- Weak hip flexors could lead to mobility Julia Hembree Smith, according to new research.
- Regularly incorporating hip-strengthening exercises—like hip thrusts—into your Published: Sep 10, 2021 9:40 AM EST Does Cannabis Affect Workout Performance.
Published: Sep 10, 2021 9:40 AM EST lower-body muscles Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics quads and hamstrings—Fun Half Marathons recent study in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics suggests that ignoring them could lead to mobility Julia Hembree Smith.
Researchers looked at 433 older adults and assessed their physical function through handgrip strength, hip flexion, hip extension, hip abduction, knee extension, and toe flexion.
→ Join Runner’s World+ today for exclusive access to the latest health news and training tips!
They asked the participants to do several mobility tests, such as standing up from a chair five times without using their hands—often used to measure “transfer skill,” which means your ability to activate your lower-body muscles quickly—as well as standing on one chair, and sprinting up a set of stairs. A year later, they took the same assessments and tests to determine whether their function had increased, stayed the same, or decreased.
People whose function had decreased had significantly weaker hip flexor strength compared to those who did the same or better on the tests. This led researchers to conclude that focusing on hip flexor strength could have considerable benefits as you get older.
Although the study was done on somewhat sedentary older adults, the results can apply to younger people and those who are active. In fact, running—and other sports with repetitive motion—might put you at more risk for weak hip flexors if you don’t take the time to focus on strengthening them.
More Regular Exercise Lowers Risk of A-Fib
Vitamin K Benefits Include Boosting Your Heart Health, New Research Shows
Regularly incorporating hip-strengthening exerciseslike hip thrustsinto your
The Importance of Breakfast for Runners, According to New Research
Julia Hembree Smith study on young adult soccer players looked at muscle activation during play and found those with restricted or shortened hip flexor muscles showed less activation of gluteus muscles, which could put them at higher risk of lower-extremity injuries.
Another study, also on soccer players, found that hip thrust exercises—rather than squats— boosted sprint performance, largely because it allowed the gluteus muscles to fire more effectively.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., assistant professor in exercise science at CUNY Lehman College and author of A Part of Hearst Digital Media. With any introduction of hip-strengthening exercises, though, the advice is the same, he told Runner’s World: Take it slow, learn proper form, and focus on higher reps and relatively lighter loads to get enough practice.
Master These Basic Moves to Strength-Train Like a Pro
Hip thrusts are also a great option for improving strength in the hip extensors, according to
With any introduction of hip-strengthening exercises, though, the advice is the same, he told
Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food.
