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JumpUSA.com Topic #473 Benefits of Hip Flexor Training Most
athletes have heard of the hip flexors at one time or another, but most
athletes have never trained or been explained the importance of this
muscle group. The hip
flexors play a very important role in acceleration and top
sprint speed. If you want to be as fast as you can be
you must train your hip flexors along with the rest of your lower
body.
So
why are strong and explosive hip flexors so important? Let me
explain. The hip flexors are primarily responsible for the
forward swing and knee drive of the legs. The harder the
initial contraction of the forward swing, the faster our legs will
be repositioned for the next stride. The faster this can occur
the faster we will ultimately be. Optimally we want our knee drive to be at
75-90 degrees when sprinting, if we can get to this point we are
in the best positon to optimize our stride length and put the most
possible force into the ground. However, most athletes do not
even come close to this 90 degree goal. This could be
due to things such as technique and flexibility but more often
than not, it is strength.
A
recent study has revealed that people who underwent hip flexor training
for 8 weeks decreased their 10 yard time by .2 seconds, their 40 time
by .3 seconds and their shuttle run time by a whopping .6 seconds!
(Deane et al.)
So how can you increase your hip flexor
strength, running speed and agility? One of the best ways
is to perform the exact drill you are trying to get better at with a
light load. For example, if you are trying to improve your 40
yard dash time you need to apply a light load at the hip flexors and
perform your sprints at full speed. The only device on the market
that can accomplish this perfectly is called The
Accelerator.
The Accelerator applys a light load perfectly at the hips and at the waist to let your lower body fire at full speed with a light load. When you use this device for a few reps and then remove it, you will feel like you are shot out of a cannon! By following an organized and scientifically sound program for a few weeks and using The Accelerator you will increase your speed and agility. A great program to incorporate The Accelerator into is Cris Carter's FAST Program Speed & Agility Manual. It is a 6 week program that trains every part of athletic peroformance, but it is not for the weak of heart, or mind! -Matt
Gates
FAST PROGRAM Deane,
Russell S., Chow, John W., Tillman, Mark D., Fournier, Kim A. “Effects
of Hip Flexor Training on Sprint, Shuttle Run, and Vertical Jump
Performance” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Pages: 615-621
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