Cook Hip Lift-

The Cook Hip Lift was covered in the core chapter 4, but it is important to again remind coaches or trainers that it is important to begin by distinguishing between hip range and movement of the lumbar spine. Don't skip this step.

What About Reverse Hypers?

It is amazing how quickly we can buy into an exercise without fully evaluating the movement, its’ cost and its’ space requirements.

Louie Simmons and his West Side Barbell philosophy have made many into reverse hyper believers. I will admit to jumping on the Louie bandwagon myself 8 years ago. I now have two reverse hyper machines taking up space and getting very little use. I have a number of issues with reverse hypers.

• I dislike buying equipment that only allows the performance of one exercise. At the end of the day, the reverse hyper machine is still a single-station, single-joint machine.

• Reverse hypers work a non-functional pattern. I want my foot on the ground or at least pushing against something when I perform hip extension exercises.

• Reverse hypers will really feed synergistic dominance particularly if not taught and watched. Ideally the reverse hyper is performed by extending the hip with the glutes and hamstrings. In many cases, reverse hypers may in fact feed the dysfunction by allowing lumbar extension to substitute for hip extension.

• Reverse hypers are not a particularly comfortable lift,

particularly with heavy loads. The force on the stomach can be very uncomfortable.

Again, it is important to remind yourself that the objective of

powerlifting is to lift as much weight as possible. The reverse hyper is seen as a primary assistance exercise for deadlifts, and deadlifts only require that the load moves from A to B. It doesn’t matter which muscle does the work. One reason I dislike conventional deadlifts is that when done heavy, they are rarely done well. It is simply a fact of competitive powerlifting. As a former competitive lifter, I have watched thousands of deadlifts and when the load gets heavy, it gets shifted to the spinal erectors. This makes the lumbar extension component of the reverse hyper very attractive as an assistance exercise for powerlifting, but not for athletes.

Foot-Elevated Hip Lift

The foot-elevated hip lift is an excellent progression from the Cook hip lift and has become a staple of our program. In actuality the foot elevated hip lift is simply a single leg bridge.

This is a great example of the blurry line between core stabilization and posterior chain strength. An exercise that began as a core movement becomes a strength exercise for the posterior chain.

The foot can be elevated on an aerobic step, a balance board, a foam roller, or a medicine ball to increase the difficulty of the exercise. Aerobic steps in four-inch and six-inch heights allow a proper progression. For level 2 exercise, a four-inch step is used. For level 3, a six-inch step or balance board is used.

For level 4, a foam roller can be used. A two-dimensionally unstable surface such as a foam roller causes the hamstrings

to be used in two separate but important functions. The hamstrings assist in hip extension while also working eccentrically to prevent knee extension.

To progress to level 5, a medicine ball can be used. The medicine ball is the most difficult due to the three-dimensional instability it introduces at the hip. The hamstrings must work at two joints, while the hip stabilizers work to prevent hip adduction and abduction. The key is that the athlete or client must be instructed to think about raising the hips by squeezing the glute while keeping the abdominals drawn in.

For all these hip-lift exercises, use the 8-10-12 body-weight progression.

Modified Straight-Leg Deadlift ( p78 Functional Training for Sports)

The modified straight-leg deadlift (SLDL) is the predecessor of the popular Romanian Deadlift and ranks with the squat among frequently maligned, misunderstood, and poorly executed lifts. Squats and deadlifts and their variations are often called unsafe and dangerous. In truth, these lifts may be safe and beneficial when performed correctly with an appropriate load. However, the squat and the SLDL can be dangerous when performed improperly or with too heavy a weight. The unfortunate reality is that most athletes perform both of these exercises with too much weight and with questionable technique.

I must admit to not being a fan of the double-leg versions of the SLDL or the Romanian Deadlift at this point as they are difficult to teach and difficult to learn. I honestly believe that

flexing from the hips with the spine stable (what PT’s like to call a waiters bow) is one of the most difficult exercises to teach in strength and conditioning. The good thing is that, unlike squatting, very few athletes seem to miss deadlifts if they are taken out of the program.

As a result, I now use only single-leg versions of these exercises. I feel that the single-leg versions impact the back significantly less and, impact the glutes and hamstrings significantly more. In addition, the muscular systems that were discussed earlier are trained far more effectively in the single-leg versions. If I can obtain better muscular specificity and less lumbar load, I think that is an improvement. Again the old school purists will look and say “What, no deadlifts?” I will always go back to the same point. If we can improve performance and have less chance of injury, I like the idea.

One-Leg Straight-Leg Deadlift

The one-leg SLDL is a variation that develops the entire posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings), enhances balance, and decreases both load and stress on the back. Beginning loads will be less than fifty percent of the comparable load in the two-legged version.

This exercise is far safer version and is also more challenging. One of the obvious benefits is the tremendous proprioceptive work at the ankle. The deep longituidinal sub-system is engaged in this exercise so the peroneals and anterior tibialis both must work extremely hard to provide stability to the ankle and consequently to the hip. This exercise is preferred in our programs over the double-leg version. Single-leg hamstring work is obviously more functional than double-leg hamstring work, and single-leg hamstring work that challenges balance and proprioception is

the most beneficial. This is another exercise that can be used as a part of the warm-up or as a loaded strength exercise.

Technique Points- the one-leg SLDL is covered on page 79 of Functional Training for Sports

One-Leg, Two Arm Straight-Leg Deadlift

The one -leg, two-arm SLDL is another excellent single leg

alternative to the double leg versions of the Romanian or straight- leg deadlift. Charles Poliquin has frequently used the phrase

“varying the exercise without changing it”. The one-leg, two-arm SLDL is an excellent example of allowing some variability without having to teach entirely new movement patterns. As Poliquin has often recommended the essence of the exercise remains the same, but the exercise is different enough to allow different loads and slightly different neurological patterns.

The one-leg, two-arm SLDL moves from a dumbbell exercise to a straight bar or two dumbbell exercise and alters the loads at both the scapulo-thoracic joint and the thoracolumbar fascia. It allows greater loads than the single arm version and will provide greater

stress to all of the trunk extensors and scapula retractors. This makes the exercise an excellent progression from the single- dumbbell version. From a functional standpoint, however, the two dumbbells or straight bar may actually make the exercise less functional. I do not find this to be of great concern as the greater loads on the hip extensors offset the loss of the linkage from glute max to lat across the thoracolumbar fascia. The important point is that the athlete or client is able to move to a level 2 exercise with an increased load from the level 1 exercise.

1 Leg Good Morning

The single-leg good (figure 7.3) is another example of a single leg version of an exercise that is better than its double leg counterpart.

Although clearly not a beginner exercise, the one-leg good morning is another excellent progression from the previous two exercises.

Although clearly not a beginner exercise, the one-leg good morning is another excellent progression from the previous two exercises.