Implementing a Comprehensive Mobility Plan

A. Assess Your Client's Needs

When a client comes to you complaining of pain or discomfort in their hips during their squats, most coaches will instantly assume that the hips need to be worked on. While this is likely accurate, it’s just as likely that there are other areas that are contributing to the pain that, if not addressed, will make it so the pain never disappears for good.

Implementing a mobility assessment protocol will help you better understand what areas are leading to compensations that are causing unnecessary stress to be placed on the hips. This is what we call the root cause. Without an understanding of where the symptoms stem from, we will only be able to offer short-term results.

At Primal Mobility, we use a combination of Isolated Joint Assessments and Global Movement Assessments to see how each individual joint is moving independently, as well as how they work together cohesively to create movement patterns. Both are very important to get a full perspective of the situation!

B. Develop an Individualized Program

This is where all the fun stuff happens. Now you can put your mad scientist hat on and go to work. Be creative and put together a plan that addresses your particular clients' needs in a way that meets them where they’re at and offers progressive adaptability to get them to where they need to go.

The beauty of an individualized approach is that the results are so much faster. The client can begin making progress rapidly as they won’t be pushed into positions, intensities, or volume that is above their current capacity.

Although an individualized program will address the multiple root causes (like the ankles), let’s look at some other important things to consider when specifically addressing hip mobility.

Hip Flexor Strengthening

When most coaches approach the hip flexors, it’s very often focused on length. Stretching the hip flexors and training them within that lengthened position is great, amazing even, but in order to make long-term progress within a particular muscle, we need to train them in short as well (as mentioned above). 

Instead, have your clients frequently incorporate those “short-range” hip flexor exercises that were suggested above to help them build strength in the position their hips will be in during the squat.

Hip Mobility - warming up for squats

Getting the hips prepared for squats can be vastly important for reducing hip pain as well, as I’m sure you already know. What we need to do is prime the nervous system and prepare the muscles that surround the hips for work. In order to do this, you’ll want to incorporate some higher-intensity speed exercises that fire the hips rapidly (such as light KB swings and squat jumps) as well as some slower exercises that apply the deep ranges of the hips (such as hip CARs and Front Split Liftoffs). A combination of techniques will get the hips feeling silky and moving well for the work ahead; just make sure to use deep ranges to prepare the joints and muscles. 

Internal Rotation

I’ve mentioned it a few times but want to mention it again because it’s pretty damn important. Most people struggle with internal hip rotation and need to spend more time within that function of the hip. Be sure to implement a fair amount of hip IR work to help the femur move efficiently through the capsule and allow for the joint to function properly during the squat pattern!