We all know sitting too much isn’t the best for the human body, but have you ever asked the question of “why”? When we sit for long periods of time our hip flexors are in an isometric contraction, meaning they are active and under load from gravity, while not moving. On top of all this, most of us are also stressed when we are sitting. This leads to an adaptation of the muscle to get strong and the fascia to get dehydrated at 90 degrees of hip flexion, due to the amount of hours the average human sits.
This is where problems start to arise! Our hips are not supposed to be only strong at 90 degrees, they should be strong through their full range of motion of 120 degrees. In comes the Single Leg Reverse Squat! Most of us have squatted before, but have you ever thought to strengthen the opposite of the squat? This will help you get further down in the squat, training your hip flexors to be strong not only at 90 degrees, but through the full range of 0 degrees to 120 degrees.
Here is a video of myself doing the Single Leg Reverse Squat with a yellow mini band. In the exercise I am actively trying to bring my knee as far up as possible, while contracting the glute on the leg that is straightening. This is a humbling exercise and will only need around 6 really focused reps to start to feel your hip flexors and abs work. Some of you might even start to cramp in the hip. A great place to start is 2 sets of 6 repetitions twice per week. You’re probably thinking, “How do I know if this exercise is right for me?” A good way to know for sure is to go through an assessment with myself or one of the Performance Coaches to see how your squat is looking. If you can’t get past 90 degrees, this is a great exercise for you to implement into your routine.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stretch this group of muscles either! You should always implement a Half Kneel Hip Flexor Stretch as well, again I like 2 sets of 60 seconds twice per week to combat all the sitting you are doing.
What does this mean for my golf swing? The overhead deep squat test is the number one indicator of a golfer losing dynamic posture in their swing. So if you aren’t able to complete a full range of motion overhead deep squat, there is a high chance that you will have to compensate and come out of posture at some point in your swing. This could lead to unwanted pain in the body as well as unwanted ball trajectory’s on the course! If you struggle with the squat, make sure to try these out, it could be the number one reason you aren’t shooting the scores you would like to on the course!
As always we are here to help! Let us know if you would like your squat analyzed as part of our Coach Guided Player Development Index Assessment or if you need help with form on either of these drills!
