6 Psoas March Variations You Likely Haven't Tried Before -

Like politics, the hip flexors can be a polarizing topic. So many people seem to have “tight” hip flexors. Or do they? To be very clear, I put tight in quotations as there are many different potential causes for “tightness.” This is a whole other can of worms, and is not the point of my article. In some cases, the muscles are tight because they are not strong enough.

In this article, I will be providing exercises that strengthen the psoas muscle. This is one of the hip flexor muscles. The psoas muscle, a long spindle shaped muscle, joins the ilacus muscle to form the iliopsoas. As you can see, it attaches to the lumbar 1-5 vertebrae, and attaches to the femur. This is just a very basic explanation of this complex muscle.

**Source: Wikipedia

This week I shared 6 psoas march variations you might not have tried before. Before I discuss these unique variations, here is how you perform a basic band resisted psoas march.

Basic Band Resisted Psoas Marches

Coaching Tips:

Lie on the floor. Place your thighs so they are in a vertical position, bend your knees, and point your feet towards you (dorsiflex).
You may either position your arms and hands so they are resting on your body, or you may extend your arms so they are in a vertical position and are above your armpits. Keep your chin tucked and neck in a neutral position, and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection).
Pay attention that you are not “cheating” by using the muscles in your neck and/or upper body in place of the muscles of the anterior core.
Before you go, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine). Now steadily exhale through your mouth, contract your anterior core muscles as hard as you can, slowly extend one knee and lower the leg towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form. Return to the starting position. Reset and repeat using the opposite leg.
Keep your non-moving knee bent and in a fixed position. You should really feel your psoas muscle on this side working.
Maintain control for 100% of the movement.
For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, or pelvis to move.
I tend to notice that if your shirt remains wrinkled, it likely means you are in the right position. If your shirt suddenly becomes smooth, it likely means you have lost the correct position and have flared your ribcage and hyperextended your lower back.

Regression:

Make this exercise easier by decreasing the range of the leg lowering, or by using a band with less resistance.

Progression:

Make this exercise more challenging by increasing the range of the leg lowering, or by using a band with more resistance.

Here are 6 unique psoas march variations you might not have seen before:

#1) Band Resisted Psoas Marches With Feet Elevated On Bench

In this variation, you will elevate your heels on a box or bench, and will perform band resisted psoas marches. For the duration of the exercise, keep your hips elevated by engaging your glutes. Do not allow your hips to drop, weight to shift from foot to foot, or your torso, hips, or spine to rotate. Aside from the leg that is performing the “march,” the rest of your body should remain in a fixed position.

#2) Hanging Band Resisted Psoas Marches

In this variation, you will perform band resisted psoas marches from a hanging position. Adopt your preferred grip width and positioning. Before you go, draw your shoulder blades in towards your spine and down towards the opposite hip. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise. While keeping your body in a slight hollow body position, perform the marches. This exercise requires a lot of lumbo-pelvic stability as the hanging position makes it much more challenging to keep your torso and hips in a fixed position. An added bonus of this exercise is that it helps develop grip strength, and has a great carryover to pull-ups.

#3) Band Resisted Psoas Marches With Wall Press

In this variation, you will perform band resisted psoas marches while pressing against a wall. The added press helps generate even more tension, and makes this variation extremely challenging.

#4) Chaos Band Resisted Psoas Marches

In this variation, you will set up a band in a squat rack, will place your hands on the band, and will perform band resisted psoas marches. The unstable nature of the band helps develop shoulder and scapular stability, and requires a lot of lumbo-pelvic stability.

#5) Band Resisted Psoas Marches With Single Arm Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Presses + Single Arm Wall Press

In this variation, you will perform band resisted psoas marches while pressing against a wall with one hand, and performing bottoms-up kettlebell presses with the other. The added wall press helps generate even more tension. The bottoms-up kettlebell press helps develop shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, grip strength, to some extent upper body strength, and also makes this exercise more anti-rotational in nature

#6) Band Resisted Psoas Marches + Band Resisted Retraction

In this variation, you will perform band resisted psoas marches while performing a band resisted scapular retraction for the duration of the set. This added component helps develop shoulder and scapular stability.

Bonus Exercise: Single Arm Hang + Band Resisted Psoas Marches

This extremely advanced variation involves performing a single arm hang, and then performing band resisted psoas marches. This exercise requires a lot of shoulder and scapular stability, grip strength, and lumbo-pelvic stability. Before you go, draw your shoulder blade in towards your spine and down towards the opposite hip. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise. While keeping your body in a slight hollow body position, perform the marches. This exercise requires a lot of lumbo-pelvic stability as the hanging position makes it much more challenging to keep your torso and hips in a fixed position. Hanging from just one arm makes this exercise extremely anti-lateral flexion in nature. Difficulty = 10/10