Name: Playbook - TrickStrong RX - Groin Strain: Phase 2 RXHAB (3x/wk)
Uploaded: 2024-04-03T17:05:08.471Z
Duration: 40 min
Description: Groin Strain: Phase 2 RXHAB (3x/wk)

Welcome to Phase 2 of Groin Strain RXHAB 💪

Are you ready for phase 2?

At this point you should have completed all phase 1 progressions for 1-2 weeks without issues before progressing to this phase. Furthermore, daily activities shouldn't typically bother you, and it doesn’t feel “fresh” anymore. There's some resiliency now in the adductors. 

If this is you, we we can now begin to focus on building strength and increasing mobility back to baseline by the end of this phase. 

As we begin new exercises, here are some recommendations to optimize recovery: 

1.	Pain Threshold: Keep pain levels at 3/10 or lower.
2.	24-Hour Rule: Ensure no exercise increases pain from the previous day.
3.	Stretching: Avoid stretching into pain, especially in the early stages.
4.	If the exercises feel too intense, dial it back and give it time. You always have your phase 1 exercises to fall back on. 

If you are plateauing, scale it back! However, if you do see progress, gradually introduce more exercises until you can perform the full routine pain-free.

How Often Should You Do Your RXHAB?
We recommend 3x/week. 
If recovery feels challenging, reduce it to 2 sessions. 
Feel comfortable and want to speed up your recovery? Increase to 4 sessions. 

On days off from the program, try to maintain normal activity levels while still following the above recommendations.

The reps are a guideline! The hallmark of a good warmup is that you feel prepared to move.

HOW TO PERFORM

1. Start with a foam roller under your legs while in a seated position.

2. Transition to a 90/90 position, with the back inner thigh being in contact with the foam roller.

3. Shift your weight onto your hip for a deeper release in the adductor muscles. You can even add hand pressure as shown in the video. 

4. Perform for 60-120 seconds, spending time on spots that feel tender. 

BENEFITS
Massaging the adductor muscles can provide several benefits, including improved circulation, reduced muscle tension and soreness and a temporary improvement in range of motion. Regular adductor foam rolling can help manage pain during the recovery process.

Adductor Foam Rolling

CARS stands for Controlled Articular Rotations. This refers to actively creating mobility within our joints. 

The hip is a ball and socket joint. We really want to move it in a 3 dimensional way, rather than stretching only in linear planes. 

The easiest way for you visual learners is to probably follow along and feel free to replay this video to understand the motions involved here. 

Steps: 

1.	Hip Flexion – Knee towards chest

2.	Hip abduction – hip out to the side

3.	Hip Internal Rotation – Turn hip inwards (ankle faces outwards)

4.	Hip Extension – Bring hip behind you, while maintaining hip internal rotation from Step 3 until you tap your knee on the ground

5.	Hip Extension – Bring hip back up behind you

6.	Hip External Rotation/Abduction – Turn hip outwards (ankle facing inwards) while keeping it as high as you can

7.	Return to starting position

Hip CARs - Quadruped

Cone taps are perfect for advancing single leg stability, endurance and control. For Foot Taps, the free leg will tap each cone while the stabilizing leg does all the work. Challenge yourself, but don’t reach so far so that you are coming up off of your heel. Each direction will challenge your mobility, strength and stability in a different way.

Keep doing reps for time! Try to last the full minute.

Cone Taps - Foot, 3 Way

As we are recovering from a strain, it is important to progress these carefully. 

Use a wall for support, bringing your leg up as high and as straight as possible. 

I like to point toes to reduce nerve tension and to drill toe point for kicking. A flexed foot is also ok if not painful or causing a 'pins and needles' sensation. 

Ramp up in intensity and range, listening to your body.

Front Leg Lift

As we are recovering from a strain, it is important to progress these carefully. 

Use a wall for support, bringing your leg up as high and as straight as possible. 

Notice I am using both arms now, with my trunk fully square to the wall. A common mistake I see with this is people getting most of the motion from the lower back rather than the hip.

