Strengthening your Hips: Runner’s Injury Prevention

Hey gang!

Last week, I had the pleasure of coaching strength training /stretching with the Lululemon Portsmouth Run Club.  Honestly, I was a little nervous.  New Personal Trainer “training” running gurus?  EEK.  Thankfully, my friend had great faith in me and said, “you are gonna do it!”

I decided to look at runners’ injuries and talk about prevention.  Many runners say, “I have knee problems,” however when you look closely, it is the other weak muscles that the knee has to over compensate for.  For example: weak hips and quads force the knee to work much harder often resulting in injury.  Therefore, I decided to take my trusty bands and give these runner’s hips a quick workout.

Small, simple, but powerful.  These bands will have your glutes and hip flexors screaming.  Remember: No Pain, No Gain.

Exercise 1: Leg Lifts

• Stand with hand on a table top or wall for balance.
• Place band around legs about 4 or 5 inches above your ankles.
• Slowly lift the outside leg to the side and back  in again.  Do this 8 times.  Control is key for each direction.
• Lift your leg to the front for 8 and then to the back for 8.
• Repeat the entire round twice on each leg.
• You should feel this in the outside hip as well as the standing glute.

Exercise 2: Tube Walking

• Keep bands around legs in the same position as the previous exercise.
• Bend your knees and sit your bottom back like you are hovering over something.
• Step wide to the side and bring your other leg in to meet first leg  The trick here is to always keep your legs wide even as you bring the 2nd leg in.  Do not step in too close.  Keep tension at all times.

These two exercises will tone and strengthen the muscles that protect the knee joint.

After strengthening, you must stretch.  Here are a couple stretches to try, especially as you work your glutes and hips.

• 10 Basic Stretches: Mayo Clinic gives a guide to easy and effective stretching
• IT Band Stretches: Running with Sass gives 6 stretches to dig into that painful IT Band.
• Foam Rolling: Can’t say enough about this “at home” massage.

Now, for some Monday fun.  Baby Mosley is growing and so am I:

24 weeks on Friday and feeling great!  Baby Boy is moving and shaking.  Cravings: Orange juice, Granola cereal, Fro-Yo and foot rubs

Have a great Monday!