Happy Valentine's Day!
Now give yourself a present and Sign Up for the Open! https://games.crossfit.com/
WOD: 2/14/17
EMOTM for 20 minutes:
20 Double-unders
2 Deadlifts
*Add weight to deadlifts as often as possible.
Upcoming Iron Beaver Weightlifting Events
Iron Beaver Speed Development Camp
March 27th - 31st, 2017
The Iron Beaver Weightlifting Speed Development Camp is a weeklong camp focused on improving multi directional speed, change of direction, sprinting mechanics, 40 yard dash start technique, along with other running, sprinting and change of direction drills.
http://www.ironbeaverweightlifting.com/services/speed-development-camp
4 Week Olympic Weightlifting Intro Class
April 3rd - 28th, 2017.
Classes will meet Mon/ Wed/ Fri at either 8am or 4:30pm. The class focuses on learning and improving your abilities in the Olympic lifts.
http://www.ironbeaverweightlifting.com/services/intro-class
Iron Beaver Spring Open
April 15th, 2017 @ 9am
This will be Iron Beaver's first USAW sanctioned competition of the year.
Iron Beaver Summer Strength & Conditioning
June 26th - August 18th, 2017
Iron Beaver Weightlifting's Summer Strength & Condiitoning camp is a 8 week long camp. The camp meets 5 days a week for 60-90 minutes per class. Youth and Teens can either sign-up for the entire 8 week camp or for the 1st or 2nd 4 week section of the camp.
http://www.ironbeaverweightlifting.com/services/summer-strength-conditioning-camp
Anatomy of the Hip
The hip is comprised of the head of the femur which inserts into the acetabulum, or socket, in the hip. It is a ball and socket joint that allows for a wide range of motion, including: Flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation. Some of the muscles overlap across both the hip and the knee, so they will act upon both the hip and the knee. To look at which muscles affect the knee and its function in more detail, look at the article posted “The Good, the Bad, and the Knee” on the website.
Functions of the Hip
The hip is tricky because the pelvis is an attachment point for many muscles. The hip is more complex than the knee in that there are more synergist muscles (Work together with other muscles). What this means is while there are prime movers, or agonists, for the various ranges of motion, a lot of the muscles in the hip work in more than one way (i.e. Pectineus: Synergist for hip flexion, medial rotation, and adduction). As mentioned previously, the hip moves through a wide range of motion including: Flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation.
To start, we will look at flexion of the hip. Flexion of the hip is brought about by the group of muscles called the Iliopsoas group. The main muscles that are involved in hip flexion are the Psoas major and the Iliacus. The Iliacus originates on the iliac fossa (Big rounded area) on the pelvis, while the Psoas major originates on the lower thoracic and some of the lumbar vertebrae. Both of these muscles insert on the femur near the lesser trochanter (near the top of femur) where their tendons are fused together. These muscles contract and pull the femur to create flexion at the hip.
Next we will look at extension at the hip. Extension of the hip uses the hamstrings (covered in article: The good, the bad, and the knee) and also the gluteus maximus. The hamstrings stretch down the back of the leg from the lower leg bones to the pelvis. For extension of the hip, the hamstrings pull on the pelvis and back of the leg to bring the body to an upright or extended position. The gluteus maximus originates along the iliac crest and along the lateral surface of the ilium, sacrum, and coccyx (tailbone). It then inserts on the gluteal tuberosity of the femur (top, posterior). It contracts the help bring about the extension of the hip along with the hamstrings.
Next up is the adduction, which is performed by a group of muscles called none other than the adductor group. Adduction is the movement of a limb towards the midline of the body. The adductor group is comprised of the muscles: Adductor Brevis, Adductor Longus, Adductor Magnus, Pectineus, and Gracilis. These muscles originate and insert near the same place. The origin of these muscles largely is on the inferior ramus of pubis(bottom of pelvis) with the exception of the pectineus which originates on the superior ramus of pubis (right above inferior ramus). The insertion points for these muscles are largely along the inside of the femur in a groove called the linea aspera. The exception to this is the gracilis, which inserts on the medial surface of the tibia. Again, the origin and insertion points of this muscles group allows them to contract and bring about adduction of the leg. This muscle group also has a role of a synergist in other movements like flexion of the hip and medial rotation at the hip.
The opposing movement to adduction is abduction, or moving of a limb away from the midline of the body. This muscle group includes: Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus, and the Tensor Fasciae Latae. The Gluteus medius originates on the anterior iliac crest (near top) on the pelvis, while the Gluteus minimus originates on the lateral surface of the ilium (outside, middle) on the pelvis. Both insert on the greater trochanter on the femur (large notch near top). The Tensor Fasciae Latae originates on the lateral part of the iliac crest, and inserts into the Iliotibial tract, or IT Band. These muscles have other functions as well including medial rotation at the hip. Also, the Tensor Fasciae Latae tenses the fascia lata down the leg and gives support to the outside of the knee. As far as rotation of the knee goes, medial rotation is done by the adductors and some of the glutes muscles assisting them. Lateral rotation is done by a group of muscles including: Obturator, Piriformus, Gemellus, and Quadratus femoris. These are all small muscles whose only action is to rotate the hip, so we won’t go too much into detail with these, but do know that they originate on the outside lower part of the pelvis and insert onto the upper part of the femur.
Common Deficits of the Hip
The Hip Hinge
The hip hinge is a movement that is unnatural to a lot of people, because it is a position that isn’t commonly used in everyday life. However, the hip hinge is a necessity to master if you want to develop your glutes and hamstrings effectively. The hip hinge is the main movement in exercises like an RDL, and also is an important part of other exercises like hang cleans/snatches, deadlifts, and also dumbbell/ barbell rows. Learning the hip hinge will benefit the individual greatly in advancing their strength gains. Below is an exercise that works really well for teaching someone new the hip hinge.
