Are All Hip Extension Exercises Equal

I was recently reading the article titled “Are all hip extension exercises created equal?” that was published in the strength and conditioning journal in 2013 and thought I would discuss some of the key take home messages.  The reason that this article will be of interest to many is that there seems to be much more interest amongst social media with regards to training the posterior chain.  Whilst strength and conditioning coaches have been going on about this forever, there is now a glut of information out there with regards to posterior chain exercises on the internet, twitter and facebook.

Key take home messages included:

  • Posterior chain muscles are super important when it comes to producing speed and power in sprinting and jumping.
  • Commonly prescribed strength and conditioning exercises that develop strength and power in the posterior chain include squats, deadlits, lunges and olympic style lifts.
  • Targeted hip extension exercises include the goodmorning, 45 degree back extension and horizontal back extension as they are hip dominant exercises.
  • All hip extension exercises are not created equal. External torque varies depending on where the body is relative to the ground. 
  • Individuals would benefit from completing a variety of hip extension exercises to ensure that hip strength training is balanced through different ranges of motion. 
  • It is important to remember that individuals may have deficits in hip strength in different ranges of motion and therefore this should be taken into consideration when assessing an individual.

This blog post was written by osteopath Heath Williams at Principle Four Osteopathy.  At Principle Four Osteopath we provide a range of services, including osteopathy manual therapy consultations, functional movement screening, exercise prescription, strength and conditioning and rehabilitation.

Principle Four Osteopathy is one of Melbourne City CBD and Docklands leading osteopathy clinics.  Both clinics are equipped with training equipment so that we are able to get you actively involved and moving towards a better moving you.

Principle Four Osteopathy CBD clinic is located at 29 Somerset Place, Melbourne 3000.

Principle Four Osteopathy Docklands clinic is located at 717 Bourke St, Docklands, 3008.

Book an appointment online at www.principlefourosteopathy.com or call 03 9670 9290.