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What are the hip flexors?
In laymen's terms the hip flexors are the muscles that are involved in the action of flexing the hip (who'd of thought!) in movements like squatting, running and playing sports. Due to many of our lifestyles where we are often sat down at our desks or on the couch watching TV, the hip flexors tend to shorten.
The Hip flexors are made up of the iliacus and psoas muscles (also known as iliopsoas) and the rectus femoris which is part of the quad. It is important to understand that the Psoas muscle originates from the spine, which can mean that tight hip flexors can also have an impact on back pain.
Why are the hip flexors important in golf?
(picture credit teachpe.com)
The function of the hip flexors play a huge role in the hips rotational movement along the sagittal plane, this is plane that divides the body from left to right.
If the hip flexors are tight, or there is a weakness, this then means that there will be hip alignment issues which in turn means your swing will be affected.
At the top of your swing, you will have internal hip rotation, if there is a tightness or weakness associated with the hip flexors then this will be impacted and restricted. This restriction means that you will be prevented of efficient explosive movement to promote proper sequencing in the downswing.
Are my hip flexors tight or are they weak?
You may have been told by your Pro or pals that you need to open your hips up, or just stretch the hip flexors. You've stretched and stretched but nothing has improved! This may mean that you have a weakness in this area.
You can test whether your issues are down to flexibility or weakness by a simple test, called the Thomas test. (Image credit mytpi.com)
* Lay on the edge of a bed, with your hips at the edge and your legs dangling over.
* Bring one knee up and in towards the body making sure that the back doesn't arch.
* If the other leg remains horizontal (flat) then your hip flexors are normal
* If the other leg comes up then the hip flexors are tight.
I've done the test and it shows that my issues are due to lack of flexibility, what can I do?
If this is the case then here are a few stretches you can do to improve your flexibility:
Deep lunge
* Going into your lunge position with your knee over your toes and back straight
* Squeeze the glutes and push the hips forward and down towards the floor
Prior to workout - hold for 10 secs and swap sides
After workout - hold for 10 secs, 2 deep breaths, on the second exhale push your hips further forward, hold for another 10 secs, swap sides.
Pigeon Pose
* Sitting on a mat with one leg bent forwards in front of you and the other extended behind you
* Your hips need to be stabilised and central
* Push the hips towards the floor
You may have a large gap between you and the floor but this can always be worked on, don't be disheartened!
Prior to workout - hold for 10 secs and swap sides
After workout - hold for 10 secs, 2 deep breaths, on the second exhale push the hips further towards the floor, hold for another 10 and then swap sides.
I have done the test and my flexibility is normal, what does this mean and what can I do?
Because of the attachment site of the Psoas, it plays a major role in core stabilisation. If there is a lack of core stability or poor movement patterns then the hip flexors can become overworked and fatigued. This fatigue is what then can cause the tightness.
To help overcome this then it is important that you incorporate core stability training in to your workouts. Here are a couple of exercises to help get you started:
Single Leg Bridge
* Laying on your back with hands by your side for support
* One leg is bent, and the other is straight
* On a deep inhale, use the core, glutes and quad to lift the hips and extend the straight leg into the air
* On the exhale, bring the body down in to starting position. Repeat x 10 and then alternate sides.
Single leg raise supported
*Laying on your back with your hands supporting you by your hips.
* One leg is bent and the other is as straight as possible, pointing to the ceiling
* On a deep inhale, bring the extended leg down towards the mat but not allowing it to touch the mat using your glutes and hamstrings
* On the exhale, use the core and quads to bring the leg back up into starting position.
Repeat x 10 and then alternate sides
Let me know how you get on at pspilatesbolton@gmail.com
If you would like a workout to help you in the area, do not hesitate to contact me.
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