Movement of the Month: DB Multi-Planar Hip Thrust with Swing Switch

With Coach Kennedy

Summer brings along summer sports and many outdoor activities. Walking, running, hiking, mountain climbing, soccer, football, baseball, tennis, golf, and the list goes on, and on! One sure way to hinder your summer plans is an injury.  If you consider, for a moment, the strength and movement patterns required to perform the previously listed activities and sports, you quickly see how easy it is for injury to occur.

Multi-directional, multi-planar, quick explosive movements, while they carry many benefits, they also bring along the risk of injury just by their sheer nature.  For example, at some point or another, 80% of runners will experience an injury!

So, as fitness professionals, what can we do? For starters, train the body as an integrated unit as it was designed. We need to create strength as a whole unit, train the body in multi planes and directions, and integrate other aspects such as speed, power, balance and strength.

The DB Multi-Planar Hip Thrust W/ Swing Switching  is a great example of taking a fundamental movement (hip thrusting) and adding in a second plane (frontal), making it multi planar and multi-directional. This creates strength and tissue resilience in all directions. So, when asked to move in and out of different planes our bodies do so efficiently and effectively, with decreased chances of injury.

This exercise requires the ability to integrate from the ground up. It requires the coordination of many muscles and joints cohesively working together.  Some of the benefits include intra and intermuscular coordination, balance, agility, power, strength, endurance and stability. Remember, stability drives force and safety; the more stable we are, the more force we can generate safely. This is great for caloric expenditure and movement efficiency.

Lastly, it’s fun and totally different from what we generally see and perform. This means, as a trainer, it shows your ability to be different and think outside the box. And your client get to enjoy the benefits, as mentioned above, and the fun of moving!  Why does that matter? Because that means they stick to exercise, which is the prime directive.

Exercise Execution:

• Begin by standing with feet hip width apart, soft knees, core braced, shoulders set (elevate, protract, depress) while holding a DB in your right hand.
• Take a lateral lunge to your left and, without pausing, reverse your position back to the start while at the same time swinging the DB with the right hand up to shoulder height. (Remember that the swing comes from driving the HIPS forward. It’s hip hinging).
• At this point, the DB is handed over to your left hand as you proceed into a right lateral lunge.
• Repeat this process for the allotted time or reps.

Exercise Protocol:

I find that when performing movement based/ multi-planar exercises like this they work best based on time – generally 30 seconds per round. Yes, you can also count reps, if you like – generally 10-12 per side, depending on the goal.

Apply exercises based on your client’s fitness level.  In other words, regress and progress as required.

Not sure how?  Reach out anytime about this or anything fitness related: kennedy@coachkennedyonline.ca.