Hip flexors - the most muscle groups underdeveloped strength training

Despite their importance in a wide range of sports and athletic activities, the hip flexors are the most neglected major muscle group in strength training. It is very rare to find training programs that include hip flexor exercises. By contrast there is usually a great deal of emphasis on exercises for the leg extensors. has some obvious reasons for this comparative neglect.

The principal muscles involved in hip flexion are the psoas and the iliacus, collectively known as the iliopsoas. Because they are relatively deep-seated rather than surface muscles they may have been overlooked by bodybuilders who have traditionally been the major innovators in strength training. Secondly, there are no obvious ways to adequately exercise them with free weights. Finally, these muscles do not have obvious functional importance of their extensor counterparts.

Yet, as antagonists, both hip and knee flexors perform a vital role in controlling the rate of descent and ascent in leg extension exercises such as the squat. priceless problem of underdevelopment with the muscles responsible for knee joint flexion, the hamstring group. because they cross two joints they are active in both leg extension and leg flexion. They act to flex the knee joint and also to extend the hip joint. so they tend to be strengthened by complex leg extension exercises.

Also hamstrings are developed and strengthened through the use of the leg curl apparatus. strong hip flexors provide an advantage in a wide range of sports and athletic activities. sprinting high knee lift is associated with increased stride length and therefore considerable attention is given to exercising the hip flexors. However, they are usually not exercised against resistance and therefore is unlikely to be any appreciable strength increase. hip flexor strength is directly related to a range of activities in football.

Kicking a ball is a complex coordinated action involving simultaneous knee extension and hip flexion, so developing a more powerful kick requires exercises applicable to these muscle groups. strong hip flexors can also be very advantageous in the tackle situation in American football and both rugby union and rugby league where a player is trying to take a further step forward with an opposing player clinging to his legs. in addition to the players in American football and rugby to be massively developed quadriceps and gluteus muscles are often unable to generate rapid knee lift and hence tend to shuffle around the field.

Having stronger flexors significantly improve their mobility. usually asserted that marked strength disparity between hip extensors and hip flexors may be a contributing factor in hamstring injuries in footballers. It is interesting to speculate on whether hip extensor / flexor imbalance may be associated with relatively high incidence of groin injuries. unlike other sports where increased iliopsoas strength would appear to offer benefits include cycling, rowing and mountain climbing, in particular when scaling rock faces. problem in developing hip flexor strength has been the lack of appropriate exercises.

For more articles, please visit this website