Flexibility with Nebraska T&F
University of Nebraska’s sprints coach prevents hamstring injuries by working the right muscles and properly warming up.
By: Chad Zimmerman
Getting to the top of the T&F leader boards can be as simple as "out with the old, in with the new." Forward-thinking coaches like Matt Martin, sprints and hurdles coach for the University of Nebraska, continually seek to replace old track practices with innovative techniques that keep their athletes ahead of the competition. Properly executing such techniques can produce big results: the Husker track record is strong evidence.
Nebraska boasts uncommon dual supremacy. Both its men’s and women’s squads finished in the top 20 at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned top five national rankings.
Preventing injuries—hamstring strains in particular—is critical to the Huskers’ success. "We believe many hamstring injuries come from imbalances within the core region—from the abdomen and lower back through the quads and hamstrings down to the backs of the knees," Martin explains. "Sometimes an imbalance in that area puts additional strain on the hamstring, resulting in an injury. So, the hamstring is not actually to blame for the problem."
Martin has seen runners of all shapes and sizes with hamstring strains; but he’s noticed that sprinters are the most afflicted, because, he says, "sprints place the most stress on the hamstrings and surrounding muscle groups."
To reduce the number of these all-too-common, debilitating injuries, Martin implements a two-pronged prevention program: strength building exercises for smaller core-region muscle groups to correct imbalances, and a dynamic warm-up before practices and meets to properly prepare the body for activity. Martin provides drills for both parts of his program.
Preventing Imbalances
The running style and habits an athlete develops at a young age can lead to imbalances, but old school training techniques and neglected muscles also contribute. "Think of sprinting in terms of your femur rotating through your hip socket, and you’ll see the need for all the muscles in the pelvic girdle to work in unison," Martin says. "We often find that the abductors, glutes and outer sides of the glutes are not developed.
"In the past, we probably neglected training those areas for track and field. We focused on the big muscles areas, doing the squats, hamstring curls and power cleans. Now, we make sure to build the smaller muscles in the core area along with the big muscle groups."
Exercises must be specific to correct a particular athlete’s imbalance. Following are a few drills that can be used; however, only a trained professional can create a precise plan to remedy a specific imbalance. "I encourage athletes to seek an expert’s opinion to root out imbalance issues," Martin says. "A physical therapist can dictate a training plan based on individual needs."
Back-Lying Hip Flexor Stretch
Lie on back on table, thighs halfway off
Pull both knees to chest, keeping low back flat against table
Keep one leg to chest by holding behind knee
Drop other leg back to table and bend to 90-degree angle
Hold position for 3 seconds
Perform 10 reps for each leg
Angry Cat Stretch
Start on hands and knees
Tuck chin in toward chest
Tighten stomach and arch back
Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 10 times
Perform 3-4 times per day
Mid-Back Stretch
Start on hands and knees
Drop butt toward ankles
Push chest toward floor
Reach arms forward as far as possible
Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 10 times
Perform 3-4 times per day
Hamstring Wall Stretch
Lie on back on floor
Place heel of one foot against wall
Extend opposite leg through doorway
Scoot butt toward wall to achieve stretch
Scoot closer to wall as muscle relaxes
Perform for 5 minutes on each side, twice per day
Bridging with Straight Leg Raise
Lie on back on floor with feet flat
Raise hips, keeping straight line from knees to shoulders
Lift one foot off floor and straighten leg
Hold for 5 seconds
Lower foot back to ground
Perform 10 reps per leg, once per day
Side-Lying/Leg with Outward Rotation
Lie on side on floor with knees bent
Place pillow between knees
Rotate top knee upward
Keep knee bent, pelvis and trunk stationary
Return to starting position, repeat 10 times per leg
Proper Preparation
Many athletes think the best way to loosen up is to stretch, stretch, stretch; but to properly warm up, stay injury-free and perform at your best, you have to do drills that take your body through its full range of motion. "Like many track and field programs these days, we use a dynamic warm-up," Martin says. "We do a lot of hurdle step-overs and step-throughs to motivate all the muscle areas throughout the core."
Performing hurdle drills, Martin’s athletes maintain proper form by staying upright and not turning their torsos throughout the drill. Movement should come from the rotation of the hip socket, with the foot moving in a full circular motion.
Proper form prepares an athlete for competition and helps Martin detect muscle imbalances. "A foot turning in or out during the drills is a good warning sign of an imbalance," he says, "because muscles are being utilized in the wrong capacity. The runner is cheating himself by using overdeveloped muscles."
Hurdle Step-Overs
Place 8-10 hurdles one foot apart
Set each hurdle 30-33 inches high
Step over hurdles with high knee action
Do not rotate leg out
Move at walking pace, then at a skipping rhythmic pace
Perform 5 passes
Hurdle Over-Unders
Place 8-10 hurdles one foot apart
Alternate hurdle height between lowest and highest setting
Step over low hurdles
Step under and through high hurdles
Move at walking pace
Perform 5 passes
Hurdle Lateral Kick-Overs
Place 8-10 hurdles one foot apart
Set hurdles at middle height
Stand to side of hurdles on one leg
Kick the leg closer to hurdle over top of hurdle and then back
Move to next hurdle, repeat
Perform 5 passes for each leg
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Flexibility with Nebraska T&F
University of Nebraska’s sprints coach prevents hamstring injuries by working the right muscles and properly warming up.
