He looks at the importance of hip mobility / strength and pelvic positioning as well why it's essential to have a rhobust foot and achilies tendon.
So, keep it simple – you are seeking horse power so how does a horse achieve this? A horse’s rear limb in simple terms involves two characteristics; a very strong muscular power source – the glutes, a very robust and high quality foot to transfer the energy. Also consider the long leaver a horse’s leg happens to be and you have a very effective system for generating power.
Glutes + Hip Flexors
A lot has been written about inactive glutes and a whole raft of exercises exist to activate the glutes prior to training and this activity is good practice however if you train your glutes and the muscles of your hip correctly activation and lazy glutes take care of themselves.
Let us consider the hip joint and the muscles in question. In order to get the most from your glutes it is desirable for the muscles attaching higher up on your hip to be in control of movement as opposed to those lower down. The muscles attaching to the thigh bone must keep the head of the femur tight to the hip socket – if this isn’t the case athletes will encounter glute activation issues.
The hip flexors (psoas) are critical for hip flexion (thigh moves forward) where as the gluteus maximus is responsible for hip extension (thigh moves backwards). Both these muscles are situated high on the femur and attach high up on the hip, with correct mobility and balanced strength levels between these two muscles correct glute activation can be achieved without a strength gain.
The number one issue therefore for glute activation has to be hip mobility and specifically hip flexor flexibility and strength.
A natural tilt to the pelvis can be to the glutes advantage provided that the hip flexors are not weak. Therefore our next take home message is correct hip position (pelvic tilt) and proper hip flexor strength are essential to support glute activation patterns. It is common to see athletes diligently activating their glutes with bands and dynamic bridging only to destroy any benefit with an anterior tilted pelvis and tight weak hip flexors.
A third take home message for athletes and coaches is that when performing a squat if you mostly get sore (DOMS) the day after in your glutes then you are on the right track. Squats for runners should primarily be performed as a glute exercise. Excessive quad and hamstring activity can be negative. Athletes must therefore perform a squat with correct technique and depth for glute activation. (Squats will be covered in a separate article)
Pelvic Position (Pelvic Tilt)
The natural position of your hip determines the leverage that the glutes and psoas (hip flexor) have on the hip and therefore your ability to put down the power and avoid injury.
Being in posterior tilt (picture 2) results from weak hip flexors therefore they require strengthening. A simple hip flexor strength test is to stand with one foot on a box so the thigh is parallel to the floor, the athlete then lifts the foot a max height achievable through hip flexion without losing balance or shifting their hip position. This is repeated for a desired number of reps or duration. This exercise is often performed by hurdlers using a hurdle as a lead leg activation drill. If the athlete finds this difficult they could benefit from hip flexor strength.
Regardless of either glute or hip flexor condition the athletes’ abdominal strength is major influencing factor on running horse power. Again, activating your glutes whilst having a weak core will only fatigue your glutes and not result in the desired transfer to glute strength. A simple leg lowering test is suitable for determining abdominal strength. Core strength relates to pelvic tilt and therefore glute activation patterns.
An active foot
The foot is critical to power transfer as well as storing energy and transferring elastic energy from the tendon. A warm up routine should include take into consideration these concepts. This routine could include hockey ball myofascial release as well as self massage and manipulation of the feet to promote blood flow and feedback sensation. Proprioceptive walking and running drills in bare foot will also enhance the athletes feedback mechanism via the feet.
Foot position is critical to make use of the hip strength gains discussed previously. Running drills performed with an incorrect foot position are useless. It is too easy to go through the motions of drills and achieve little or no benefit for glute activation simply because the foot is pointing down (plantar flexed).
Achieving correct dorsi-flexion (foot cocked toward the shin) enables an active ball of the foot contact with the ground and a glute dominant locomotive pattern therefore completing the horse power system. As with glute activation work and pelvic position, foot position faults make running drills useless and a waste of time. In addition to this incorrect foot position leads to a hamstring dominant pattern that can easily become a site for injury as well as a loss of power.
The number one exercise for training your feet and making the link between strong glutes and horse power is to run fast in a good mechanical position.
Conclusion
We have seen a strong link between hip mobility, pelvic position, glute and hip flexor strength and a runners ability to generate force – horse power. In addition to the power generating potential of the upper leg the force transfer and technical aspect of the lower leg has a significant influence on the effectiveness of not only the force application of the athlete but the injury potential of that system.
Take home messages;
1. Hip mobility increases the likelihood glutes will be active
2. Glute and Hip flexor strength go hand in hand.
3. Correct pelvic position (tilt) is influenced by not only tight muscles but also weak muscles.
4. Active robust foot and Achilles tendon is critical to power transfer and a glute dominant running cycle.
Do not simply train muscles to fatigue, train them to be strong!
Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of an accredited strength and conditioning coach in order to get the most from a strength and conditioning program and or exercise. Always seek the advice of a physiotherapist before attempting any corrective or postural exercises.
About the author:
Matt Wood BSc MA ASSC
Matt is an Accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach with the UKSCA as well as a L3 Athletics Coach and member of England Athletics National Coach Development Program. In his day job Matt works for Gateshead College Academy for Sport where he heads up their Athletics Academy and delivers Strength & Conditioning for teams and individuals. Matt works with a number of prominent NE endurance and middle distance athletes as well as his own group of speed and hurdles athletes.
To contact Matt either Contact Us and we will pass your query on or contact him directly on [email protected]