This is our last week of balance challenges. We are opening up the hips this week with our standing figure 4 stretch and by progressing our single leg balance to challenge all the motions of the hip.
Hip Openers
Hip Month – Week 5
We are going to close out hip month by activating and lengthening our posterior chain with these 2 exercises.
Hip Month – Week 4
This week we are moving through our stretches, making them dynamic and loaded to help utilize our new found flexibility.
Hip Month – Week 3
Hip Month – Week 2
This week we are focusing on hip rotation with our 90/90 mobilization and our shin box press-up.
Hip Month – Week 1
In the month of November, we will be exploring our hips. Each week we will release 2 new exercise for you to try. Give it a whirl!
Opt Outside! Treadmill vs Outdoor Running
The great debate – treadmill walking and running versus outside. Well, you can tell by the title, I have my own clear winner. But, if you are still reading past the headline, I bet you want to know more…you want to know the WHY.
In a nutshell, when you run or walk outside, the muscles of the leg have to propel you forward. When you run or walk on a treadmill, the muscles of your leg have to catch you as you fall forward. So even though it looks like the same exercise, they are actually two different exercises using different muscles.
When you are on a treadmill, the floor is moving under your feet. With each stride your body is hitting this moving surface and getting pushed into a forward motion. Your opposite leg then has to get out in front of you and hit the treadmill before you fall forward. So with each stride you are literally just catching yourself from falling instead of running forward.
Outside, the ground is stable, so your foot has to push against that stable surface and push you forward. For one, this takes a lot more strength and muscle activation to do than running on a treadmill so you will actually burn more calories and get a better workout. Secondly, and my favorite part, is that it is safer on your body. By pushing yourself forward, you are using your body the way it was designed to be used, as well as using all the muscles of the back of the leg to help counteract the effects from all your sitting time. Total win.
When we go around catching ourselves from falling instead of propelling ourselves forward, we put a lot of stress on our hip, knee, and ankle joints. Not to mention the load we put on our feet. This extra load leads to some of the most common aches and pains among runners – plantar fasciitis, hamstring tendinopathy, and runner’s knee just to mention a few. Where as running (correctly, more on that below) outside can actually help strengthen some of the most commonly weak postural muscles in the body.
So you are now convinced to take your run outside. Fantastic! Just a quick word…It is also possible to do the “fall and catch” outside as well. This usually occurs because the mobility in our hips and ankles restricts our body’s ability to move our legs in the appropriate way. So make sure you spend time opening up your hips (try these hip openers) and your calves. In fact, you can start right now with the exercise below!
5 Hip Openers for Better Movement
Tight hips have an impact on most of your movement, from how high you can step up, to how low you can squat down. Keeping your hips open and functional is an important piece to keeping you moving at your best, with more power and less pain. Check out the quick video below for 5 easy hip openers you can do before you head out for your next adventure.
- Hip Flexor and Hamstring Rocker Stretch – This dynamic stretch helps open up the front of the hip flexor (think psoas, quads, etc.) and the posterior hip (think hamstrings, glutes, etc.). Make sure you keep you spine long and keep the stretch in the hips, not in the back. You can place a pillow under your knee if you feel discomfort at the kneecap.
- Dynamic Butterfly Stretch – This is a “powered up” version of the traditional butterfly stretch. Make sure to keep the soles of your feet pressing together as you lift your hips so you engage your hamstrings and protect your low back.
- Knee Dips – This move helps increase the range of motion in your hip rotation. Don’t push into a range where you feel pain in your knee. Keep a slight core engagement to help protect your back.
- Hip Hikes – Warm up the muscles of the pelvis and lateral hip muscles with this gentle motion. Stay in a pain-free range and let your obliques (side abdominal muscles) help you “hike” the hip.
- Pelvic Tilts – This gentle rocking motion can help relieve tension in the low back and encourage more range of motion through the pelvis.
Brenna Backe 