KRU PT + Performance Lab

The iliopsoas is most vulnerable when asked to decelerate hip extension at speed, the exact demand of sprinting, cutting, and kicking. Strength alone doesn’t protect against this; the tissue needs to tolerate load through its full range, including under fatigue.

The progression:
→ Standing psoas march — hip flexion strength and motor control under a stable base
3 sets x 10 reps per side

→ Tall kneeling hip flexor isometric hold — end-range extension tolerance, addresses the length most strain injuries occur at
3 sets x 20-30 sec hold per side

→ Single leg RDL into high knee drive — posterior chain strength paired with reactive hip flexion, mimics the deceleration-to-acceleration transition
3 sets x 6-8 reps per side

→ Banded single leg hip flexion isometric — resisted hold at varying hip flexion angles to build strength through range
3 sets x 15-20 sec hold per side

→ Copenhagen plank with hip flexion — adductor and hip flexor integration under a demanding lateral chain load
3 sets x 6-8 reps per side

Adductor strains typically occur when the groin muscles lack the strength and length capacity to handle sprinting, cutting, and change-of-direction demands.

Prevention should focus on progressive loading through end-range positions, not just stretching.

1️⃣ Copenhagen Plank (short lever)
Loads the adductors in their most vulnerable lengthened position, building tissue capacity where strains most often occur.
3×20–30 sec per side | Hips stacked, no sagging

2️⃣ Adductor Squeeze — Isometric Hold
Builds early-stage strength and reduces pain sensitivity without aggravating the groin.
4–5 sets x 20–40 sec holds

3️⃣ Lateral Band Walk
Trains the adductors alongside glute med to control frontal-plane movement and absorb lateral load.
3×10–12 steps per direction | Stay low, controlled tempo

4️⃣ Single-Leg Adductor Slide
Challenges eccentric control of the adductors as the leg slides into hip abduction, mimicking cutting mechanics.
3×8–10 per leg | Slow eccentric, controlled return

5️⃣ Sumo Tempo Squat
Builds concentric and eccentric strength through a wide stance, matching the demands of sprinting and change of direction.
3×8–10 reps | 3 sec down, 1 sec pause

Adductor strains rarely come from one thing, it’s tissue capacity, eccentric control, and load tolerance working together.

The hip is a deep ball-and-socket joint built for stability, not just range of motion. In FAI, the femur and socket make abnormal contact in certain positions, managing it means combining capsular mobility, motor control, and load tolerance, not just stretching it out.

1. Hip MOBs
Gentle joint mobilization to address capsular restriction and ease compression in the socket.
🔁 2×10 reps per direction | Slow, oscillating movement
2. Hip CARs Kneeling
Controlled Articular Rotations build active control and proprioception through full available range.
🔁 3×5 each direction | Move slow, no momentum
3. Hip Flexion Iso w/ Band
Isometric hold in flexion — often the most provoked position in FAI. Builds tolerance without aggravating the joint.
🔁 3×20–30 sec hold | No pinching pain
4. SL RDL w/ Band Cueing
Band cue reinforces hip hinge mechanics and pelvic control, reducing compensatory rotation at the hip.
🔁 3×8–10 per leg | Band tension at hip crease
5. Lateral Step Down
Eccentric control of the front hip and knee — challenges single-leg stability and load acceptance.
🔁 3×8–10 per leg | Control the descent
6. Side Plank + Band
Band around the knees adds an abduction demand, targeting glute med for lateral pelvic stability.
🔁 3×20–30 sec per side | Hips stacked, no
7. Light Posterior Hip Capsule Stretch
Addresses posterior capsule tightness, which can drive compensatory anterior loading.
🔁 2×30 sec | Gentle — not aggressive
8. Hip Loop Bands SL
Single-leg stance against band resistance drives hip stability and control in a functional position.
🔁 3×10–12 per leg | Slow and controlled

Hip impingement rarely comes from one thing — it’s capsular mobility, motor control, and load tolerance working together.

The ACL plays a direct role in proprioceptive feedback. When it gets injured, that sensory communication gets disrupted alongside the structural damage. A well-structured progression rebuilds both.

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KB SL RDL — The hamstrings generate a posterior pull on the tibia, reducing anterior shear force at the joint. Train them slow, train them long.
3x8-10 | 3-sec lower

SL Box Squat — A fixed endpoint allows the nervous system to load the joint with confidence rather than brace against the unknown.
3x8 per side

RFE Split Squat w/ Valgus Resist — The band above the knee loads the hip abductors and ER directly against dynamic valgus — the pattern most associated with ACL injury.
3x8-10 per side

Slider Lateral Lunge — Frontal plane loading with eccentric demand on the stance limb. The inner and outer hip have to co-contract to control it.
3x10 per side

Lateral Step Down — Every compensation pattern surfaces here. Hip drop, knee drift, trunk shift. As much assessment as it is exercise.
3x10-15 per side

Skater Hops — Single-limb lateral force absorption. Stick the landing for 2 seconds — the absorption is the point.
3x8-10 per side

3 Point Forward Lunge — Three angles, three loading demands. Captures the rotational and frontal plane stress straight-line lunges miss.
3x6 per direction

RFE Split Squat Hop — Reactive output over controlled tempo. The bridge between strength work and sport.
3x6-8 per side

SL Depth Drop — Absorb a single-limb landing quietly. No stiffness, no valgus. If this breaks down, earlier stages need more time.
3x5-6 per side

The UCL is the primary stabilizer against valgus stress at the medial elbow. Every throw, swing, or overhead movement places tensile load on this ligament — and without the surrounding musculature trained to share that load, the tissue accumulates micro-trauma until it fails.

1️⃣ 90/90 Internal Rotation Trains the rotator cuff to decelerate internal rotation, reducing torque that transfers down to the medial elbow.
3 x 12–15 | Slow and controlled, pause at end range

2️⃣ Banded Supinations Strengthens the supinator directly around the proximal radius, reducing valgus stress during pronation/supination cycles.
3 x 15 each direction | Full ROM

3️⃣ Grip Strength Carries — DB Farmer | Plate Pinch | KB Ball Activates the flexor-pronator mass — the muscular sleeve that runs directly over the UCL across three grip patterns.
3 x 30–40 meters | No straps

4️⃣ Y & W Ball Quick Catches Builds proximal stability through the lower trap and posterior rotator cuff so force is absorbed at the shoulder, not the elbow.
3 x 10 per position | Reactive tempo

5️⃣ Half Kneeling 90/90 Eccentric Pull Forces true eccentric loading through the elbow in the exact position it experiences peak tensile stress during deceleration.
3 x 8–10 | 3–4 second eccentric

6️⃣ SA Wrist Flexion/Extension — Pull Down Machine Builds tensile strength through the common flexor tendon — a direct secondary stabilizer to the UCL under valgus load.
3 x 15–20 each direction | Full ROM, no momentum