The Effects of a 9-Week Hip Focused Weight Training Program on Hip and Knee Kinematics and Kinetics in Experienced Female Dancers

Increased involvement of the hip musculature during some movements is associated with enhanced performance and reduced injury risk. However, the impact of hip dominant weight training methods on movement strategy has seen limited attention within the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a 9-week hip dominant weight training intervention promotes a more hip dominant movement strategy leading to an improvement in countermovement jump performance. Twenty-two experienced female dancers were recruited and separated into an intervention (age 24.4 ± 6.3 years, body height 165.5 ± 5.8 cm, body mass 65.9 ± 5.6 kg) and a control (age 22.9 ± 5.6 years, body height 163.3 ± 5.4 cm, body mass 57.4 ± 6.8 kg) group. The intervention group participated in a 9-week hip dominant training intervention, which consisted of a wide stance back squat, Romanian deadlift, hip thrusters, and a bent over row. Hip and knee kinematics and kinetics, and countermovement jump performance were assessed pre and post training. Significant interaction effects were found for peak hip joint moment (p = 0.030, η2 = 0.214) and countermovement jump performance (p = 0.003, η2 = 0.356), indicating an increase in peak hip joint moment and countermovement jump performance for the intervention group. Specifically, the intervention group showed a mean increase in jump height of 11.5%. The data show that the use of a hip dominant weight training strategy can improve hip contribution in the propulsion phase of the countermovement jump. Strength and conditioning specialists should incorporate hip dominant weight training exercises to increase hip strength and improve performance.