Your hips are part of the core where your strength, stability, and balance begin and end. The core consists of 29 muscles that attach to your spine, trunk and hips. When you run or lift a heavy box, your hips work with your trunk and spine to produce strength and control. When you have good core strength, it places less stress on your outer joints in your limbs to prevent pain and injuries.
Total Body Strength
The largest muscles in your hips are your gluteal complex (buttocks) which are designed to extend the hip and leg back, provide the drive and force for kicking and provide the strength and power to lift your body up during a squat, vertical jump or when pushing forward. Without the stability and strength of your hips, you would not be able to push, pull, jump and balance very well.
One hip exercise for strength training is the squat. The squat is one of the basic movements and positions needed in many sports and activities (baseball catcher, gymnast). You can use many different types of equipment for squatting, such as a barbell, dumbbell, or just your body weight.
When you squat, place your feet about shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward. As you lower your body down, maintain a tall spine and avoid excessive leaning forward of your torso. Once you have reached the lowest squatting position, brace your trunk and push yourself back up to standing position. Do not lift your heels or round your back as you do so.
You can also combine the squat with an upper body movement, such as a shoulder press with dumbbells or squat, jump and pull-up (on pull-up bars).
Multi-planar Movements
Training your lower body in multiple planes of movement offers better balance, strength and variety to your workouts. These movement planes are sagittal (front to back), frontal (side to side) and transverse (rotation). You can use many existing lower body exercises to adapt to this principle, such as lunges, step-ups, squats and sprints.
For example, in a basic lunge, step forward about 12 inches with your right leg and extend your left hip. Lower your body down while maintaining a slight lean forward and a neutral spine. Then push yourself back up with the right leg to standing position.
You can do lunges by placing the leading leg in front of you, to the side, rotate to 120 degrees behind you and even crossing the center of your body.
Stabilization
Stabilization of the hips requires you to keep your balance and center while the outer extremities are moving. Good stability in the hips and core allows you to control your movements and reduce to amount of energy needed to perform work. Some types of stabilization exercises include planks and bridges. Using a stability ball for planks and bridges requires your hips to engage more to prevent excessive movement and maintain balance.
For example, in a plank exercise, place your forearms on the ball and place your feet slightly apart or together. Keep your spine neutral but not stiff. Lift your knees off the ground to a push-up position. Hold that position for two deep breaths, and then lower your knees to the ground. Rest for a few seconds and repeat for 6 to 10 reps.
In a floor bridge, lay on your back with your feet hip-width apart and toes pointing forward. Lift your hips and lower back off the ground as high as you can. Keep the knees parallel to each other. Hold for two deep breaths and return to the ground. Repeat for 10 reps.
Integration
You hips are part of a complex system of movement and should not be trained in an isolated manner, unless prescribed by a physician or rehab specialist. In sports and everyday activities, all body parts work together like musicians in an orchestra and none works truly alone. Using the a total-body method to exercise gets you stronger, burns more calories and makes exercise more fun.
References
- "Essentials of Program Design"; Juan Carlos Santana; 2004
- "Athletic Body in Balance"; Gray Cook; 2003
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