Move Those Hips!

Move Those Hips!
THERE'S A SCHOOL OF THOUGHT that your stride is your stride, that you are genetically coded to run a certain way. But holding onto that philosophy may hold you back when it comes to your hips. "Most runners don't extend their hips," says Jay Dicharry, director of the SPEED clinic at the Center for Endurance Sport at the University of Virginia. Meaning that with each stride, your leg doesn't extend back far enough behind you before it comes forward again. As a result, you lose propulsive power. Plus, having a limited range of motion can throw off your biomechanics all the way down your leg. Dicharry's fix is a 10-minute program of hip-extension exercises, which he recommends doing in sequence, just before you run. "Based on the before-and-after testing we do in our clinic," he says, "I believe 90 percent of runners will benefit from this training and become faster and less injury-prone." KNEELING HIP-FLEXOR STRETCH Step into a lunge position, and lower your back knee to the ground. Keep your upper body straight while you tilt your pelvis forward. Hold for one minute, release, and repeat two more times. Then switch to the other leg. Original article and pictures take http://www.runnersworld.com/health/move-those-hips site