5 DRILLS FOR
HEALTHY HIPS
Conor Harris
BS, CSCS, XPS, CES, CPT
DISCLAIMER
This eBook is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to serve as a
means of injury diagnosis or treatment. If you are in pain, go see a
qualified physical therapist.
INTRODUCTION
Thanks for downloading the eBook! I want to provide as much value
to you as I can with this product, so I am going to explain the quick
"why" behind these exercises before I go into the exercise selection
itself.
If you watch my video on the "#1 Lesson That Changed My Career",
(click there to watch) then you will learn how I prioritize the ability
for my clients to achieve "Relative Motion". Relative motion involves
the ability for segments and joints of the body to move...well...
relatively to one another.
When we don't have access to a joint position and/or range of motion
we need to accomplish a task, we will end up using orientations rather
than relative motion.
Orientations involve moving entire segments of the body (ribcage,
pelvis, head, etc) to force ourselves into a position rather than
acquiring those relative motions that we were ultimately born to
move with. Click here for a visualization on that concept.
HOW TO BREATHE
Before you start these exercises, please (extra please) watch this video. To
breathe properly, here are the details:
Relaxed, full exhales through your mouth. The longer and more relaxed, the
better. Many athletes use their six-pack (rectus) abs more than their
obliques, yet our obliques are what drive proper respiration. Therefore, I
want you to be able to feel your obliques and not your six-pack when you
exhale. Think "jelly-belly" as if your stomach was a jelly-filled donut. The
obliques should come on because you're exhaling, not because you're bracing. If
you don't feel them, you're not exhaling long enough (not to be interpreted
as hard enough). Period. A general guideline is 5 second exhales and 5
second inhales. Here is a video with a walkthrough.
If you cannot do this effectively, the exercises below will have much less
success because in order for us to "own" a new position, we need to be able
to breathe through it. The proper breathing will also influence the position
of our ribcage, pelvis, and help us acquire the indended joint positions we
want. If you skip this step, you will not be nearly as successful.
HOW OFTEN TO DO THE EXERCISES
I recommend doing these exercises as part of a warm-up prior to weight
training or exercise. If five exercises is too much, start with the first three
and then slowly transition to the last two over a period of a few weeks.
Doing them daily for a couple of weeks is definitely the most ideal, but they
can still have value if done a few times per week.
2-3 sets total per day of the described amount of repetitions (on each side if
applicable) would be a good starting point.
If you're looking for a more detailed progression as well as many more
exercises to help restore mobility, check out my eBooks on my website here.
EXERCISE #1
EXERCISE & PURPOSE
REPS
Supine Cross-Connects
Hip extension on down leg
Restores shoulder and hip
flexion
5 breaths per
side
EXERCISE VIDEO LINK
EXERCISE #2
EXERCISE & PURPOSE
REPS
PRI Sidelying Scissor Slices
Stretches glutes & rear hips
while improving ability to push
femur (leg) back in hip socket
into internal rotation
5 breaths per
side
EXERCISE VIDEO LINK
Copyright © 2022 Postural Restoration Institute®. Used with permission.
www.posturalrestoration.com
EXERCISE #3
EXERCISE & PURPOSE
REPS
TFL Inhibition In Hip Extension
Shuts off commonly overactive
Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL)
muscle that is a compensatory
internal rotator
Improves hip extension and
external rotation
10-15 at a 5:1:5
tempo (5
seconds out, 1
second pause,
5 seconds in)
EXERCISE VIDEO LINK
EXERCISE #4
EXERCISE & PURPOSE
REPS
Rolling Arm Bar with Hip Extension
Drives genuine internal rotation
on bottom leg
External rotation on top-side
leg
10-12 per side
EXERCISE VIDEO LINK
EXERCISE #5
EXERCISE & PURPOSE
REPS
Wall-Referenced Hip Lock with
Active Support
Dynamic control over hip
extension and internal rotation
External rotation on front leg
8-10 per side
EXERCISE VIDEO LINK
Ending Notes
I hope you've enjoyed the free eBook! While this can significantly help,
others may need a more progressed approach specific to their goals.
Look at my eBook selection here for more options!
Be sure to stay consistent for at least two weeks.
What I am not here for is to diagnose injuries or help you with specific
injuries. If you are in pain, see a qualified physical therapist.
I am more than happy to help with anything related to the execution of this
eBook, but not beyond the scope of it.
You can reach me at:
@conor_harris_ on Instagram or Twitter
conor@thepinnacleperformance.com