By: Chad Zimmerman
Getting to the top of the T&F leader boards can be as simple as "out with the old, in with the new." Forward-thinking coaches like Matt Martin, sprints and hurdles coach for the University of Nebraska, continually seek to replace old track practices with innovative techniques that keep their athletes ahead of the competition. Properly executing such techniques can produce big results: the Husker track record is strong evidence.
Nebraska boasts uncommon dual supremacy. Both its men’s and women’s squads finished in the top 20 at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned top five national rankings.
Preventing injuries—hamstring strains in particular—is critical to the Huskers’ success. "We believe many hamstring injuries come from imbalances within the core region—from the abdomen and lower back through the quads and hamstrings down to the backs of the knees," Martin explains. "Sometimes an imbalance in that area puts additional strain on the hamstring, resulting in an injury. So, the hamstring is not actually to blame for the problem."
Martin has seen runners of all shapes and sizes with hamstring strains; but he’s noticed that sprinters are the most afflicted, because, he says, "sprints place the most stress on the hamstrings and surrounding muscle groups."
To reduce the number of these all-too-common, debilitating injuries, Martin implements a two-pronged prevention program: strength building exercises for smaller core-region muscle groups to correct imbalances, and a dynamic warm-up before practices and meets to properly prepare the body for activity. Martin provides drills for both parts of his program.
Preventing Imbalances
The running style and habits an athlete develops at a young age can lead to imbalances, but old school training techniques and neglected muscles also contribute. "Think of sprinting in terms of your femur rotating through your hip socket, and you’ll see the need for all the muscles in the pelvic girdle to work in unison," Martin says. "We often find that the abductors, glutes and outer sides of the glutes are not developed.
"In the past, we probably neglected training those areas for track and field. We focused on the big muscles areas, doing the squats, hamstring curls and power cleans. Now, we make sure to build the smaller muscles in the core area along with the big muscle groups."
Exercises must be specific to correct a particular athlete’s imbalance. Following are a few drills that can be used; however, only a trained professional can create a precise plan to remedy a specific imbalance. "I encourage athletes to seek an expert’s opinion to root out imbalance issues," Martin says. "A physical therapist can dictate a training plan based on individual needs."
Back-Lying Hip Flexor Stretch
Lie on back on table, thighs halfway off
Pull both knees to chest, keeping low back flat against table
Keep one leg to chest by holding behind knee
Drop other leg back to table and bend to 90-degree angle
Hold position for 3 seconds
Perform 10 reps for each leg
Angry Cat Stretch
Start on hands and knees
Tuck chin in toward chest
Tighten stomach and arch back
Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 10 times
Perform 3-4 times per day
Mid-Back Stretch
Start on hands and knees
Drop butt toward ankles
Push chest toward floor
Reach arms forward as far as possible
Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 10 times
Perform 3-4 times per day
Hamstring Wall Stretch
Lie on back on floor
Place heel of one foot against wall
Extend opposite leg through doorway
Scoot butt toward wall to achieve stretch
Scoot closer to wall as muscle relaxes
Perform for 5 minutes on each side, twice per day
Bridging with Straight Leg Raise
Lie on back on floor with feet flat
Raise hips, keeping straight line from knees to shoulders
Lift one foot off floor and straighten leg
Hold for 5 seconds
Lower foot back to ground
Perform 10 reps per leg, once per day
Side-Lying/Leg with Outward Rotation
Lie on side on floor with knees bent
Place pillow between knees
Rotate top knee upward
Keep knee bent, pelvis and trunk stationary
Return to starting position, repeat 10 times per leg
Proper Preparation
Many athletes think the best way to loosen up is to stretch, stretch, stretch; but to properly warm up, stay injury-free and perform at your best, you have to do drills that take your body through its full range of motion. "Like many track and field programs these days, we use a dynamic warm-up," Martin says. "We do a lot of hurdle step-overs and step-throughs to motivate all the muscle areas throughout the core."
Performing hurdle drills, Martin’s athletes maintain proper form by staying upright and not turning their torsos throughout the drill. Movement should come from the rotation of the hip socket, with the foot moving in a full circular motion.
Proper form prepares an athlete for competition and helps Martin detect muscle imbalances. "A foot turning in or out during the drills is a good warning sign of an imbalance," he says, "because muscles are being utilized in the wrong capacity. The runner is cheating himself by using overdeveloped muscles."
Hurdle Step-Overs
Place 8-10 hurdles one foot apart
Set each hurdle 30-33 inches high
Step over hurdles with high knee action
Do not rotate leg out
Move at walking pace, then at a skipping rhythmic pace
Perform 5 passes
Hurdle Over-Unders
Place 8-10 hurdles one foot apart
Alternate hurdle height between lowest and highest setting
Step over low hurdles
Step under and through high hurdles
Move at walking pace
Perform 5 passes
Hurdle Lateral Kick-Overs
Place 8-10 hurdles one foot apart
Set hurdles at middle height
Stand to side of hurdles on one leg
Kick the leg closer to hurdle over top of hurdle and then back
Move to next hurdle, repeat
Perform 5 passes for each leg