The hip hike exercise is a very straightforward movement when it is done correctly. However, this exercise may have far-reaching benefits as it is responsible for strengthening the hip abductor muscles. You can also perform the hip hike exercise by holding a chair to steady yourself. Make sure that you’re standing on a low, but stable, platform before you start.
The hip abductors are vital to pelvic stability and are among the muscles which enable us to walk, run, climb stairs and perform any movement that necessitates our legs moving away from the midline of our body.
How To Do The Hip Hike Exercise
Stand sideways with a resistance band positioned around your body and resting on one hip. The band will pull your pelvis inwards.
Support your bodyweight entirely on the inside leg which is farthest from the band. The other leg needs to touch the floor lightly for stability. Alternatively, you can also lift the leg off the floor or stand with one leg on a raised platform which the other hanging off.
If you have trouble with your balance, to start off with you can hold on to something stable as we mentioned in the previous paragraphs.
Push your pelvis out against the band until the left side of your pelvis is higher than the right. The hip abductors, of which the gluteus medius is a part, pull the pelvis and create lateral flexion. It is incredibly important that you make sure that keep your pelvis stable.
Variations On The Hip Hike Exercise
You are able to change the load by altering the position of the band on your pelvis. In addition, you can change the load by stretching the band.
Weak gluteus medius muscles are a very common reason for knee valgus, ITB syndrome as well as hip and lower back problems. Inefficient pelvic and/or hip stabilisation may affect lower back, hip, knee and ankle problems. You should strengthen your hip abductors in order to help prevent all of these problems.
Stretching and strengthening the muscles in your hip helps build stability and flexibility so you can move with ease and avoid injury. Many people have weak or inflexible hips due to excessive sitting and too little exercise. Athletes who overuse their hips can also experience pain and injury.
Use this movement to start off your strength training routine before including more complex lower leg as well as balance movements to your regimen. You’ll find that you’ll be stronger later into your runs and feeling significantly less pain after just a few sessions.
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