1. Cable Pull through- Start by getting a resistance band and looping it around something firm, about a foot off the ground. Face away from the band and position yourself so it is between your legs. Pick up the band with both hands and walk away from where the band is tied so that the band has some resistance. The band should be going between your legs and your arms relaxed holding the band. Position your feet about shoulder width apart and get a slight bend in your knees. This is the starting position. From here, let the resistance band pull your chest down so it becomes parallel to the ground, only hinging at the hips and not letting the knees bend more than they were in the starting position. Your hamstrings should feel tight, your arms should be between your legs, and your back should be flat. Squeeze your hamstrings and glutes and fully extend your body so you are standing completely upright.
Tight Hip Flexor and Weak Glutes
Tight hip flexors can be an underlying problem that leads to more serious problems in the future if it is not addressed properly. The most common activity that causes hip flexor tightness isn’t an exercise, but rather it is staying in the seated position for too much of the day. When seated the hip flexor is passively shortened, and remaining in that position can cause it to be “locked” in that shortened position. This can cause the individual to be uncomfortable in the squat and also can cause lower back pain. When the hip flexor is shortened, it tends to cause the individual to get an excessive forward lean in the squat. When this is the case, they will then be recruiting more of the lower back to perform the movement rather than the glutes, which will result in limiting the weight on the squat, and also is what leads to lower back pain. This can also lead to another problem of weak glutes. These problems are interchangeable in which one is seen first, and what I mean by that is you may have one of these problems more prominent than the other, but if one is present the other is likely present in at least a mild form. For example, if an individual has weak glutes and they go into a squat, they will get an excessive lean forward, and recruit more of their quads to do the moving, and will get excessive tightness in the quads and weakness in the glutes. Again, this may cause lower back pain and also a limitation of weight in the squat. Below is a list of corrective exercises to address these problems.
Stretches
1. Hip flexor Stretch- Start on one knee in a lunge position, with both knees forming a 90 degree angle at the joint. From this position, place both hands on the hips and push the hips forward. For a better stretch squeeze the glutes while having the hips pushed forward. Repeat for both sides for 30 seconds each.
2. Quad stretch- Grab a bench. Facing away from the bench, get into a lunge position. Kick the back foot onto the top of the bench, but keep the knee in contact with the ground. Use your front leg for support. Push hips forward until you reach mild discomfort. Repeat for both sides 30 seconds each.
Glute and Hamstring Strengthening
1. Glute Bridge- Lay down flat on your back with legs fully extended out and arms by your side. From there bring your feet in so they are flat on the ground, right outside your hips. From that position, squeeze your glutes to bridge your hips off the ground as high as you can and squeeze for a second at the top before going back down. If you need more resistance, elevate the back onto a bench and use either a barbell or dumbbell and set it on your lap. Repeat as you would from the ground.
2. RDL- Start with legs about hip width apart and with the knees slightly bent. Use a barbell and start with a weight that would be a warmup for a deadlift. Pick up the bar with a deadlift grip and let it hang down so your arms are straight. Start the movement by hinging at the hips on letting the barbell slide down your legs until you reach at least your knees, or further if your hamstrings allow. Your back should be flat the entire time and shoulder blades retracted. Once you reach the bottom position at your knees or below, squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to return to the starting position.
3. Step Up- For this exercise you will need a bench. Face the bench so that it is horizontal to you. Bring one foot onto the top of the bench and push yourself into a full standing position on top of the bench. Step down backwards and then repeat for the other leg. For someone advanced holding dumbbells can increase the load, but for a beginner or someone with very weak glutes body weight should suffice.
Inactive Glutes
Another problem of the hip is having inactive glutes. Like having a tight hip flexor, inactive glutes can be cause by inactivity throughout the day and too much sitting. Your glutes may be utilized during an individual’s training session, but if they are inactive for the rest of the day then there is a good chance they could be used more efficiently. This may not mean a weakness of the glutes necessarily, but means that they are just not “woken up” or activated as well as they could be during a workout. Below are some sample glute activation techniques, good for using during a warm-up to get the glutes firing for the rest of the workout.
Glute Activation
1. X-Band Walk- Get a resistance band and place both of your feet at about hip width apart with the band under the middle of the foot. Cross the handles of the band so that the band forms an “X” and you are pulling the band so it has a good amount of tension on it. Takes very small steps side to side, 10 in each direction. Do this for three sets before you do a lower body workout as this will activate the glutes for better use in the exercise.
2. Glute Bridge- Lay down flat on your back with legs fully extended out and arms by your side. From there bring your feet in so they are flat on the ground, right outside your hips. From that position, squeeze your glutes to bridge your hips off the ground as high as you can and squeeze for a second at the top before going back down. For activation, only do 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps at body weight.
Core
The core is an important part of any movement, but especially lower body movements where the core needs to be strong to stabilize the body so it can bear loads. In squats, it is important to keep the chest up and not allow it to drop down. The core muscles, both abdominals and erectors, play a key role in keeping this upright position and keeping the movement safe and efficient. Another example is the deadlift, where the back needs to remain flat and not allow excessive rounding which could lead to injury. Also, having a strong core reduces energy leaks throughout movements, which makes the exercise safer and more efficient for the body by not wasting unnecessary movements. Energy leaks are compensation patterns the body uses when it is unable to perform the given task, so it finds a way to complete the task though form will break down, resulting in unneeded movements and improper muscles being used. It is important to train the core in the right way to allow it to give you the most benefit in functional movement. To learn how to properly train the core, refer to the article “A Better Way to Train Your Core” (http://www.ironbeaverweightlifting.com/news/2016/1/18/a-better-way-to-train-your-core).
Brought to you by: Christopher Swartz
