I still lift weights three times a week but I haven’t been posting those workouts on here since no one seems to be interested in them.

After spending a lot of time doing research about better ways to help my hips, I found some interesting information.  Since I have been working part time as a personal trainer for a little over a year now, I felt that I should spend a little time researching some of my own problems for a change.

After a lot of reading and looking at some slides on body posture and alignment, I feel that my posture has anterior tilt.  This means that my pelvis is tilted down in the front.  One thing that I have been noticing for some time is that my obi in down in the front and up in the back.  I really didn’t think too much of it but since I have been going to the chiropractor and being much more conscious of pain or issues with my training, it finally came to mind.  I often have a hard time tucking my butt under my hips and keeping my upper body straight when doing really low front stances and horse stances.  Since my pelvis is pointing down, it makes it very hard for me to tuck my butt without pain in my lower back.  I am going to talk to my chiropractor next time I see him but I would guess that it’s is also making me lean forward when I throw side kicks.  (I can go into more detail if anyone reading this is interested so just comment on this thread and I will explain everything I found.)

Because of this, I searched for various stretches and exercises to help fix this problem.  A couple of the exercises that my chiropractor game me apply to this also.

Following is the workout that I did today applying many of the things I learned in my research.

Glute bridge – 12 reps, holding for three seconds each rep.
Clam shells -  12 reps each leg, holding for three seconds each rep.
Lying side leg Raise – same as above.
Cork hip lift – Eight reps each leg, holding for three seconds each rep.

Fire hydrant – 15 reps each leg.

Kneeling rectus femoris stretch – Hold for 20 seconds each leg.
Kneeling hip flexor stretch – Hold for 20 seconds each leg.

2 x 15 – situps
3 x 15 – weighted side bends with 20 pound dumbbells.
2 x 15 – lying leg raises

Next came kata:

10 – Tekki Shodan
1 – Heian Shodan
1 – Heian Nidan

After that was a cool down with some more stretching.

I do a move where I lay on my back, with my heels together, keeping my shoulders and back on the floor and twist my hips and bring my knees down to each side.  I try to only move from my hips.  This really helps to open up my hips.  I guess I call them lying hips twists.

After that I did a similar move where where I spread my heels a foot or so apart and twist my hips and bring my knees down to each side much like above.

Although not really a stretch, I do a move where I lay on my back, bring my knee up and across my body and do what I can only describe as a lying side thrust kick.  I do these on my back to get my hip to really stretch.  10 reps for each leg.

Next I lay on my back, bend one knee up and put my other foot over the bent knee and press it down.  This causes my hip to turn over across my body and gives it a good stretch.

The last move is where I lay on my back, and do similar move to the clam shell.  I bring one knee toward the inside trying to touch the floor with it and the other knee of the opposite leg to the outside then alternate each side.  10 reps for each leg.

Overall, I was able to complete this workout in about 45 minutes for less.  It took me longer to type this than it did to do the workout. 🙂