Restore: the hips program

Let’s do a quick review of the fundamentals

Our goal in this program is to progressively develop the kind of hip stability and strength that will skyrocket your durability, speed, and power, regardless of your sport.

To accomplish this successfully, we need to move progressively through each STEP of this program, making sure we have a good understanding of each step before proceeding, while also being able to demonstrate the skills within each step.

We will get into assessment in STEP 2 of this program.

However, before we get into the assessment to determine some baselines for HOW our hips are actually functioning, we need to review some basics and fundamentals, first. The simple truth is, without “mastery” of the basics, nothing else matters very much. 

What do I mean? 

Every single skill we’ll learn in this program is built upon a set of fundamental skills that have come before it.  Remember math when you were a young student? You had no chance of progressing to Algebra without a good understanding and mastery of basic math.

Training “prerequisites”: What is our goal?

These basic skills form the prerequisites that are essential in order to have the confidence to know we’re ready for the next step.

So in the context of this program, what are these “prerequisites?”

1. Knowing what “neutral” is and being able to establish it.
2. Knowing how to brace and being able to demonstrate it at higher dynamic loads.
3. The Basic Glute Bridge and the Basic Clam exercises.
4. The Basic Rear-Foot Elevated Bodyweight Squat.

We’ll start with a quick review of neutral pelvis and abdominal bracing to stabilize the trunk/core.

The goal? I want you to be ready to really kill it – blasting right through and advancing quickly – when you get to the more advanced exercises to come very shortly.

So to review, where does our training begin? What do we need to review?

• By learning how to establish a neutral pelvis and then creating core stability at a basic level. That’s your foundation.

The most efficient and effective way to review these is to review those skills, which are inside of RESTORE: The Foundation.  I’ve provided the HYPERLINKS TO TAKE YOU right back to those pages:

• How To Establish a Neutral Pelvis
• The Basic Abdominal Brace

We’ll then progress to basic hip/glute activation, stability, and strength. That’s our next step…

Before we can learn what it is to hip-hinge and then train to master it, we want to be sure we can perform TWO essential and fundamental exercises that are SO important for the stability and strength of our hips. If you guessed that I’m referring to the basic bridge and basic clam, congrats! You are right! 😊

In the very next page of the program, you’ll revisit the ins/outs of those two movements, as well as the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat – a slightly more advanced squat that will prepare you for some of the training to come.

Here’s what to do next:

Re-watch the instructional videos linked above on Neutral Pelvis and on the Basic Abdominal Brace, for a refresher.  Practice these so that they’re automatic!

Then move on to the next page, where we will cover the three exercises mentioned above: The Bridge, Clam, and RFESS.  Rock on!

See you there!