It is very important to tense your core here and move through the hips. Your leg will not go as high, but your will feel it more in your hip flexors (stretching) and glutes (working) rather than compressing your lower back.

Kick with your hips, not your back.

Ramp up in intensity and range, listening to your body.

Back Leg Lift

As we are recovering from a strain, it is important to progress these carefully. 

Use a wall for support, bringing your leg up as high and as straight as possible. 

Notice I initiate the swing by facing the wall. After my kicking leg passes my stance leg, I turn my hips over to the side to mimic a side or hook kick range of motion. Keep your kicking leg in line with your shoulders. 

Ramp up in intensity and range, listening to your body.

Side Leg Lift

Groin RXHAB Phase 2 Warmup

Banded SL Adduction
-	Anchor a band or cable with appropriate strength to an immovable object. You may need to loop this band. I am using a light superband that is already looped (find them in the insights section). 
-	Put foot in loop so that the inside of your leg is contacting the band. 
-	Walk out to tension band, using anything stable for balance.
-	Perform a snow angel-like motion with your leg, controlling it out and pulling back towards the midline of your body as shown.
- Experiment with different lines of tension. You may find one targets what you need more than others. You could even split up your reps to hit all angles each set.

Modifications: cable column, unweighted, sidelying position (as shown in introduction video)

Primer A: Banded Straight Leg Adduction

Lateral Band Walks are great for developing lower body strength - especially in the glutes! These are also awesome for building total body coordination, endurance and stability.

Primer B: Lateral Band Walks

This is a basic, but incredible exercise for developing cardiovascular health, power and agility in the lower extremity. 

Your goal should be to keep ground contact time to a minimum. Try quick flicks with your ankle while keeping the core tight. Training like the floor is "hot lava" will improve reactivity - or your speed and efficiency in plyometric movement.

The box further stresses the single leg and allows us to change the back foot angle freely. Placing your foot further back behind you will be more challenging for the calf and Achilles. 

Modifications: jump rope, single leg, lateral movements, patterns

Primer C: Ankle Bounding Progression

The Copenhagen plank is an incredible but underutilized side plank variation with emphasis on the adductors. 

These muscles are located in the inner thigh and are often undertrained even though they are necessary for efficient athletic movement. They aid in single leg stability and transfer of power from the upper to lower extremities via several anatomical slings (Lateral, Anterior Oblique, etc.)

This progression should be taken slowly, mastering each variation before advancing. Start with these rep counts: 

1. Bottom Leg Assist: 5 x 10 sec holds
2. Unassisted: 5 x 10 sec holds
3. Band-Assisted: 3 sets to fatigue
4. Unassisted: 3 sets to fatigue

Form Tips:

1) Get into a sidelying position with your elbow stacked directly under your shoulder. Use a padded but firm surface for your top leg (such as a bench or padded box). 

2) Tensing your core, rise to a side plank with the bottom leg bent. Push into the surface using only your top leg to rise. Lower with control. 
3) Maintain neutral spinal, shoulder and lower extremity alignment

4) For lifts, hold the top position for 1-2 seconds before returning to the starting position

Modifications: Holds vs lifts, bent leg vs straight, on floor vs elevated

Copenhagen Plank Progression (REPS IN DESCRIPTION)

Watch entire video (my reps are slow!)

The pause squat is an awesome squat variation used to improve lower body strength, stability and endurance. Regardless of where you're at, you can use this progression to challenge your squat. 

1. In the banded pause squat, simply go down to your lowest pain-free range of motion and pause for 5 seconds at the bottom of the rep while pushing your knees against the band. Keep your feet rooted into the ground. Imagine you are aiming to sit in a chair and interrupting it.

2. The banded goblet pause squat, which involves holding a weight as shown, creates a more vertical position which emphasizes the quads. It is also helpful in mobility training, as the weight helps push us into more ankle dorsiflexion and opens our hips. Only use resistance that is pain-free and controllable.

Depending on the weights available and your current ability, feel free to modify sets and reps as needed.

