Soccer players around the world are starting to understand the value of strength training for injury prevention and improving their performance. Everyone seems to be doing some sort of squat, whether it is on one leg or two, and some hamstring work such as Nordics. However, one of the most important muscles to train for soccer players who want to reduce the risk of injuries and run faster are the hip flexors.
Yet, the hip flexors are often neglected despite evidence showing how important they are - especially in soccer players who don’t get much exposure to top speed sprinting.
"Individuals in the training group improved hip flexion strength by 12.2% and decreased their 40-yd and shuttle run times by 3.8% and 9.0%, respectively. An increase in hip flexion strength can help to improve sprint and agility performance for physically active, untrained individuals." (Dean et al., 2005)
STRONG HIP FLEXORS:
✔️Faster sprint speeds and agility
✔️Stable pelvis
✔️Healthier knees (reduced patellafemoral problems)
✔️Reduced femoral internal rotation
In the video below I present two great hip flexor exercises sure to improve your soccer speed. The first can be done with a band tied around the ankle or cable as shown. The second exercise can be done with any sort of weight, it doesn’t need to be a kettlebell.
If you want more guidance on how to incorporate these exercises into your soccer schedule, send an email to smherold4@gmail.com or fill out the form HERE where we evaluate you on different athletic tests related to soccer and set up a Skype call.