Stronger Hips, Stronger Lifts: Why You Need Direct Hip Training

Stronger Hips, Stronger Lifts: Why You Need Direct Hip Training

You’re Leaving Gains on the Table: Why You Need to Directly Train the Hips

The Missing Piece in Strength Training

Most lifters focus on training the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core, but the hips as a complete unit rarely receive the attention they deserve. Strength athletes will perform countless squats, deadlifts, and good mornings under the assumption that their hip strength is automatically covered—but this is an oversimplification that leaves performance potential on the table.

Strongman, powerlifting, weightlifting, and even general athleticism demand powerful, resilient hips for force transfer, stability, and injury prevention. If you’re not directly training the muscles of the hips, you’re limiting your ability to produce force, resist injury, and maintain joint integrity over time. Stronger Hips, Stronger Lifts.

This article will break down:

 ✅ The anatomy and function of the hips in strength sports

 ✅ Why hip training matters for powerlifting, strongman, and weightlifting

 ✅ How to train the hips directly (exercises and techniques)

 ✅ Programming strategies to integrate hip training into your routine

Understanding the Hips: A Powerhouse for Strength and Stability - Stronger Hips, Stronger Lifts

The hip complex is far more than just the glutes. It includes multiple key muscles that function in coordination to create strength, stability, and movement efficiency in all strength sports:

• Glute Max, Med, and Min – Drive hip extension, external rotation, and stability under load.

• Hip Flexors (Psoas, Iliacus, Rectus Femoris, Sartorius, TFL) – Critical for knee drive, sprinting power, and locking in positioning during squats and deadlifts.

• Adductors (Brevis, Longus, Magnus, Pectineus, Gracilis) – Essential for stability in squatting and pulling, aiding in lateral force transfer and knee positioning.

• Abductors (Glute Medius, Glute Minimus, TFL) – Crucial for single-leg stability, resisting valgus collapse, and controlling lateral movement.

• Piriformis & Deep Hip Rotators – Small but mighty stabilisers that help with rotational strength and maintaining tight positions.

Neglecting these muscles leads to imbalances, power leaks, and injury risk—especially in hip-dominant strength sports.

The Role of the Hips in Powerlifting, Strongman, and Weightlifting

The Role of the Hips in Powerlifting, Strongman, and Weightlifting

Powerlifting:

✅ Squat Strength:

 Strong hip abductors and adductors play a crucial role in maintaining knee alignment throughout the squat. When these muscles are weak or underdeveloped, lifters often experience valgus collapse (knees caving in), which not only limits power output but also increases injury risk—particularly at heavier loads. The hips also help stabilise the eccentric portion of the lift, ensuring a controlled descent that allows for a more forceful, explosive reversal out of the hole. Without adequate hip strength, lifters will struggle to maintain positioning, and their ability to generate power from the bottom will be compromised.

✅ Deadlift Power:

 While deadlifts are often associated with posterior chain strength, the hips play a more dynamic role than many lifters realise. The glutes, hip flexors, and adductors contribute significantly to both the initial pull off the floor and the lockout phase. If the hip flexors are weak, the lifter may experience difficulty setting up in a strong start position, leading to inefficient mechanics and excessive spinal rounding. Meanwhile, the glutes and adductors are responsible for forceful hip extension at lockout—if these muscles aren’t strong enough, lifters may experience a grindy, slow finish or a complete lockout failure under maximal loads.

✅ Bench Press:

 Although the bench press is typically thought of as an upper-body dominant lift, hip strength plays a major role in stability and force transfer. A strong and engaged lower body allows lifters to maximise leg drive, generating force from the ground up to improve bar speed. Weak hips can lead to poor positioning, especially for lifters who rely on a heavy arch or struggle to maintain consistent lower body engagement throughout the press. Additionally, proper hip engagement helps reduce energy leaks, ensuring that the entire body is working as a unified system rather than relying solely on the chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Strongman:

✅ Yoke & Farmers Walk:

 Strongman carries, such as the yoke walk and farmer’s walk, place an immense demand on hip stability and force absorption. The hips must work to dynamically stabilise the pelvis with each step while also assisting in force transfer from the ground to the upper body. If the hips are weak, lifters will experience slow, inefficient foot speed, difficulty maintaining balance under heavy loads, and an increased risk of lower back and knee injuries. The ability to maintain an upright torso and powerful, deliberate strides comes down to how well the hips can support and control the movement.

