Daily Maestroism
DM #386
Tuesday, June 13th, 2017
DM #386: Ponder this for a moment: we try to fix our hip pinch by doing clamshells and the like with a yellow band….and then wonder why it still hurts when we try to squat 300 lbs ?.
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Now don't get me wrong, bands and correctives have their place, but that place is typically at the BEGINNING of a rehab protocol, not the beginning, middle, and end. If you want something to be strong under load…well, you gotta load it. Albeit, gradually, but load it you must.
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I have a pinchy hip. It sucks. What's the hardest exercise for me? Unilateral step-ups. What do I hate doing? Unilateral step-ups. Go figure. ??♂️
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Why do I think these horrendous things would help out the majority of folks with pinchy hips? Because they don't allow you to compensate with your other leg, they replicate the bottom position of the squat, and they emphasize the transition into the concentric portion of the squat which is often time what messes people up.
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When we squat, we must be able to maintain centration of the femoral head in the acetabulum (ball in the socket). When this centration is lost, be it because of labral issues, soft tissue issue, poor midline stability, or whatever, we may begin experiencing pinching as tissues get caught between the no-longer-centered ball and socket. To address this initially, yes, bands, correctives, soft tissue work will help. But if you're looking to get back to doing heavy ass squats, you gotta learn how to safely reintroduce heavy ass load to that joint, in EVERY position.
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A high step-up places the hip at end range flexion, aka the same position as the bottom of the squat. From here we must maintain centration of the joint and contract the appropriate musculature to allow us to stand up from that position. Using a box allows us to gradually build to a deeper hip flexion angle while adding external load as tolerated, thus progressively load that hip joint. And because it's unilateral, you can't hide your asymmetrical strength. This movement WILL expose you.
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Take home message: more step-ups, less band walking, pulling, mobilizing and whatever else you've been doing for the past 5 years while your hip hasn't gotten any better??