Mastering Hip Flexor Dominance Through Resistance Training
by Melinda Burris

For elite hurdlers, the difference between a podium finish and a mid-pack performance often lies in the “engine” of the sprint: the hip flexors. While quadriceps and glutes provide the horsepower for flat sprinting, hurdling requires an exceptional degree of hip flexor dominance—the ability of the iliopsoas and rectus femoris to drive the lead leg upward and pull the trail leg forward with explosive speed and precision.

A study from NMU Commons shows that elite hurdlers exhibit competition-specific muscle strength, producing significantly greater hip flexor torque at high contraction speeds than non-hurdlers. To achieve this, athletes must transition from general mobility to specialized resistance drills targeting the hip flexors in both lengthened and shortened positions.

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1. The Banded Psoas March (Supine)

The psoas march is widely regarded as a foundational “corrective-to-performance” exercise. Isolating the iliopsoas teaches the athlete to drive the knee while maintaining a “rock-solid” pelvis.

• Lie flat on your back with a mini-band looped around the arches of both feet.
• Bring both knees to a “tabletop” position (hips and knees at 90 degrees).
• While keeping one knee stationary, drive the opposite foot out straight until the leg is fully extended, resisting the band’s tension.

Key Focus: Keep your lower back flat against the floor. This reinforces the lumbopelvic control necessary to prevent “low back arching” during high-velocity hurdle clearance.

2. Seated Hip Flexor “Hurdles”

This drill targets end-range strength, specifically the muscle’s ability to produce force when it is already shortened—a critical phase during the peak of a hurdle jump.

• Sit on the floor with both legs extended straight in front of you.
• Place a small object (like a kettlebell or yoga block) next to your ankle.
• Using only your hip flexors, lift one leg up and over the object without allowing your heel to touch the floor.

Key Focus: Keep your torso upright and avoid the temptation to lean back. Research suggests that training at high flexion angles (above 90 degrees) is essential for the rapid lead-leg lift required to clear 39-to-42-inch hurdles.

3. The Banded Resisted Knee Drive

This specialized strength training (SST) drill is designed to bridge the gap between the weight room and the track.

• Attach a resistance band to a low anchor point behind you and loop it around your ankle.
• Stand in an athletic “triple extension” stance facing away from the anchor.
• Explosively drive the working knee forward and upward toward navel height, mimicking the “punch” of the lead leg.

Key Focus: Focus on the horizontal projection of the hip, not just the vertical height. This ensures the force contributes to forward velocity rather than just upward lift.

4. Standing Wall Psoas March

This progression adds a stability demand, forcing the “anchor” leg to stabilize the pelvis while the working leg overcomes resistance.

• Stand facing a wall with your hands pressed against it to help maintain balance.
• With a band around your feet, drive one knee upward toward the ceiling while keeping the stance leg straight and the glute engaged.

Key Focus: The goal is to reach maximum hip flexion without “tucking” the pelvis under. This teaches your body to maintain a “tall” posture under load, which is essential for efficient hurdle technique.

5. Yessis Knee Drive (Cable or Band)

This exercise is named after Dr. Michael Yessis, who was instrumental in popularizing this drill. It is designed to strengthen the “scissors action” of the hips, where one leg flexes as the other extends.

• Use a cable machine or heavy band anchored at floor level.
• Stand facing away from the anchor with the strap on your ankle.
• Begin with the leg slightly behind the hip (hip extension) and pull the knee through to the front in a rapid, fluid motion.

Key Focus: Capture the hip flexors’ elastic response. By starting in an extended position, you utilize the muscle’s natural “snap-back” effect, which mirrors the trail leg’s recovery after takeoff.

6. Single-Leg L-Sit Holds

Isometric strength is often referred to as the “glue” that holds technical movements together. The L-sit hold builds the capacity to maintain a high knee position against gravity and fatigue.

• Sit on the floor with hands on dumbbells or “parallettes” beside your hips.
• Press your body off the floor and lift one leg until it is parallel to the ground.
• Hold the position for 10–15 seconds.

Key Focus: Maintaining a “locked” knee. This ensures the rectus femoris (the hip flexor that also crosses the knee) is fully engaged, preventing the lead leg from “dropping” prematurely during flight.

The Science of Recovery and Integration

For elite performance, these drills should be performed 2–3 times weekly. Experts recommend 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions for general strength, moving toward 3–5 sets of 3–6 explosive repetitions as the competitive season approaches.

Stretching is a common technique, and scientific research indicates that brief hip flexor stretches (30–90 seconds) have a negligible or even positive impact on performance, whereas excessive stretching (more than 4 minutes) can temporarily decrease force production. Therefore, athletes should prioritize these resistance drills as part of a dynamic warm-up or specialized power session to keep the hip flexors primed for speed.

References:

1. Arroyo, P. (28 June 2025). “Training the hip flexors for resiliency and explosive performance.”
2. Okutani, H., et al. (2018). “The effect of hip joint muscle strength and size on hip joint angular velocity during 110 M hurdling motion.”
3. Konrad, A. et al. (17 February 2021). The influence of stretching the hip flexor muscles on performance parameters.
4. (18 May 2018). “The biomechanics of hurdling.”

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