Hip Strengthening Exercises Every Runner Should Do

August 15, 2016

Hi and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Some runners sometimes shrug off the importance of strength training when it comes to avoiding injury and improving performance. However, strength training should be part and parcel of your training program, as it will help you in many ways, including avoiding injury and improving your performance.

One of the regions you should be focusing on as a runner, to increase strength and mobility, is your hips.  The hips are one of the most important, and yet ignored, aspects of biomechanics. Hip weakness is a major injury root-cause, so when it comes to warding off running pain (especially knee pain), your hip strengthening exercises are some of the most important you can do.

By committing to a hip strengthening routine two to three times a week, you can increase stability and support of your core region. By starting with one set of eight reps and gradually building on it so that you are doing three to four sets of 12 to 15, you should start noticing major improvement in less than two to three weeks. Here are some suggestions:

Single Leg Bridge

• Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor, arms pressed against the floor by your sides. Lift your hips, tone your thighs and squeeze your glutes.
• Next, raise your right leg up in the air as straight as possible, keeping your foot flexed and extending it whilst raising your lower back. Lift your hip as high as possible by engaging your abs and pressing down through the left heel.
• Hold the position for five to ten seconds, and then lower your hips to lightly touch the ground. Now switch legs.

Donkey Kicks

• Get on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, and your wrists aligned under your shoulders.
• Draw your abdominals in as you gradually lift your leg behind you until it’s almost parallel to the floor, with your knee bent and your foot flexed.
• Hold this position and pulsate your flexed foot towards the ceiling by engaging and squeezing your glutes. Keep the motion small and controlled with the muscle doing most of the work.
• Focus on the muscle, and avoid using momentum. Also make sure you keep your back straight and spine in a neutral positon.
• Lastly, return to the starting position and complete one rep.

Bird Dog

• Get on all fours on your hands and knees with your palms flat on the floor and shoulder width apart. Your knees should be directly under your hips and your hands beneath your shoulders. Make sure to keep your lower back and abdomen in a neutral position.
• Next, engage your core to keep a good balance. Raise your left arm and extend it straight out in front of your body as you raise your right leg and straighten it behind you.
• Hold this position for three to five seconds, and then return to the starting position and repeat.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya