I am pretty sure you all know how much time pitchers spend working on their rotator cuff. If you pitched in little league when you were a kid, chance are you had some rotator cuff exercises that you routinely used.
We all know how an injury to the rotator cuff of a pitcher is career threatening.
So why do so many goalies ignore the ‘rotator cuff’ of their hip?
Most of you here (reading this) do a good job with your off-ice training. You get your big muscles stronger, you improve your power and speed, but the vast majority of you (like 99%) completely ignore the ‘rotator cuff’ muscles. The deep ones that actually control the head of the femur in the hip socket; the ones that get viciously yanked on every single time you go into your butterfly.
Let’s change that right now.
Here is your Hip Rotator Cuff routine…
You have never done a routine like this before, so you will have to watch the video to see how to do each exercise properly.
If you cannot see the video in the viewer above, just click the link below…
http://youtu.be/pIlr7qbpq5U
Just remember – these are deeper muscles we are trying to work, muscles that are meant to stabilize and assist the big movers, so keep the resistance low to start with, give them a chance to do the work.
Final word of caution – just use the range of motion that you have; do not try to force the movement, just to get another 1-2 inches out of it. Go until it feels some resistance to the range and then stop.
1) Prone Hip IR/ER
I suggest putting a cushion or pillow under your hips for this one as most of you are pretty tight in your hip flexors and lying flat will put you into too much lumbar extension.
Start with12 reps each way. Keep the resistance light (5-10lbs)
2) Standing Knee Circles
Make sure the circles are as big as you can go – but again avoid any areas that give you pinching or joint pain. Your hip muscles will be fatigued by the end and they may even cramp – that is okay – but I don’t want any joint pain at all.
Do five each direction on each leg. Remember to go slowly and to generate tension in your muscles.
3) Supine 90/90 Hip IR/ER
You can do this drill and still get benefit without the use of the resistance bands – that is just fine.
Keep your hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees and either your feet are touching or your knees are touching.
Like the other exercises, you should not experience pinching or pain in the joint as you go – this one should not even feel all that tiring to your muscles, that is okay.
Do 8 each way, holding for 3 seconds each. Work up to a 5 second hold.
If you want to see how you build strong durable hips while building speed and stamina throughout the season, you should have a look at THIS
Cheers,
M
PS – remember, you should not force these movements or feel pain in the hip joint when you do them.