Hip extension on all fours is an excellent activator of the buttocks.
You are preparing for the exercise on all fours, so get on your hands and knees, palms aligned under the shoulders, and knees under the hips, the muscles of the core are tense, and the back is even. This allows you to keep the body as stable as possible when you lift one hip - pull the leg towards the ceiling.The great thing about hip extension on all fours is that it provides significant use of the gluteal muscles, without requiring coordination, a huge range of movements or a lot of strength that is required for squats and lunges.
If you don't get along with these complex full-body movements, then incorporating isolating exercises like hip extension on all fours into your strength training program can help you develop more strength in your buttocks, which will eventually allow you to "make friends" with squats and lunges.
Target muscles: buttocks
Level: Beginner
How to do hip extension on all fours
This is the kind of exercise you do on the floor, so you just need enough space to place a sports mat – it will help you not rub your knees and palms or bruise.
1. Take a position on all fours on the mat. Check the position of the hands and knees. The arms should be placed directly under the shoulders, and the knees should be placed under the hips. Rest your toes on the floor.
2. Tighten the body and make sure that your back is straight from the pelvis to the crown.
3. Slightly shift the weight to the right side, while maintaining full stability of the trunk - the hips and shoulders should not turn when moving the hips.
4. Raise your left leg to the ceiling, keeping the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees, and then fully extend it. Control your breathing – you can exhale at the moment when you straighten your leg. Again, make sure that your torso remains flat and stable - do not allow your left hip to unfold or rise when unbending.
5. Slowly lower your left knee back to the floor, stopping before it touches the ground. Inhale while lowering your knee.
6. Continue the full cycle of repetitions in one direction before switching to the other.
Advantages of hip extension on all fours
Hip extension on all fours is designed to isolate and affect the largest muscles of the buttocks, the large and medium gluteal muscles. But in addition to working with the buttocks, the exercise requires that you maintain the spine in a neutral position by using the stabilizing cortex muscles between the hips and shoulders. Regular performance of this exercise will help strengthen the muscles of the core and lower back.
Hip extension on all fours is an isolating exercise, that is, it targets a certain group of muscles, and in this case does it unilaterally (one side at a time).
Let this exercise be more effective than most other buttock exercises, do not think that you should give up squats in favor of hip extension on all fours. This is an isolating exercise, that is, isolates certain muscle groups. Squats, lunges - all these are examples of complex exercises aimed at simultaneous loading on several muscle groups. So, while hip extension is a great way to strengthen the glutes, it should be used together with other exercises such as squats, not instead of them.
However, you cannot perform squats or lunges due to injuries or limited range of motion, hip extension on all fours can help you develop greater buttock strength, which will eventually allow you to perform more complex exercises. This makes it an excellent option as a rehabilitation or preparatory exercise for beginners in training or for those who are trying to return to strength training after an injury to the lower back or lower extremities.
Also, the inclusion of simple hip exercises, such as hip extension on all fours, in the rehabilitation program for mechanical lower back pain helps to reduce the frequency of pain. This is probably due to the strengthening of the deep abdominal muscles, the muscles that straighten the spine (stabilizing back muscles), and the middle gluteal muscle. These areas are often neglected, and weak muscles can contribute to muscle imbalance and pain.
By including core and hip exercises in the rehabilitation program, you can help correct this imbalance and strengthen the core to protect the spine from unwanted movements that can lead to injury.
Other options for hip extension on all fours
You can perform this exercise in different ways depending on your level of training and achieving your goals.
Joint hip extension on all fours
While basic hip extension on all fours is quite convenient for beginners, people who find it difficult to get up or get out of position on the floor may have difficulty performing the exercise. For example, sore knees or a limited range of movements of the lower extremities. If this applies to you, try doing the same basic exercise with the changes:
1. Rest your hands on a towering surface, for example, the back of a sofa or a standing simulator
2. Position the body diagonally and evenly, as if the position of the plank is standing
3. Bend your knee at a 90-degree angle. The hip should be in line with the body
4. Pull the heel of your foot towards the ceiling. Control the smooth shape and breathing
5. Perform a certain number of repetitions
Hip extension on all fours with expanders
The easiest way to increase the intensity of hip extension on all fours is to add resistance.
1. Take a long resistance loop and wrap one side around the arch of the foot.
2. Press the other end of the strap to the ground with your hand on the same side (if you perform repetitions with your left foot, the second end of the expander will be in your left hand).
3. Perform the exercise exactly as described above, but when you perform a hip extension, your foot will press on the resistance band, stretching it and making the movement more difficult.
However, for such a complication, a special long expander is needed.
Safety and precautions
Fortunately, as long as you follow the correct technique, it will be very difficult to get injured. The main thing to remember is to maintain a slow and steady pace so that you do not sway your working leg or use momentum to enhance movement, which could cause you to strain your lower back. If the position on all fours on the floor is uncomfortable for your knees, wrists or shoulders, try a modified version of the exercise that does not require you to perform the exercise on the floor. And, of course, if at some point you feel a sharp or stabbing pain, stop the exercise.
If you have recently had injuries to your joints, limbs or back, and you are undergoing rehabilitation, you need to discuss a training plan and, specifically, the inclusion of this exercise in your plan with your doctor.