✅ Log & Axle Press:

 When pressing heavy logs or axles overhead, hip strength plays a vital role in creating a strong base for leg drive. Without sufficient hip stability, lifters will struggle to generate maximal power from the lower body, leading to a more taxing and inefficient press. The hips also help in maintaining balance during the clean portion of the lift, especially in log press where lifters must lap the implement before standing up explosively. Weak hips can lead to instability in the dip and drive, making it harder to efficiently transfer force from the legs to the upper body.

✅ Stone Loading & Sandbag Carries:

 Loading stones and carrying sandbags require explosive hip flexion and extension, making strong and mobile hip flexors a necessity. If the hip flexors are weak, lifters will struggle to drive their knees up when lapping stones or sandbags, which can lead to inefficient movement patterns and unnecessary strain on the lower back. Strong hip extensors, particularly the glutes and adductors, allow for a powerful hip pop to finish the movement, reducing the risk of getting stuck halfway through the lift. In addition, hip strength improves overall stability in awkward, shifting loads, a hallmark of strongman events.

Weightlifting:

✅ Clean & Jerk / Snatch:

 Olympic weightlifting is heavily dependent on hip power, as nearly all force production in these lifts comes from explosive hip extension. Weak hips result in early arm pulling, which drastically reduces power output and forces lifters to compensate with poor mechanics. The hip flexors also play a crucial role in pulling under the bar, particularly in the third pull phase of the snatch and clean. Without sufficient hip flexor strength, lifters may struggle to quickly transition into the receiving position, leading to missed lifts or suboptimal positioning in the catch phase.

✅ Front Squat Stability:

 Weightlifters rely on front squats to build strength for the clean and jerk, but without adequate hip strength, lifters will struggle to stay upright in the bottom position. The adductors, glutes, and hip flexors work together to maintain an optimal torso angle, preventing excessive forward lean that shifts stress onto the lower back. Hip weakness can also limit a lifter’s ability to remain stable when absorbing force, particularly when catching a heavy clean in the bottom position. Strengthening the hips en

sures lifters can maintain proper posture and positioning throughout the movement.

General Health & Rehab:

✅ Hip Training Improves Mobility, Reduces Low Back Pain, and Enhances Postural Alignment:

 Many lifters suffer from tight, weak hips due to excessive sitting, improper movement mechanics, or imbalanced training. Directly strengthening the hips improves joint mobility and range of motion, reducing compensatory stress placed on the lower back and knees. Many chronic back pain issues stem from weak or dysfunctional hip musculature, making direct hip training a key component of both injury prevention and long-term health.

✅ Strengthening the Hip Flexors and Stabilisers is Critical for Aging Lifters and Injury Recovery:

 As athletes get older or return from injury, hip strength becomes even more important for maintaining movement quality and avoiding compensation patterns that lead to further injury. Weak hip flexors, abductors, and adductors can contribute to poor gait mechanics, reduced force production, and increased injury risk over time. Directly training the hips ensures better movement efficiency, reduced pain, and long-term resilience, whether for elite competitors or lifters simply looking to stay strong and healthy.

