042 : 011 STructural Hip
We are continuing with the concept that the lumbar spine is the "Grand Central Station" for poor movement quality. This week, we'll focus on the hips, ensuring that our chosen loads allow us to move correctly without finding compensation in the lower back (extension). Each exercise was selected to target the hip joint from as many angles as possible. Your job within this session is to focus on pelvic stability, bracing, and movement quality. This means you'll need to pay attention to what your body is doing in space, which should go without saying, but I've noticed many people focus on the "top and bottom" portions of a movement but fail to see what happens in between, aka while you're moving. While I know it can be annoying, I urge you to video your movements to see if you're doing what you think you're doing. It can be easy to trick ourselves into thinking we're doing the thing when we are not.
Warmup:
3-4 Sets
:30 Single Unders (add :10 each set)
10m Long Step Walking Lunge
3/3 Hip CARs (building in intensity)
10 Alternating Cossack Squats (weighted for balance as needed)
Work:
Build to a heavy set of 10 Dumbbell Hack Squats quickly
into...
3-4 Sets
12-15 Dumbbell Hack Squats (roughly 80-90% of your heavy set of 10)
8/8 Single Leg RDL's
rest :15-:30 between movements
rest 2:00 between sets
+
3 Sets
15 GHD Hip Extensions (weighted)
40 Seated Banded Hamstring Curls
+
Finisher
100 Barbell Walking Lunges (empty bar)
*add 10 total reps if the bar touches the ground
Flow:
I think your attention should begin with the warmup, treating it with the same respect you treat the work. CARs require this as much, if not more, than other movements because if you lack intention with your CARs and go through the motions, you will never reap the benefits they can provide. Explore how you feel during the Long Step Lunge and play with various angles of the lead leg while you move. Do the same with your Cossacks by playing around with foot position, width of your stance, etc...
Quickly building to a heavy set of ten Hack Squats does not mean rushing. I don't want you taking eight sets to find an actual "max." The only goal is to touch weights slightly heavier than you'll use for the next piece. You do not have to do ten reps every set as you build to whatever heavy means for you on the day; practice the movement as you warm up, hit a heavy set of ten, and move on.
Points of Performance
Hack Squat - heels elevated (slant board, blocks, plates, etc.. 2-3"), driving knees forward as you descend, keeping torso completely upright and knees in line with your toes. Stand up by pressing through the floor with your quads, leaving the knees forward as long as possible. This helps to ensure you don't use your posterior to initiate the movement's ascent.
Single Leg RDL - Shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints should stay aligned throughout the entire ROM. The heel of your foot should never rise above your butt, as this will cause lumbar flexion. Think about "pulling" yourself upright using the glute and hamstrings.
Internal Rotation Squat - Depth depends primarily on mobility, so do not force positions you cannot get into. If you're performing this correctly, you should feel deep pressure in the hip capsule. Allowing your knee to drop on the working leg as you descend will help to drive this sensation by creating the internal hip rotation we're looking for.
GHD Hip Extension - This is done on a GHD machine, or you can use a bench setup. Weight will be held securely at your chest. Focus on hinging forward from the hips, not the lower back, to initiate the movement, pause momentarily at the bottom, and drive up by flexing glutes. Think about keeping your ribcage stacked over your hips so there's no ribcage flare on the way up, causing lumbar flexion.
Seated Banded Hamstring Curl - These should be performed quickly but under control. The goal is to pump as much blood into the hamstrings as possible.
Barbell Walking Lunge - use an empty barbell on your back or front rack depending on mobility restrictions. Kettlebells in a front rack can be used if the barbell hinders your ability to move continuously. Whichever implement(s) you choose to use can never touch the ground until the completion of the set once you've begun. Failure to do so will result in the addition of TEN more reps each time the implement(s) are set down.