Modifications: DB, KB or barbell resistance, banded (around knees), banded (under feet, holding bands to mimic weight in hand)

Banded Pause Squat Progression (5 sec holds)

The Cossack Squat is an amazing strength, mobility and coordination drill for the lower extremities. It is helpful in mobilizing our feet and ankles, knees, hips and lower back. 

We are aiming for a 5-8 rep range per set with a 2-3 sec pause at the bottom. Choose your progression accordingly!

Form Tips:

1) Begin in a wide stance that is comfortable for you

2) Shift to one side, performing a single leg squatting motion while the free leg remains grounded 

3) Spin the free leg outwards while keeping heel contact to mobilize the adductor and hamstrings

4) Only perform this to a depth where good form and alignment are maintained

5) Perform reps on both sides

Cossack Squat Progression

The Single Leg Deadlift and it's variations are some of the best exercises for lower extremity and core stability. It trains the posterior chain, most notably the hamstrings, adductors and glutes in an extremely functional way. 

It's important to work on the posterior chain as we are often quad dominant. This balances the body and can help prevent hyperextension injuries at the knee.

If you are someone with tight hamstrings, this will help tremendously, as the body responds to lengthening under load well and will allow the hamstrings to move more freely over time. 

Form Tips:
- Hinge at hips while maintaining neutral spine
- squeeze fists to create total body tension
- ground yourself by "grabbing the floor" with your feet

If you don't have weights, do this bodyweight for a rep range that challenges you

Single Leg Deadlift Progression

The hip thrust is a powerful exercise targeting the glutes - crucial for lower body strength and stability. Use this progression to improve strength and power. 

1.	Single Leg Hip Thrust: Once you've mastered the double leg version, progress to the single leg hip thrust. This variation follows the same setup and 'scooping' motion, but with one leg lifted off the ground. Maintain alignment of your lifted leg with your thigh to help with balance and stability. This unilateral movement not only amplifies the workout for your glutes and hamstrings but also involves your core for maintaining stability.

2. Single Leg Hip Thrust, Weighted: Same as above. Stabilize, but do not assist with your hands as you will be defeating the purpose of adding load.

3. Single Leg Hip Thrust, Plyo: Now we add speed and power to the movement. Only do this once your form is mastered. The scooping portion is still necessary, so make sure your form stay solid even with increased speed. 

Depending on your current ability, feel free to modify sets and reps as needed.

Single Leg Hip Thrust Progression

Hanging Leg Lift variations are amazing to improve hip flexion and core strength. They also help build total body stability, including at the shoulder and the spine.

Simply drive your knees to your chest while hanging from a bar. The goal is to get your knees past parallel. Aim to move only move at the hips, while keeping the spine neutral (not excessively arched or rounded)

Use kettlebells, dumbbells or bands anchored below for added resistance if needed. This exercise is pretty challenging even bodyweight, or with straight legs. If you don't have a bar, try V-ups for a similar feel. 

Modifications: Single knee to chest, arms straight, unweighted, lying leg lifts, V-ups

Hanging Leg Lifts Progression

Frog stretch is great for opening up the hips in a supported position. 

I like performing a contract-relax if there is no pain associated. To do this, push your knees into the ground to contract your inner groin muscles (adductors). 

Steps to performing the contract:relax reps: 

1. After the 2 min hold above, maintain the stretch and begin contract-relax cycles
2. To contract, push knees into floor for 10 seconds
3. Relax further into stretch for 10 seconds
4. Repeat for 5 reps

Perform contract:relax reps at your max pain-free intensity for the most benefit.

Frog Stretch (2 min hold, 5 Contract:Relax Reps)

Walking is a great, low impact way to improve circulation, joint lubrication, lymphatic drainage and set our bodies up for recovery. Walking has been shown to be effective in treating and preventing low back pain as well, which is helpful after placing as much load as we do in our training. 

Progressing to jogging will enhance the above effects and put more demand on your groin as well as your cardiovascular system.

Do this after your training if you have the opportunity. 

If not, walking during the day (before or after training) will still be beneficial.

Groin Strain: Phase 2 RXHAB (3x/wk)

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