The hip complex is one of the most important and under-trained areas on the body. With that said, it is one of the most important areas for everyone to train. Low back problems and knee problems are the biggest areas of pain and dysfunction that I have dealt with in most of my years working with injured people.
Tight, and/or underdeveloped hips will cause knee problems along the way. Low back problems usually find their roots with bad hips. Most people have tight hip flexors, weak glutes, and under developed lateral hip muscles….not to mention horrible rotation in the hip joint. All of these issues will surely cause major imbalances in the rest of the body, especially the lower extremity.
Chronic hamstring pulls can be directly related to tight and under-trained hips. Just by correcting the hip area, you can solve many of these issues.
Three common hip problems that you probably have and how to assess your situation:
- Tight hip flexors - These are the muscles and tendons in the front of your hips. How do you know you have tight hip flexors? Lie down on your back, and pull one of your knees to your chest while keeping the other leg extended and flat against the floor. If that extended leg pops up as your bent knee approaches your chest, you have tight hip flexors. Test both legs.
- Tight hip rotators - Your rotators are found deep in your hip. These are very important muscles for health and performance. While sitting with your back straight, cross your right leg over your left knee (placing the outside of your right foot on your left knee/thigh.) If your right knee sticks up in the air and does not lie parallel to the floor (or close to parallel) then you probably have tight rotators. Make sure you test both sides.
- Glute muscles are “asleep.” - What this means is that your glutes are not firing as they should and your hamstring is doing all of the work. Most people that have sitting jobs or sit for the majority of the day have this problem. This will lead to tight and strained hamstrings, hip pain, low back pain, and a host of other problems, including minimal strength levels during training. One way to help tell for sure you have sleeping glutes is to lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, drive your heels into the floor and elevate your hips. Perform this motion for about 20 straight reps. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more than you do in your glutes (butt), this means your glutes are not working as they should. Even if you do feel it more in your glutes, chances are you need work. We all do.
