Most people are probably getting more exercise than they would normally. We have never seen so many people out jogging.
However, the importance of exercise on our physical and mental health cannot be
overlooked.
Exercise also helps maintain a healthy immune system.
Daily physical activity is important with the minimum dosage being 22
mins of moderate or 11 minutes of vigorous activity.
But what happens if we are just doing the same thing every day and not varying our routine?
The answer is likely to be INJURY.
So, by simply varying the specific exercises that you perform you can avoid injury and create balance to your physical training regime.
For instance, if you are running every day with no rest days then whilst your tissues are adapting you are likely to experience pain, aches, tightness and general fatigue.
Here are are 5 ideas for you to try:
1. Mix up your cardio with body weight exercises.
2. Switch from running to cycling.
3. Have days when you do Circuit style training only.
4. Avoid excessive amounts of Plyometrics
5. Perform Yoga/Pilates style exercises
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Soleus provides the
greatest upward mass centre acceleration at all running speeds;
Soleus
generates a peak upward acceleration of 19.8 m/s2
(i.e., the equivalent of
approximately 2.0 bodyweights of ground reaction force) at 5.0 m/s.
Soleus also provided
the greatest contribution to forward mass centre acceleration, which increased
from 2.5 m/s2 at 2.0 m/s to 4.0 m/s2 at 5.0 m/s.
Soleus was the largest
contributor to upward mass center acceleration with a peak contribution at 5.0
m/s that was 77% of total peak upward acceleration.
The large upward mass
center acceleration from soleus arose because the muscle force produced a large
vertical ground reaction force of approximately 2 bodyweights.
Peak contributions from
soleus to upward mass center acceleration increased by 5.7 m/s2 across running
speeds.
So what does this mean?
Quite simply, you need to start isolation training of the Soleus, which is shown in the video above.
Exercises such as bent-knee calf raises,
plyometric drills such as Box jumps (Concentric muscle action) and Landing from the box (Eccentric muscle action).
In addition, the Sled Push is a great functional way to work Soleus as you go from isolation into integration.
The Weighted Hip Thrust
is something you will see many girls doing in the gym for buns of steel.
However, for guys and
girls that want to increase their muscle mass and glute strength then this is
the missing exercise you are not doing on leg day!
Researchers
hypothesized that barbell hip thrusts would be better than squats for improving
horizontal force production, thereby enhancing performance in athletic
movements requiring a horizontal force vector, such as horizontal jumping and sprinting.
According to the
study’s first author, Bret Contreras, squats poorly activate the hamstrings and
do not maximally activate the glutes, which are critical muscle groups for
powerful sprinting. In a squat, the glutes are fired up during the concentric
action – when you explode out of the hole. Glute activation decreases near the
top when the athlete is in a more upright position, which is characteristic of
applying force into the ground while running.
The study was comprised
of male teenage athletes and consisted of 2 training sessions per week for 6
weeks in a periodized fashion. One group performed only front squats, and
another group performed only hip thrusts. Pre- and post-test performance
measures included:
10-meter acceleration
20-meter acceleration
vertical jump
maximum isometric mid-thigh pull
3-rep-max front squat
and 3-rep-max hip
thrust
Results showed that
among teenage male athletes, hip thrusts are more effective than front squats
at improving sprinting acceleration, max isometric mid-thigh pull force, and
max hip thrust strength. However, front squats are more effective than hip
thrusts at improving vertical jump max and front squat strength.
In addition, athletes
who performed the hip thrust gained half as much front squat strength as those
who only performed front squats, and vice versa. This is an important finding,
as it demonstrates that hip extension exercises transfer to other lifts and
points to the possibility that strength in one lift can be maintained during
times of injury by performing assistance lifts.
As I've said many other
times, the hip flexors are an area that has become more and more susceptible to
tightness due to modern habits.
A lot of people sit in a chair for 8 hours a
day, and often a chair that does not allow you to keep good posture all day either.
The result of this is that your hip flexors will become tighter and be at risk
for a strain unless you perform stretches.
Now ideally you should be performing
these stretches every day for at least 1 minutes, if you can do up to 2 minutes even better!
Stretches Lying Down
This is a great stretch
to start off with because it's so gentle and natural for your leg. To perform
it all you need to do is start off lying down on your back, try to take some
slow, relaxed breaths until your body become relaxed. Once you feel ready lift
up one of your legs, allow your knee to bend, then place both your hands just
behind the knee and gently pull upwards towards your chest until you feel a
good stretch. You can hold this stretch as long as you'd like, typically
recommended is around 20 seconds and then try to go further after a short
break. A key thing to note about this stretch is that if you feel any hip
flexor pain, stop immediately.
Stretches Sitting
Many people initially
classify this as a groin stretch, but remember some of the Hip Flexor muscles
are also considered groin muscles, which is partially why this is a great
stretch. Secondly, if you have really tight Psoas muscles you will also stretch
those in this position.
To perform the
butterfly stretch sit on the floor with your legs outstretched. Begin by
shaking out your legs and taking a few deep breaths. To initiate the stretch
pull in both your legs until the bottoms of your feet are touching, this should
force your knees out. Increase the stretch as needed by putting your hands on
your feet and pushing down on your knees. Hold for 20 seconds then shake out
your legs again and repeat once or twice more. **Note: Try to keep your lower
back straight, you should not be rounding your back and hunching over during
the stretch.
Stretches - Standing
Standing stretches are
amazing at targeting the inner core muscles around the pelvic region. Here are
two of the best stretches you should incorporate into your stretching.
Lunge
You may have seen this
one before because it is one of the best Hip Flexor stretches. The reason for
this is that it works, and is worth reiterating.
Perform this stretch by
standing upright initially, and then taking a large but comfortable step
forward. Next, descend into a lunge position where your front knee is at an
approximately 90 degree angle. Now push your lower hips forward until you feel
the stretch and hold the position for up to 30 seconds. Just 3 sets of this
stretch alone will do wonders for your flexibility.
Lunge Twist
This final stretch is
similar to the lunge stretch above, but with an advanced twist on it. It will
look very similar to a lunge, but instead you can allow your back leg knee to
rest on the ground. Try to keep your upper torso upright and then lift the arm
of the lowered leg over your head. You will know immediately if you are doing
this correctly, as this stretch targets several of your muscles, even the hard
to reach Tensor Fascia Latae.
Static Stretches
This is a special type
of stretches performed using a resistance band or tube that can be used both as
a stretch and strengthening exercise at the same time. To perform you need to
attach one end of the band to a wall or anchor point and the other end to your
ankle. Next, lift up your knee as high as you can and hold the position for
10-15 seconds. You should not only feel a stretch, but also fatigue in your Hip
Flexors.
Hip Flexor Stretches
Summary
To recap, you do not
need to perform every single one of these exercises every day. Listen to your
body and how it responds after a week or two of stretching and adjust
accordingly. If you stick to a good schedule I am confident you will see
incredible improvements in your hip mobility doing just a few of these Hip
Flexor stretches and prevent a potential injury.
Information is power;
you owe it to yourself and your body's health to understand your injuries. If
you are able to understand injuries, you can diagnose them faster, treat them
better, and recovery to the highest possible levels.
