Peeing Doggie
Get down on all fours, hands and knees. Keep your back straight and lift your left knee straight to the side as high as possible without tilting the hips. Imagine your hips are like a tabletop where drinks are served. Repeat 15-20 times, then switch sides.
More: The Best Yoga Poses for Tennis
Backward Walking
The gluteus maximus strongly assists during backward walking. If it is weak or inhibited, you may experience lack of coordination or some level of awkwardness.
Single Leg Deadlift
Stand on your right leg, hold the weight or kettlebell in front of you. With a straight back, start lifting the left heel up toward the sky, and let the upper body is lower toward the ground. When you feel a stretch and tension in your right hamstring and glute, reverse the movement, and slowly stand up to starting position. Repeat 12-15 times for each leg. You can see a video here.
Functional Strengthening
When you have done all the isolation exercises and you feel that you have reconnected with your glutes, you can move on to performing squats,?lunges,?jumps, kettlebell swings,?and other functional exercises.
Remember, if your hip flexors get too tight, you may enter the vicious circle of reciprocal inhibition.?Stretch your hip flexors and quadriceps?regularly, and even better, perform?self-myofascial release.
Make sure that you always take good care of your glutes. Don't let them disconnect or atrophy. The more sedentary you are besides, the more careful and dedicated to your glutes you need to be.
With the proper training, your glutes will not only be perfectly functional, but also a candy for the eye. Your tennis performance will benefit as well!
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