New Videos: Lateral/Rotational Hip Exercises
Train these smaller, often-neglected muscles for more lower body stability and less back pain
I wrote in last month’s “Five-Year ‘Rowing Stronger’ Update” about my change in the minor assistance work of a strength training session from “hinge assistance” to “lateral/rotational hip.” I did a compilation video of different exercises in 2021, and now I’m back on it with new and improved videos with specifics of each exercise.
In 2019, I was doing more hinge exercises to support the hinge movement of rowing. In the years since, I found that so much hinge work could overtrain the sagittal plane flexion-extension lower body movements. This also led to undertraining for the transverse plane rotational (twisting) movements and the frontal plane lateral (side-to-side) movements. While these motions don’t occur in rowing, doing them in strength training seems to help fill a gap in physical development for better performance and reduced injury.
These movements have been especially helpful for rowers with low back pain. I learned many of them from physical therapy resources to target smaller supporting muscles of the hip. A key seems to be learning how to distribute load over many supporting muscles, instead of relying on the prime movers of the hinge motion to handle all of the load. Lateral and rotational exercises also challenge coordination of hip muscles commonly missed by rowing, erging, and essentially any aerobic cross-training other than skating or Nordic skiing. This achieves all three points of the “injury prevention triangle” that I wrote about in last month’s new “Modern Rowing Strength Training” article: reduce overload, support vulnerable structures, and develop neglected areas.
I’ve updated these videos from the dark, cold garage gym era with the exercises that I use the most, plus a couple new ones. Watch, experiment with, and enjoy training the below exercises, available in my Youtube playlist here:
Glute marching
Copenhagen plank variations
Hip airplane progression
Band standing abduction
Band standing adduction
Side-lying hip abduction
Mini band walks
Lateral step-up
Lateral lunge and side-sliding lunge
I use a variety of these exercises in the warmup and/or minor assistance exercise of the strength training session. We often do one day of more abductor exercises, drawing the leg away from the midline of the body, and then one day of more adductor exercises, drawing the leg toward the midline of the body. I typically suggest several options of exercises and rowers choose which they want to do. If I see someone doing the same one session after session, I check in and ask their plan. If they’re doing it for a specific reason and feel they are getting a lot out of focusing on the exercise, then great. If they just haven’t explored other exercises, I encourage them to do so and offer a demonstration or tutorial.
I also use these exercises in an in-season or maintenance circuit-style strength training phase. If you’re beginning spring rowing, here’s a bare minimum maintenance plan: Do a full-body warmup, and then a “30-on-30-off” circuit for 15-30 minutes total as your time, energy, and schedule allows. Vary the exercises, including some of these hip exercises, pushups (scale as needed), exercises for the shoulders, and core exercises. These sessions done 2-4 times per week will at least maintain coordination, range-of-motion, and strength of the non-rowing muscles while doing a heavier rowing workload.