Injury Reduction – Hip Joint

There are several key factors that can contribute to poor hip function; weakness of the posterior muscles, tightness of the hip musculature, accumulation of wear and tear / onset of osteoarthritis, pre-existing injuries and anatomical abnormalities.

It should be noted that this article is intended for the average person (who IS NOT experiencing any hip pain) but would like to improve hip function, athletic performance and reduce the liklihood of future injury. Anyone who IS experiencing hip pain, or has a history of hip injuries should seek medical assessment.

The gluteal muscles, or ‘glutes’ as they are commonly referred to, consist of the Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus medius and Gluteus minimus, which form the ‘backside’ or ‘butt’ of the hips. The gluteal muscles are responsible for extending the hips and abducting the legs (moving away from the body), thus effective function is essential for activities of daily living (e.g. walking, standing / stepping up) and athletic movements (e.g. running, jumping, weightlifting).

It is quite common these days for people to be ‘quad dominant’ or over-reliant on the muscles at the front of the thighs, largely because the human race do A LOT of sitting these days, consequently the hip musculature becomes tight, which restricts hip movement and ultimately changes the mechanics of functional movement patterns such as squats. This is something that is developed over years and therefore is something that cannot be corrected over night! The following things (if done consistently) will help to re-gain hip movement and function;

These low threshold exercises are intended to activate, or ‘switch on’ the gluteal muscles prior to performing strength, or power based movements. They are ideal for inclusion in a warm up, or even as part of a daily routine at home. These exercises can be performed with, or without mini-bands. The band adds extra resistance to the movement and greater activation of the intended muscles. Start off on the lightest band resistance and then progress to medium and heavy resistance providing movement quality is maintained. Try the three exercises in a circuit and aim for 3 – 5 sets of 10 – 20 repetitions. Feel the burn!

Position the mini-band just above the knees, lying on the back, draw the feet beneath the knees, feet hip width. Maintaining tension on the mini-band throughout the movement, bridge the hips up as high as possible and squeeze the gluteal muscles (see below).

Position the mini-band just above the knees, standing hip width. Initiate the squat by first pushing the hips back, followed by bending the knees, continue the descent by pushing the knees out and sitting back on the heels. Return to standing. Maintain tension on the band during the full range of movement.

Mini bands are now available to buy at

CrossFit Leyland!

These exercises are great to supplement the big compound lifts such as the Deadlift and Back Squat, which target posterior chain and whole body strength. Each movement can be used separately, try 25 -50 repetitions of one of the movements as a ‘buy in’ before a workout, or as a ‘cash out’ after a work out.

Position the band on top of the shoulders, lift the legs to step into the band + stand tall, set the feet hip width, keep a slight bend in the knees, hinge allowing the hips to move back and the chest to move forward (see below).

Hold a kettlebell, or dumbbell with two hands close to the chest, set the feet apart ready to squat. Sit back on to the heels, pushing the knees out to open up the hips, keep the chest high

Stand tall, with feet hip width and a slight bend in the knees. Keep feet flat throughout the movement, hinge back (hips back, chest forward) + thrust forwards. All the power for the movement should come from the thrust of the hips (see below).

These exercises will not only help to mobilise the hips and reduce the risk of associated hip injuries, but will also take pressure off other areas of the body such as the lower back, which typically have to compensate for poor hip function. Try moving both dynamically through each exercise for 30 seconds at a time, or alternatively holding a static stretch for up to 2 minutes.

Kneel close to a wall and have one leg resting against the wall, step forward with the other leg into a half kneeling position. Keep the torso upright to stretch more effectively through the rear hip flexors and quadriceps.

Positioned on the hands and knees, turn the feet out at right angles to the legs, push the knees out and take the bodyweight back towards the heels. Move slowly but dynamically forwards and backwards.

Positioned in a high plank, take one leg diagonally underneath the body. Do not force the leg into an unnatural position, everyone will be a little different as to what angle they can achieve on the active leg. Keeping the hips level, slowly lower the hips towards the ground, feeling the stretch across the outside of the hips.

If you sit for long periods, either at work, at home, when travelling, you should consider including these mobility exercises into your daily routine to offset the resulting tightness and weakness of the hip musculature. If this applies to you, it is worth reading up on Lower Cross Syndrome. Overloading the hips through strength training and conditioning can also lead to muscular tightness. Keeping on top of muscular tightness with regular mobility work and stretching can make a huge difference to recovery between training sessions.

Check out the other blogs in our injury reduction series; Injury reduction of the Shoulder Joint and Injury reduction of the Knee Joint and keep firing on all cylinders!