Section 3 - Exercise Videos
Exercise #4 – Hip Extensors
Exercise #4 - Workout Summary
Muscles Used: Hip Extensors
The video shown above demonstrates how to perform this exercise one time with the right leg and one time with the left. The final hold position for the right leg is shown in Figure 1a below. This position is held for 10-15 seconds using between 70-80% of your maximum strength. The same is then performed with your left leg as shown in Figure 1b below.
Figure 1a. Final hold position with the right leg.
Figure 1b. Final hold position with the left leg.
Repeat this process two more times giving you a total of three 'reps' for the right leg and three 'reps' for the left leg as shown below:
Exercise #4
Training Schedule: The Progress Chart and Weekly Training Schedule located in Section 5 will guide you through all the exercises and allow you to chart your progress along the way.
Training Tips:
- The key to this exercise is to keep the ankle that is off the ground, (left ankle in the example above) dorsi-flexed. This means your foot and toes are flexing up and back towards your shin. This helps prevent too much knee flexion (as in performing a leg curl) and forces the hamstring muscles to function more as hip extensors rather than knee flexors.
- The right hand is shown bracing against the wall. The left hand may be more helpful to brace against the back of a chair (not shown), so that your upper body is not pulled forward during the exercise.