Hurdle Training Drills | Kbands Resistance Step Over For Track Speed

Hurdles are a specialty movement on the track. If you are looking to improve your hurdles times, it is important that you are completing the proper drills. This specific step over drill is an amazing way to focus on hip mobility and hip flexor strength. By developing your hip flexors and glute muscles, you will have more range of motion and be able to complete explosive movements no matter what the distance. This simple drill has been proven to help hip mobility and strength leading to better times. Take a look at the video below as we dig a little deeper into the setup and execution of this track hurdle drill.

Track Speed Training Hurdle Drill

As you witnessed, the athlete in the video is struggling throughout this drill. The one thing to remember is that you must maintain full range of motion throughout the first several reps. If you start each set with too much resistance, then you will not be able to maintain full range of motion. Of course, you will begin to fail throughout the set and your form will begin to fade, but it is important to begin with the proper resistance to allow for full range of motion movements. You must be able to chamber your knee while maintaining dorsiflexion as you come over the hurdle. With too much resistance you will notice it is difficult to come straight over the hurdle and you will find that your leg will creep out to the side. This is not how to complete the drill properly. We want to go straight over the hurdle so that we increase range of motion and strength in our hip flexor.

Keys To A Successful Track Hurdle Step Over Drill

Let’s take a look at the keys to being successful in this hurdle drill:

• Maintain dorsiflexion while lifting your leg over the hurdle.
• Keep the knee in line with the hip as you raise over the hurdle.
• Maintain an upright position with your chest.
• More advanced, mimic proper arm motions during leg exchange.

Will My Base Leg Benefit, Or Only My Front Leg?

A lot of times athletes think that the part of their body that is in motion is the only muscle groups being worked. During this drill you will notice your base leg getting just as much work as your active leg. When you utilize Kbands you will notice that your base leg must maintain stability as the mover extends over the hurdle. Your glutes will begin to burn as they stabilize the movement. This is an effective element to this drill that will help with hip mobility and stability driving over the hurdle. Not only do you need to maintain an upright chest, but you also must drive your hips forward to keep the glutes activated.

How Many Should I Do?

Complete 15 to 20 second resisted repetitions of 6 to 8 sets. If you cannot maintain proper range of motion you should lower the resistance level. If you can maintain proper form through 75% of the exercise then push through those last couple reps to maximize your results. Failure, just as in weight training, can help increase your muscle strength. If you can complete 75% of the exercise with proper form then the last 25% should be a struggle. This struggle will help build muscle fibers in the area.

We have lots of hurdle specific drills as well as other sprint drills to help you improve your speed. Browse through the track training section and combine 3 to 4 different drills for an amazing workout. Please let us know if you have any questions on set durations or exercise sequences. We will be more than happy to help.