This brief article is about reasons to drive your hips

Hip drive. Hip extension. Glute work. Here are the benefits:

1. Mind the muscle

You can promote neural connections between the brain and the important postural glute muscles. Prevent and manage neural disease or degeneration. Properly move the spine through the hip range of motion.

2. Helps against knee pain

A lot of people have had incidence of pain in the knees at some point in their lives and that doesn’t feel good. So we train the hips through a pain-free range of motion and the knees benefit from the stabilization and strengthening of the surrounding muscles of the legs.

TRX hip raise w/ squeeze at top (TRX on Amazon)

3. Feels good, body image 

If a person thinks they have a nice backside, they might feel really good about themselves.  I would exercise it and train it and then recover it. Make it perform better in the fitness workout so that you can recover it and do something more.

Exercise selections for group workout options: GLUTE training emphasis

This is a list of exercise ideas:

• Some squat variations
  • Dumbbell Hips back bench-squat (tempo 3 count down, then 1 second power up) 5×5
  • DB single foot elevated split squat with hip hinge 3×8 (ea) aka bench iso lunge
  • http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/DBSingleLegSplitSquat.html
• Lying on your back 
  • Feet Suspended hip hinging (TRX / STRAPS) 3×8
  • AB dolly glute bridge / bosu glute bridge / feet on ground hip thrust 3×12 (if not 7/10 intensity or higher, then add more weight)
• Hip hinge, deadlift patterns:
  • Single leg deadlift,  significant glute involvement, also activates muscles that surround the knee structure
  • http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/DBSingleLegStiffLegDeadlift.html
  • DB swings, this powerful hip drive movement draws on power from the glutes. This exercise may carry over to strength in other moves.
• More lunges 
  • Lunges in forward, lunges to the back, many lunges to either side and diagonally in all directions\
  • http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/DBRearLunge.html
  • From a box, to a box, foward walking lunges, side walking lunges, hill incline lunges
• On hand, bodyweight
  • Donkey kick, leg raises, glute raises (bench/bosu)

Choose some specific exercise or exercises to focus on getting better in 30 days and you will also get a good glute workout

Making progression the resistance is important. First, select then exercise you want to focus on, then practice it at least twice a week and at most four times per week.

EXAMPLE MODIFICATIONS

1. The Lunge Day

Start with your favorite lunge and go heavy/hard for no more than eight reps. Then move on to  a slightly less challenging weight and add 2-4 reps higher.Select different lunge variations and train various directions of motion whether onto a bench or not.

The most important thing is that you do something heavier or more challenging on the first round when you are the most fresh.

2. Squat and hip bridge combo

Start heavy/hard and then progress to higher rep schemes as you move on to different squat variations.

Start with heavy power bench squat with hips sitting as far back into it as possible while controlling the tempo. Add some weighted jump squats and then iso squat holds in several different lowered positions.

After the squats, perform exercises lying on your back to give your spine muscles some time to rest while you continue the focus of your glutes. Bridges, single leg raises could be feet onto a bench, trx, or any apparatus.

3. Deadlifts and core training combination

Any deadlift variation will strengthen the core and glutes. Then add some ab dolly pikes, TRX knee tucks, mountain climbers w/ leg raise combo etc. Also you can continue training your hip/glute bridging as it works the glutes without stressing the spine. Glute bridging/hip thrusts/hip raises definitely helps the cause.

Rest and recover after the workouts

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!