The greater you bend your hips forward and extend your hips backward during a run, the greater you activate your hip flexors and gluteal muscles. If you take an easy jog moving mostly at your knees and ankles, the activation of your hip muscles will be minimal. Sprint and hill runs force you to quickly and powerfully engage your hip muscles through a larger range of motion, propelling you faster across flat terrain or up a hill. Alternate the use of a treadmill and an outdoor path to reduce strain on your joints and to add variety to your workouts.
Step 1
Warm up for 10 minutes by alternating one-minute walks with one-minute jogs before every run, especially when focusing on your hips since these workouts are quite intense. Stretch your entire body, including your glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings and quads. Hold each stretch for no more than 10 seconds.
Step 2
Complete a Monday running session for your hips on an outdoor hill. Run up a hill slowly then walk down. Run up the hill again just a little faster then walk back down. It should take you about 30 seconds to run up the hill. Use a stopwatch to clock your time.
Step 3
Sprint up the hill and walk down. Complete 20 to 30 minutes of hill intervals. Focus on running faster up the hill by attempting to beat your previous time.
Step 4
Perform a moderately intense jog on a treadmill, progressively increasing the incline on Thursdays. Start with a five-minute run on a 1 percent grade or incline on the treadmill. Increase the incline by .5 percent every two minutes until you reach 5 percent. Alternate running at a 5 percent incline and running on a 1 percent incline every three minutes working your way up to a total of 30 minutes.
Step 5
Complete a sprint workout across a flat field or a track on Saturdays. Pick a starting point and a finish point for your sprint. It should take you about 20 seconds to reach the finish line. Begin with a moderate run, then walk back to the start position. Do another run slightly faster and walk back.
Step 6
Sprint across the field and check your time as you cross the finish line. Walk back to starting line and continue this interval workout for 20 to 30 minutes.
Tips and Warnings
- Stretch after every run. Do three reps per stretch, holding each rep for 30 seconds.
- Consult with your doctor before beginning an unsupervised exercise program.
Things You'll Need
- Stopwatch
References
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2000
- "Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 1997
- "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance"; William McArdle, Frank Katch and Victor Katch; 2007
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