Strong and healthy hips are a fundamental pillar of athletic and running performance, playing a crucial role in speed, power, stability, and injury prevention. Whether you’re sprinting, jumping, changing direction, or maintaining efficient movement over long distances, your hip extensors, flexors, abductors, and adductors work together to generate force, absorb impact, and stabilise your gait. Well-developed hip flexors improve knee drive and stride efficiency, allowing for greater acceleration and more explosive sprinting mechanics. Strong glutes and hip extensors enhance stride power, helping athletes produce force with each step while reducing fatigue over time. Properly trained hip abductors and adductors contribute to lateral stability, preventing excessive movement that can lead to inefficient mechanics and overuse injuries. Weak or dysfunctional hips often result in compensatory movement patterns, leading to knee, lower back, or ankle issues that can hinder performance. By integrating direct hip strengthening and mobility work into training, athletes can improve their acceleration, endurance, agility, and overall movement efficiency, unlocking greater athletic potential and long-term durability.

Direct Hip Training: What You Need to Be Doing

Most hip strength comes indirectly from squatting, pulling, and pressing. But directly training these muscles ensures balanced development, longevity, and maximum power output.

Expanded Exercise Lists with Additional Explanations

1️⃣ Hip Flexor Training

🚀 Belt Squat Marches (Westside-style) – Builds hip flexor endurance and core stability by forcing the lifter to maintain tension and controlled movement under load. This is especially useful for athletes who need strong knee drive and bracing under fatigue.

🚀 Standing Knee Raises with Bands or Ankle Weights – Reinforces knee drive for sprinting, lifting, and explosive movement by isolating the psoas and rectus femoris. This exercise improves stride efficiency and acceleration mechanics.

🚀 Hanging Leg Raises & Reverse Crunches – Strengthens the lower abs and hip flexors simultaneously, making it one of the most effective core-hip integration exercises. This also enhances postural control in squats and deadlifts.

🚀 Seated Hip Flexor Leg Lifts – A simple yet effective movement that isolates the hip flexors without engaging the lower back, helping lifters reinforce proper positioning for movements like high knees, sprinting, and deep squatting.

🚀 Cable Standing Hip Flexion (Weighted Marches) – By attaching a cable or band to the ankle and performing controlled knee lifts, this exercise builds progressive overload for hip flexor strength, reinforcing power and stability in sprinting, strongman carries, and Olympic lifts.

2️⃣ Adductor & Abductor Training

🔥 Copenhagen Planks – A brutal adductor exercise that strengthens the groin and inner thigh, improving knee stability and lateral control—key for squatting, jumping, and directional changes.

🔥 Seated Hip Abductions (Machine or Bands) – Develops glute medius and external hip strength, helping prevent valgus knee collapse in squats and deadlifts while improving lateral force transfer.

🔥 Side-Lying Clamshells (Weighted or Band-Resisted) – Crucial for hip stabilisation and external rotation strength, reducing injury risk and improving single-leg balance in strongman events and sprinting.

🔥 Sumo Stance Romanian Deadlifts – Targets the adductors, glutes, and hamstrings with an elongated range of motion, reinforcing hip extension and flexibility while improving strength at deep squat depths.

🔥 Lateral Sled Drags – A highly underrated abductor and adductor exercise that builds hip endurance and lateral movement efficiency, improving force output in yoke walks, farmers carries, and explosive athletic movement.

3️⃣ Hip Extension & Posterior Chain

💪 Belt Squats – Targets glutes, adductors, and hip flexors without spinal compression, making it ideal for athletes needing extra volume without excessive axial fatigue.

💪 Reverse Hypers – Legendary for glute, hamstring, and spinal erector development, while also reinforcing hip extension strength essential for deadlift lockouts and athletic explosiveness.

💪 Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts – Improves unilateral hip strength and balance, reducing compensatory imbalances that lead to inefficiency and injury in bilateral lifts.

💪 Hip Thrusts (Barbell or Banded) – Maximises glute activation and hip extension strength, reinforcing deadlift lockout power and sprint acceleration while preventing lower back compensation.

💪 Kettlebell Swings – A ballistic hip hinge exercise that builds explosive posterior chain power, conditioning, and force absorption, improving triple extension mechanics for jumping and strongman events.

