Acceleration is a force characterized by pushing. To accelerate, the athlete must exert forceinto the ground in order to move forward. The stronger the force is applied (with optimal technique), the faster the athlete accelerates.

Force should be applied with attention to the right muscle groups and right form. The major muscle groups involved in acceleration or applying the push into the ground are the extensors of the hip, knee and ankle, mainly the glutes and calves. The following exercises focus on working these muscles in a fashion similar to accelerating on foot.

Glute bridge with alternate marching

Lie on your back with knees bent. Tighten the abdominals, lift the toes, push through the heels and lift the hips off the floor by tightening or contracting the glutes. The goal is to open the hips in such a position as to create a relatively straight line between the shoulder, hip and knee. Hold hips in extended position while alternating bent-knee leg lifts.

If you feel any cramping in the hamstrings, chances are, you are allowing your lower back and hamstrings to dominate the act of extension. Start from the ground position, tighten your abdominals and glutes and try again. This exercise teaches you to hold, or stabilize, your body in hip extension while executing hip flexion.

Bird dog

This is another greatexercise promoting hipextension over lower backextension. It is importantwhen an athlete isaccelerating to put force intothe ground via a powerfuldrive from and extended leg. When running, your goal should be to have the ability to extend at the hips while maintaining stability in the low back.

The bird dog exercise teaches you to contract the glutes in order to completely lengthen your leg out. This cannot be done if you bend or extend at the lower back. Position yourself with hands and knees on the floor. Your wrists should be aligned underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Bring the right elbow and left knee in toward the navel then extend both the right arm and left leg as straight as possible by driving out from the shoulder and glutes. Again, the goal is to execute this exercise without extending the lower back. Learn to drive the legs by extending from the hips.

The common goal of all of these exercises is to learn how to maintain proper core posture. The ability to stabilize the torso while performing explosive movements with the limbs is vital not only for optimal performance but to maintain joint and muscle health. The limbs are only as functional as what they are attached to – the core. With attention to the finer details, and repetition with these exercises, athletes may see promising results in their performance.

Greg Moore is a certified strength and conditioning coach at St.Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis.