Hip Strength For Speed

When strengthening the legs and hips, most of us take our time and work on squats, dead lifts, and other power lifts that will build power and strength. These are very important to develop the speed you want and need to compete in sports today, but there are other things that often get missed that will give you that extra stability and strength to help you excel even more. I am speaking of the muscles that do internal rotation and external rotation (turn your leg in and out). Many times these muscles are not developed as well as they could be and because of this, I find other muscles working too hard and eventually getting injured (hamstring pulls for example).

 Make sure to incorporate a few of the following exercises in your training routine:

• Internal rotations: Lying on stomach with knee bent at 90 degrees and cable or tubing on your ankle, turn your leg in so the foot goes out (trust me, this is internal rotation of the hip) This can also be done seated or standing.
• External rotations: Lying on stomach with knee bent at 90 degrees and cable or tubing on your ankle, turn your leg out so the foot goes in. This can also be done seated or standing.
• Hip flexion with internal rotation: Standing with cable or tubing on your ankle, turn your leg in, lift the leg out to the front of you with foot still pointing in.
• Hip abduction with internal rotation: Standing with cable or tubing on your ankle, turn your leg in, lift the leg out to the side with foot still pointing in.
• Hip flexion with external rotation: Standing with cable or tubing on your ankle, turn your leg out, lift the leg out to the front of you with foot still pointing out.
• Hip abduction with external rotation: Standing with cable or tubing on your ankle, turn your leg out, lift the leg out to the side with foot still pointing out.
• Wall hip flexion with internal rotation: Lying on your back with hip against wall, leg against wall is turned in so toe is pointed in, lift straight leg up.
• Wall hip abduction with internal rotation: Lying on your side with back against wall, top leg is turned in so toe is pointed down, lift straight leg up.

 There are several ways you can incorporate rotation in your routine. These are just a few things that can assist in the overall hip development. Add these in so that you can better develop hip strength which will equate to speed.