Loaded 90/90 — hold each side
Internal and external hip rotation held at end range — the range that runs out first in cutting sports
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Sit on the floor with both knees bent to 90°: the front leg with the shin across in front of you, the back leg out to the side with its shin pointing behind. Hold a light dumbbell at the chest and sit tall, both sit-bones down.
The rep
Lean the chest forward over the front shin, hinging from the hips with a long back, until you feel the outside of the front hip. Hold for thirty seconds. Then rotate slowly through the middle, swinging the knees over to the other side without the hands touching the floor, and hold the other side.
On the exercise card
- Chest tall, both sit-bones down
- Drive from the hip, not the hands
- Hold the shape, do not bounce
- Tempo
- rotate slowly
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Rounding the back to lean further | Hinge from the hip with the chest tall. A rounded back takes the stretch out of the hip. |
| One sit-bone lifting | Keep both down. If one floats, sit on a cushion or lean less. |
| Pushing with the hands to switch sides | Drive the rotation from the hips. Use the hands only until you can do it without them. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- No dumbbell, or sit on a cushion with the hands behind you for support.
- Harder
- A slightly heavier dumbbell, or lift the back knee off the floor for a few seconds during the hold.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
Hip rotation runs out first in the kicking and cutting sports, and the sources page lists the study linking less hip internal rotation with hip and groin pain. Cricket, hockey, boxing and MMA all hold it in the prehab block, because all four turn the body over a planted leg.
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Bike (easy) | Raises temperature with zero impact — kindest on a sore body |
| Rower (easy) | Whole-body warm-up, gets the back and hips moving |
| Skip Rope | Calves and ankles ready for anything with a landing in it |
| Jog or Skip | No kit needed — outside, on grass |
| World's Greatest Stretch | Hips, T-spine and hamstrings in one movement |
| 90/90 Hip Switch | Both hip rotations — the ones that limit cutting |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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