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The problem most of us have when it comes to speed training is our jobs. Yep, if we could just quit working and start training 40+ hours a week, with top strength and speed coaches, we’d be set. No really, all kidding aside, if you are like most of us, you have a job that requires you to sit for prolonged periods of time. Something that pretty much guarantees your hips are going be in need of some serious repair. In this article, I will cover some of the exercises that will give you the best bang for your buck when it comes to fixing lazy, weak hips.

 

Firstly, when talking about speed, we need to look at the hips because these are the joints where all the action take place while sprinting--transferring power through your glutes and quads to propel your body forward. You need to make assessments of a few things: Do your hips function properly? Are your glutes contributing? Do you have tight hip flexors? Do you have adequate strength in the various muscle groups? Many of us end up sitting all day at work, then again on the commute home, and again in front of the TV or computer at home. Sitting for prolonged periods in a hips-flexed position ends up killing the hips from a functional standpoint. The result is tight hip flexors, inactive glutes, tight and or weak hamstrings and a dominance of the anterior musculature of the body (quads, hip flexors). In order to become faster, we need to fix this hip dysfunction first.

 

My top exercises for bringing the hips up to par are as follows:

 

1). Hip Thrust

 

These are a no-brainer! If you want to make the hips dominant, you need to make them stronger, period. Renowned trainer Bret Contreras might be the first to study and possibly conceive of this exercise. The hip thrust is gaining popularity, as I see it popping up more and more all over the Internet and on YouTube. This is rightfully so--as they are a fantastic exercise for the glutes and hamstrings.

 

To perform these correctly, sit on the ground with your feet about shoulder-width apart, about one foot from your butt, place a barbell across your lap, and brace your shoulders against a bench. Now squeeze the glutes in a thrusting motion, raising the bar up to full hip extension and repeat. This exercise is best done for medium-range reps of 5-10.

 

2). Back Raises

 

This exercise has been around for a long time, but hasn’t been considered one of the most effective hamstring exercises, primarily because it is not loaded enough. Most trainees do the typical three sets of ten with bodyweight at the end of the workout. If you did 3x10 with bodyweight in the squat, how much do you think you’d be squatting? That’s right… not much. When done with significant (five to eight rep max) weights, this is a tremendous hamstring developer, recruiting even better than RDLs.

 

To perform correctly, set up a Glute Ham Raise machine so that your thighs sit on top of the pad and your legs remain straight. Have a partner place a bar across the back of your shoulders, keep your low back arched, bend at the hips and return back up. The key is to keep the back arched tightly, so that you end up moving the torso at the hips, not at the lumbar spine. This will place the stress on the hamstrings much more.

 

3). Overhead Squat

 

The reason for this being on the list is that, unlike other squat variations, this squat will develop flexibility throughout the torso, hips, ankles and knees all at the same time, while keeping a lot of lifters’ egos in check. The overhead squat is not going to improve your strength levels significantly, but it is a good mobility drill for the aforementioned joints.

 

Here is a sample program which incorporates the exercises into every training session in order to bring up the weak links. This would go on for a three-week cycle, with all lifts, adding five pounds to each lift, each week, until week three. Then a light week would be added in for rest.

 

Monday

 

- Dynamic warm-up for 15 minutes

 

- Back squat 5x5, 80% of max

 

- Hip thrust pyramid up to a 5rm followed by 3x8 @ 80%

Make sure you get full hip extension on the hip thrust during the maximum set.

 

- Overhead squat 4x12

Most likely if you have some hip issues this will be a challenge with the empty bar. The key is to keep the weight in check.

 

- Abdominal work 5x15

 

Wednesday

 

- Dynamic warm-up for 15 minutes

 

- Power clean 85% of max 10 x 1

Keep the emphasis on the explosion of the hips during the Olympic lifts. Try to get one single per minute.

 

- Weighted back raise 3x8-10

Use as much weight as you can handle without losing a tight arch in your back while still extending all the way.

 

- Front squat 3x3 @ 85%

 

- Overhead squat 5x10, light weight

The weight used on overhead squats should not be overly challenging: the goal is mobility.

 

- Bench press 3x5 at 80-85%

 

- Abdominal work 5x15

 

Friday

 

- Dynamic warm-up for 15 minutes

 

- Push press 3x5 @ 80-85%

 

- Back squat 3x3 @ 85-90%

 

- Weighted back raise 3x10 with resistance

The weight used should be enough that you cannot get more than 12 reps per set.

 

- Hip thrust 3x5 @ 85%+

 

- Abdominal work 5x15

 

It’s important to add a big dose of foam rolling and stretching to help get those hips flexible and strong, but a few weeks of the above routine will go a long way towards fixing your hip mobility and turning you into a speed demon!

 

Max Aita – An accomplished and active Olympic style weightlifter from Montana, Max is a strength coach at the California Strength Academy. After studying under Ivan Abadzhiev, the famous Bulgarian strength coach, Max secured the job at the California Strength Academy and currently runs the athletic training program at the academy working with athletes from prep to pro. Max can be reached at mazaita@californiastrength.com.