<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether you work with the general public or athletes there are some great exercises to consider for all demographics. I will explain what the hip hitch is and when we might add it into their training. Then we will explore what it looks like as an exercise, how to know if its needed and then finally we will discuss where it might come in your clients' programme.</span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>What Is The Hip Hitch?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hip hitching requires at least a couple of joint actions (in its simplest version);</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hip abduction </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spine lateral flexion </span></li>
</ol>
<p><b>Try This….</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Stand with your weight on the left leg, now lift your right hip upwards. The </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">pelvis abducts away from the leg, while the spine bends to the right due to the illium lifting upwards.</span></i> </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>Here is a quick video I put together to show you...</b>  </p>
<h1> </h1>
<p>[embed]https://youtu.be/UhuuS6h3R6Q[/embed]</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Allow me to encourage you to think more about the way we use movements like hip abduction/lateral flexion every day to allow us to design more bespoke training plans….</span>  </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><b>Why Should We Practice The Hip Hitch?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hip hitching is a movement we perform every time we take a step. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hip hitch </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">exercise </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">can be a valuable addition to our clients exercise programming when we understand how it contributes to movement.</span>  </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><b>The Anatomy Of The Hip Hitch</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hip hitching requires 2 joint actions, in simple terms</span> </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The right hip lifts because the spinal lateral flexors lift the ilium </span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The standing hip therefore goes into hip abduction to assist through the frontal plane by abducting the pelvis from the femur.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The prime movers therefore are the r</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ight side spinal lateral flexors (QL/Obliques etc)</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Left hip abductors (glute min/med/TFL etc)</span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So when we consider movement in these terms it can contribute towards our programme design</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>What Happens When We Hip Hitch?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These ‘co-contractors’ work together each time your foot comes off the floor to take a step</span>   <span style="font-weight: 400;">But, consider these joint actions are occurring synchronously while the hip/knee and ankle flexor/extensors produce sagittal plane actions during walking/running. </span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The frontal plane requires good control while walking/running and so a well function QL, glute minimus, glute medius &amp; TFL are all important stabilisers for</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> sagittal plane activities.</span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>How Can We Identify A Problem In The Frontal Plane Stabilisers In Our Personal Training Clients?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The single leg step up is a way to observe or benchmark what happens to your clients hip level.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">As they take a step up onto a box or bench, ensure they do not push of the bottom foot so all their body weight goes through the weight bearing hip. Now watch, or maybe even film, what happens to the PSIS level. Does the free side drop down below the height of the other? Then compare to the other side ….Are they different? Or do they both drop?</span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You may also notice this during unilateral body weight exercises like lunges too.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This could be an indicator that they require improved hip abduction strength and control. This is where techniques like the hip hitch can really help and in fact this can make regular exercise a bit more interesting. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>Performing The Hip Hitch </b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Take one foot off the floor to lift and lower the hip through full range in the frontal plane. Trying to minimise any rotation or excessive movement anywhere else. This can be done standing on a box of some kind so that the ‘free’ leg can hang over the edge and potentially offer more range of motion.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>More Advanced Hip Hitch Techniques </b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To make a regular static lunge more interesting we could add a hip hitch by adding a hip hitch movement into it. Even though both feet are on the floor (or the back foot can be elevated), once your client is in the lunge position, encourage them to allow their back hip to drop (this will likely cause some rotation to occur for some due to our anatomy), then encourage them to deliberately hitch up that back hip. This technique allows more load to be added due to an extra base of support from both feet being on the floor. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You could even add a </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">controlled hip hitch to a moving lunge</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">!</span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So it's probably a good addition to your clients' training programme early on in its most basic form to enable them to get more out of their compound leg training exercises. </span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, once you feel they are ready you could play around with hip hitching within their programme to both monitor AND exercise those frontal plane stabilisers!   </span>  </p>
<p>Would you like to learn more....?</p>
<h2>rachel@biomechanicseducation.com</h2>
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