Hey guys,
After doing a pretty decent climbing ride yesterday, my hip flexors are shot. Like somewhere between medium rare and medium (like how I like my steak). I’ve got a bit of history with these blasted muscles and could use some “gentle” exercises that help strengthen them without blowing them out. I tore both of them partially rowing 2 1/2 years ago, and haven’t done a lick of core exercises since to prevent further injury/pain. Any ideas rebuilding them?
Thanks,
Daniel
morning daniel, if I could ask, at the moment I have a severe pain on my leg when I bike, its definately a muscle but after about 1 hour of biking I gat a whole heap of pain from my ass down to my knee, does this sound like hip flexor pain?
English muffin,
Your pain sounds like an IT band.
Daniel,
You should have gone with us, no hills at all Sat but I understand 5:15 was way to early.
Dave
Hmm… the hip flexor sensation that I get is about an inch or two below the pelvic bone and more towards the inside of the leg. It goes from dull pain on the downstroke to high(er) pain on the upstroke. It’s purely used to pull through the backside of the pedal stroke. This is an anterior muscle too, not a posterior. Which part of your leg in specific is hurting?
here’s a link about where the muscle sits
Dave,
Yeah… I didn’t wake up until 11am yesterday. Went on a ride in the afternoon up 9 towards big basin. 3k climb all at once on not so used for biking legs right now.
I hope you saw the wheel next to your front door. Thanks.
Daniel
Daniel,
There are many exercises you can do to work the hip flexors. Both Squats and lunges will help with them. The lunges can be done forward, reverse and laterally to the side. I would recomend starting with little or no added resistance to gently build up. If you have access to a fitness club with cable pull towers you can do a cable pull through, which is one of my favorite exercises to work the hip flexors. You can see the exercise at http://efti.equinoxfitness.com/EFTIContent/ActionInfo.aspx?id=29. Your best bet may be to work with a therapist or certified trainer since you already have a history of injury.
Brian
Controversy about Powercranks on this website notwithstanding, I think that everyone would agree that PC’s do train hip flexors very effectively. I’m not trying to start a PC debate and won’t tell you that PC’s will make you faster, but if you have a hip flexor strength deficiency PC’s will definitely help that. Granted, it’s a pretty expensive way to go about it, but it’s the most sport-specific way of training HF’s. Next best in my opinion would be one-legged drills on the trainer.
ChiBri,
Thanks for the link and exercises, I’ll check into it later. I have access to a nice gym at school, but not for the summer. Good ideas all the same.
Jkatsoudas,
Yeah, a set of PC’s might work, but they’d be more expensive than my bike. I can’t justify the cost right now, since I’m still in school.
One leggers is a good idea, and I bet it wouldn’t be too bad to convert my old clunker bike to fixed.
Thanks,
Daniel
I second that.
My hip flexors are very strong and I have no problems since I have started onre year a go strength excerises in the GYM such as those you described. I also do one leg drills, which I feel make my hip flexors stornger.
I don’t think that there is a need to spend on any special type of gizmos such BMW Z4, I am rich Tingley, cranks.
Next best in my opinion would be one-legged drills on the trainer.
Next best in my opinion is “running” in the pool.
muffin, if it’s your IT band it’ll be on the outside of the leg, if you rub hard inch or so above the knee on the very outside of the leg you’ll find a tight fairly hard rope like ligament. That’s your IT band. Common for it to act up in triathletes and runners, if it’s that get a foam roller and roll away on your side, roll hip to knee and then a 5 inch or so below the knee. Lots of but area and hamstring stretches.
Thanks everyone for the advice… not too much I can do until schoo starts… but I’ll manage fine
Thanks,
Daniel