It's All in the Hips

Ask someone to stand on there hands for a day, .

Odds are, they couldn't do it.

That's a fairly simplistic example of why the lower body is more
powerful and stable than the upper body, but it certainly does
make a reasonably important point.

The human body is designed to be lower body dominant.

All of the force we generate begins in the legs, transfers up
through the hips and torso and eventually expresses via the upper
body.

No point of that chain can be 'weak' per say, but you could
easily argue that the key to the flow of force is based on where
it starts and through what it transfers. 

That's why for me, the hips and torso region of a young athletes'
frame is the cornerstone and target of my training system.

Although not 100% true all of the time, many young athletes are
already strong through the legs - especially those who play
ground-based sports such as volleyball, tennis, basketball,
soccer etc.

The primary issue I see with young athletes and leg strength is
not a lack of force capability, but an over-development of
strength in the wrong places.

Quad (front thigh) dominance is a problem I see almost everyday.

That's why my lower body strength training system for young
athletes never starts with a 'regimented' sets and reps scheme.

I start with a teaching system that re-programs the young
athlete on how to produce force through their hamstrings,
glutes and posterior chain muscles.

When strong through this area, young athletes are able to
express more force and power on the field and court, but are
also a lot less at risk for injuries through their knees, ankles
and lower backs.

In terms of upper body, I don't really care about strength
development, to be honest.  I just don't put much stock into it.

With most sports, upper body training comes in the form of
injury prevention (such as shoulder and elbow concerns) and
range-of-motion patterns. 

Remember, the upper body is typically just the expression point
of the force created in the lower half of the body.

Very seldom in the upper body responsible for producing power
or force of its own.

So here, I tend to work on a lot of scapular stability and
range-of-motion exercises as well as basic 'push' (push-up
variations) and 'pull' (pull-ups variations) patterns.

That leaves the hips and torso.

The 'biscuits and gravy' of my training system.

I have some basic rules and guidelines for my hip and torso
training that I wanted to share with you, :

1) Train in 3 Planes

Be sure to create strength training exercises that incorporate
all three planes of motion.  While I believe very much in the
basics of sagittal plane lifting, you have to remember that
sports are played in a multi-planar and dynamic fashion. For
true success in sport, an athlete must be prepared for all
potential circumstances and situations.

2) Train Diagonally

Rather than just thinking in terms of forward/backward and
sideways, create strength training exercises that involve
diagonal patterns of movement.  Standard 'Proprioceptive
Neuromuscular Facilitation' patterns are based on movements that
cross the sagittal mid line of the body (i.e. cut the body in
half at the nose). 

For the truest range of motion in muscles, a diagonal pattern
or movement is necessary.

This can easily be accomplished however with exercises such as
'Step-Out (diagonal) Lunges', 'Cross-Over Step-Ups' or
'Bounding'.

3) Start with Statics... Move to Dynamics

The essence of my hip and torso strengthening is based on
whole body exercises such as lunge combinations, step-ups
variations and other standards.

But to start the process of teaching your young athletes how to
be strong and stable through this region, I always begin with
less complex exercises that don't involve too much in the way
of additional body movement.

In fact, almost all my training sessions - even with advanced
high school athletes - start with exercises just like these as
warm-ups...

a. Hip Circuits -

A great exercise that involves internal and external range of
motion and strengthening through the hip complex.

Start on all four's.

Bring your right knee to your chest, make a large outward circle
and straighten your leg to the back.

Repeat 5 times.

Reverse that motion (inward circles) and repeat 5 more times.

b. Leg Raises -

Start lying on your back with both legs straight.

Bring one leg straight up and then follow this pattern;

- Drop slowly to the right (hold off the floor for 2 seconds)
- Back up to top and then slowly to the left (hold for 2 second)
- Back up to top and continue in the same pattern as above

Repeat for 5 - 8 reps.

Hip Circuits and Leg Raises are two fantastic 'static' exercises
I use to help teach my young athletes the essence of hip mobility
and strength.

Remember , all sports are played through the hips
and torso.

If this area is strong and stable, then you have a quality and
injury free athlete on your hands.

'Till next time,

Brian