During core work, we perform a lot of movements that require some flexion at the hip. Without proper awareness, it’s easy to engage the hip flexors to do the work, and miss out on any core strengthening!  This week, we are talking about how to help clients find better mind / body connection during core work!

Hip Flexors and What They Do

• The hip flexors are a group of muscles toward the front of the hip. Their main role is to help bring the thigh and trunk of the body closer together, ( ex. when you move your leg and knee up toward your body.)
• You use them in many daily activities, including walking, stepping up, and bending over.

Hip Flexors Can Take Over Core Exercises If You’re Not Careful!

• Here’s what can happen:  When you exercise to target the abs, you typically bend at the waist (think crunches, rolls up, and leg lowers).
•  Because we use them so much, the hip flexors are a strong group of muscles, and they try to take over – instead of allowing your abdominals to strengthen through the movement. 

Indicators for Strong Hip Flexors and Weak Abs

• Low back pain and soreness in the groin area. 
• Not being able to keep your feet and legs down when you do a sit-up or roll up. Abs aren’t strong enough to do their up-and-over contraction,  the hip flexors take over, and the feet fly up.
• Weak glutes!  The reverse of hip flexion is a hip extension (legs move away from your trunk).
• Your gluteus maximus (aka your booty muscles) and your hamstrings are primary muscles of hip extension. It’s important for the muscles of hip flexion and hip extension to be equally strong, or one may overpower the other.

How to Get Out of Your Hip Flexors

• You can’t really leave the hip flexors entirely out of most ab exercises—they’re still an important part of the picture. 
• Always teach to create awareness. When you do Pilates or other ab-focused work, cue all attention on the abdominal muscles. 
• ALWAYS start with the most basic form of the exercise, allow them to find the connection and then offer challenges for those who are ready for them. 
• Encourage people to eliminate distractions that are taking away from the core connection – they will get stronger this way!
• Examples of cues  In MARCHES for connecting the mind and body:
  • Keep your hips anchored to the mat and engage your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. They should feel active; your belly will pull in and up as you engage.
  • Try to keep big muscles like the quadriceps of the thigh out of the exercise. If you are lifting your right leg, be sure not to press any weight into your left foot. Visualize that there is an egg under that foot that you don’t want to break. 
  • Keep your torso long – think of pushing your diaphram down
  • Feel a deepening of the crease at the hip joint. 

*The idea is to get in the habit of involving the abs as much as you can to keep the hip flexors from taking over.*