4️⃣ Rotational & Multi-Planar Hip Work

🔄 Lateral Band Walks – Trains abductors and hip stabilisers, helping improve hip control, knee tracking, and lateral movement strength, particularly useful for strongman yoke carries and injury prevention.

🔄 Cable Hip Rotations – Reinforces rotational strength for throwing, strongman events, and general athleticism, improving force transfer and core engagement in multi-directional sports.

🔄 Jefferson Curls – Strengthens hip flexion, posterior chain mobility, and hamstring flexibility, particularly useful for lifters struggling with deep squatting positions.

🔄 Banded Step-Throughs (Anti-Rotation Work) – A crucial anti-rotation drill that reinforces hip stability under dynamic force, improving control in strongman carries and explosive movements.

🔄 Cossack Squats – Develops adductor flexibility, lateral strength, and deep squat mobility, allowing for greater control in unilateral movements, strongman events, and grappling sports.

Programming Hip Training into Your Routine

Integrating hip work doesn’t require overhauling your training. Here’s how:

✅ Warm-Ups (Pre-Lift Activation)

• Band walks, Copenhagen planks, standing knee raises (1-2 sets each)

• Helps activate stabilisers before heavy squats, pulls, or carries.

✅ Accessory Work (Post-Main Lifts)

• 2-4 exercises per session, rotated weekly

• Example: Reverse hypers (3x15) + Copenhagen Planks (3x20 sec/side) + Belt Squats (3x10)

✅ GPP & Recovery Work

• Sled drags, belt squat marches, light abductor/adductor work on off-days

• Keeps hips fresh and mobile without adding unnecessary fatigue.

Healing the Hips – Why Mobility & Strength Matter

If you’re dealing with hip pain, stiffness, or nagging discomfort, it’s likely not just a flexibility issue—it’s a strength and movement quality issue. The hips are responsible for force transfer, stability, and power in every major lift, but when they’re weak, tight, or misaligned, the entire chain suffers.

Here’s a three-pronged approach to restoring hip function and preventing injuries:

1️⃣ Restoring Mobility – Using dynamic stretching, banded distractions, and controlled movement drills to open up the hips and improve range of motion. If your hips can’t move freely, they can’t generate power efficiently.

2️⃣ Strengthening the Hips – Incorporating belt squats, banded hip abductions, glute bridges, and direct hip flexor work to reinforce stability, resilience, and load tolerance under heavy training. Weak hips = weak lifts.

3️⃣ Improving Movement Quality & Load Management – Identifying poor mechanics and compensation patterns, adjusting training volume, intensity, and exercise selection to avoid reinforcing dysfunction.

Ignoring hip health doesn’t just limit your squat and deadlift—it puts extra strain on your lower back, knees, and pelvis, increasing injury risk over time. Prioritising hip mobility and strength means lifting heavier, moving better, and staying injury-free.

Build Stronger Hips, Build a Stronger Athlete

Most lifters never directly train their hips, leading to stability issues, power leaks, and preventable injuries.

🚀 If you want to squat heavier, pull bigger, move faster, and stay injury-free, your hips need attention.

💡 Whether you’re a strongman, powerlifter, weightlifter, or general strength athlete, integrating direct hip training will increase power output, improve movement efficiency, and enhance longevity.

Want a program that actually addresses this?

If you’re serious about taking your training to the next level—whether you’re a strongman competitor, powerlifter, weightlifter, or just someone who wants to move, lift, and perform better—then you need a coaching approach that actually addresses the key principles covered in this article. Most programs ignore crucial aspects of strength development, injury prevention, and long-term progression, leaving you with gaps in your performance and resilience. My coaching isn’t just about following a generic template; it’s about structuring your training around your needs, ensuring you develop the strength, stability, and movement efficiency required for success. If you want a methodical, proven approach that integrates all of these elements into a cohesive, effective training system, then let’s work together. Apply for coaching at TEAMJOSHHEZZA.com and train with a system that actually works.

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