Magnus Agren
www.magnusagren.se
Last we focused on the upper body and its effects on running technique and speed. Now it is time for the lower body to be dissected. Let us start with the hip, (the forces of power production are about seven times that of the ankle when sprinting)! In the hip area there are lots of muscles that in different ways affect running and speed production. Most important are the glutes and the hip flexors. The glutes are one of the largest and most power producing muscles in the body and combined with the hamstrings extend the hip and helps you move forward. Unfortunately, it is often deactivated and cannot fully deliver at its peak. This is mostly due to stiff and shortened hip flexors, a problem that is very common from too much sitting down or sports where you act leaning forward, eg. in hockey, golf etc. Stiff and shortened hip flexors will also lead to decreased stride length and disturbs the rotation of the spine, it will force you to rotate more to be able to keep your stride length and sprint at full speed. This unnatural rotation costs the system an unnecessary energy loss and keeps you from optimal performance in more ways than one. It is very important to have good flexibility in the lower core, the hips and legs. In order to be able to keep your foot longer on the ground during the stride you need to be able to fully extend in your hip, knee and ankle joints.
