3 Drills For Strong, Mobile Hips

First things first, these are not “corrective exercises”. That’s a bullshit term. “Corrective exercise” implies that not only do we have “broken” movements, but that we have an agreed upon standard on how to “fix/correct” those. (Hint – WE DON’T!)

The human body is able to accomplish movement tasks with an almost infinite amount of solutions. This makes us exceptionally resilient because we are prepared for more diverse or chaotic movements that we might encounter. We also learn best through exploration, so by subtly altering movements, we are able to find more efficient or coordinated efforts.

Imagine if you got a nail in your car tire, like I did the other day. Your car can’t quite run on it. If I tear my ACL, I will eventually adapt and find a new way to move. So it’s best to remember that movement will not be the same for everyone across the board and we have to continue to watch and look for clues as to why things happen…

Below I’ve posted 3 Drills for Strong, Mobile Hips. 

These drills can be used during a warm-up, in rehabilitation, or my personal favorite – attached to a work capacity circuit. If you can kill two birds with one stone, why not? 

• The hip airplane press is very tough. 3-5 reps is more than enough. I’ll toss this into circuits or use other times as “active rest”
• In the contrast pair, plank is held 20-30 seconds, immediately followed by 3-5 90/90s (hands on ground or off, depends on client)
• Loaded duck-under is also a staple in my circuits as it’s a low intensive way to challenge mobility at varying angles with a slight load.

1.) Hip Airplane with Medball Press

2.) Hip Stability/Mobility Contrast

3.) Loaded Duck-Under