The muscles of the pelvic girdle are very important for athletes, although their development is often overlooked. In this article, we'll discuss the need to develop your pelvic muscles and how to avoid hip injuries. The content of the article:
- Muscles of the pelvic girdle
- Injury to the hip joint
- How to strengthen your back muscles
- Exercises to develop leg muscles
Muscles of the pelvic girdle
Of all muscle groups, the muscles of the pelvic girdle are most often given the least attention. Few exercises have been developed for them, and in vain. Many professional athletes have been convinced of the need to strengthen the pelvic muscles from their own experience.
The strength of the body largely depends on the power of the pelvic muscles. It is for this reason that full squats are included in a well-designed training program. They maximize the strength of these target muscles, increase their stability, as well as strengthen the ligaments and tendons of the hip joints. The pelvic girdle has a lot of strength, and for this reason, all exercises designed to develop the muscles of this group involve the use of large weights. Light training in this case will definitely not bring results.
Young athletes pay the least attention to the pelvic girdle muscle group. This is due to the fact that they are less susceptible to injury to the hip joints. An exception is made by representatives of contact sports, for example, hockey. But having received such an injury, it becomes impossible to play sports.
With age, athletes begin to understand the importance of the pelvic muscles and begin to actively develop them. Recently an informational article appeared in one of the American newspapers containing statistics on the number of operations on the hip joint. In Baltimore alone, about 5 thousand people turn to the city hospital. If we add to this figure those suffering from all kinds of diseases of the pelvic joints, then this number can boggle the imagination.
Perhaps the most common cause of pelvic girdle problems in older athletes is the accumulation of injuries of varying severity throughout their careers. It is worth recognizing that even after the injuries are healed, they are likely to make themselves felt in a few years.
The pelvic girdle is a highly complex group of muscles and ligaments that turns out to be very strong. It is these muscles that are responsible for lifting weights from the bottom squat, as well as for lifting the bar off the floor.
Damage to the hip joint: causes and consequences
In total, this group of muscles has 22 muscles (this does not take into account the muscles located in the lower abdomen and back, which have a direct connection with them). They have six flexors, four extensors, six rotators, two adductors, and four abductors. This is the most powerful muscle group, provided sufficient attention is paid to its development, but even so, there is a high likelihood of injury to the pelvic joints. Any wrong or too abrupt movement can damage them. Anyone who has gone through this will be able to confirm that this is one of the most severe injuries.
There are exercises and rehabilitation exercises that can help you deal with the effects of an injury. If done correctly, it usually takes about two weeks. There was a case of one famous athlete who ran his injury so much that even trying to get up from a chair caused severe pain. Within a few months, the problem was resolved, and he returned to weightlifting.
Injuries to the hip joints can be caused by more than just overload. Often, pain can arise only due to the lack of exercises for this muscle group in the training program. It is also possible that the loads were simply not effective enough. A large number of athletes pay special attention to the upper body, forgetting about the legs. This is largely due to the need to give the leg muscles a lot of stress. These exercises are energy intensive compared to, for example, a simple bench press.
When scheduling training to increase the strength of the pelvic muscles or to rehabilitate them, it is advisable to use a two-pronged approach. When an increased load on the pelvic area is given, one should remember about the spine, since they are closely interconnected. With the growth of the strength of the muscles of the legs, the muscles of the back should not lag behind them in their development.
How to strengthen your back muscles
It is from the back that you should start. As a warm-up, you can use hyperextension or reverse hyperextension. In this case, weights should not be used. The number of repetitions should be increased, gradually bringing their number to 50. At this level, you can slow down until there are shifts in the performance of other exercises to strengthen the lower back. Having gained experience, you can start using weights in training, but not from the first lessons. This is very important to remember.
At the beginning of a training session, do a set of any hyperextension, then, after a few weeks, add another exercise. It is worth noting that the optimal training for the back muscles is forward bends using a barbell. Ultimately, you need to get to the level of 8 to 10 reps, while the weight of the bar should be half of what you use when squatting.
Don't force things, and gradually increase the weight. You can add a couple of pounds every week. There is also an upper limit for tilting, which is about 102.5 kilograms for 8 or 10 repetitions. These numbers were not invented, but taken from the practice of weightlifters in the 60s. This statement is true for the reason that if you constantly increase the load, then the pelvic girdle will take a slightly different position.
It will be good if you begin to vary this exercise by changing the angle of inclination. This will engage other muscles. Slopes can be done both with a straight back and with a slightly rounded back. It is allowed to perform inclinations while sitting. The latter option is suitable for athletes who have suffered a knee or ankle injury. It is enough to do the exercise once a week. Deadlift with straight legs is an equally effective exercise for the dorsal muscle group. The weight of the weights in this case should be no more than 75% of the weight with which you squat. For example, if a barbell weighing 180 kilograms is used for squatting, then deadlifts should be done with a weight of 130 kilograms, doing 8 or 10 repetitions. This ratio should be maintained at all times.
It is advisable to perform this exercise from the floor, and not from the blocks. In this case, you should pay attention that the knees are always slightly bent, and the barbell bar is located as close to the legs as possible during the entire movement. It is very good to alternate deadlifts and bends. Do the first exercise for one week, and the second for the other. This diversifies the process, eliminating addiction from the training.
Exercises to develop leg muscles
After loading the spinal muscles using the exercises described above, you can move on to the legs. The main exercise is, of course, full squats. Athletes often experience leg pain during this exercise. This is mainly due to incorrect execution. When working with a lot of weight, you should go below the hip line, even better - to the limit. To do this, the stance of the legs must be widened. It should be said right away that you will most likely have to reduce the weight of the weights.
Front squat will be no less effective. In this case, you just have to go down as low as possible. Also, such exercises fit perfectly into any workout program for an easy day. It is enough to do two or three sets of five reps to warm up. After that, three more sets, maybe a little more, three reps each. The exercise ends with one set of simple squats in a wide stance with a high number of repetitions.
You can use deadlifts to develop leg muscles. It is also a very effective exercise. However, they should be done in a specific way. The main thing here is not lifting the maximum possible weight, it is much more important to use as many muscles as possible. To do this, at the very beginning, keep the pelvis low, and do not rush to get up. When you get up quickly, other muscle groups are recruited.
To master the exercise technique, you can use a low weight, about 30 kilograms, but at the same time keep the pelvis down. It is precisely for the first phase of lifting that the muscles of the pelvic girdle are responsible. The exercise can be done once a week, doing 5 sets with 5 repetitions.
The second variation of this exercise is a sumo-style deadlift, with the bar gripping between your legs. In this case, you need to spread your feet wide. This has a very good effect, and involves several pelvic muscles at once. The most difficult exercise is keeping the pelvis low. If it is raised, then the exercise will lose its effectiveness. It can be helpful to alternate between simple deadlifts and sumo-style deadlifts every week or several. The 5x5 formula will be effective here as well.
As a rehabilitation exercise, you can recommend the hack squat, but you should go very low. Otherwise, there will be practically no effect. The number of repetitions can be from 15 to 20. It is good to use the hack squat after simple ones. If your training program does not yet have any of the exercises described above, then they must be quickly included in its composition. The pelvic muscles can do a lot of work, but they need to be trained. As you get older, you will realize that you did not do it in vain.
Video on how to strengthen your pelvic muscles:
