Lateral Cone Hops Improve Hip Strength and Power

Lateral cone hops will strengthen and power up your hips and gluteus medius. This will make you a more dynamic athletic in the field or on the court.



Use lateral cone hops to improve your power in the frontal plane of motion (side to side motions).

The frontal plane is an imaginary bisector that divides the body into equal front and back halves. The motions primarily involve abduction and adduction (side-to-side motions).

Abduction takes your limb away from the midline of your body and adduction takes your limb closer to the midline of your body. Examples include exercises performed on hip abductor and hip adductor machines. Other frontal plane motions would be lateral lunges, dumbbell lateral shoulder raises and lateral spinal flexion.

Quickness and agility movements made by athletes require adequate frontal plane stability, strength, power, flexibility and balance.

Lateral cone hops are done as fast as possible. Also, your feet should remain on the ground as little as possible as you do the hops. Focus on hopping (not jumping) from side to side (on the balls of your feet) with very little vertical height. You are working to improve lateral power with this exercise and not vertical power. Do 8-10 repetitions per set.

As you progress, you can begin to do single leg lateral cone hops. Train hard and safe!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Rotator Cuff Stretch

If you are in a sport that requires a throwing or swinging motion like baseball, softball, lacrosse or tennis then you need to regularly stretch and condition your rotator cuff....



1. Stand with your arm out and your forearm pointing 90 degrees.

2. Put a stick in your hand and behind your elbow. With your other hand, pull the bottom of the broom stick forward.

This may sound simple but it is a very important stretch for your rotator cuff. You also need to strengthen and stabilize the rotator cuff with strength exercises. Resistance band exercises and light dumbbell exercises work well for the rotator cuff.

Avoiding or lessening the risk of injury is a major part of sports fitness training!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Core Strength Improves Your Speed Endurance

I was watching a client's middle school team play football last night....I noticed many of the player's postures in the third and fourth quarters....they had trouble running upright and that told me at least two things they were lacking: 1) adequate core strength and 2) speed endurance.



Core strength is important to help you remain strong and upright when you are running, especially in the late stages of a game....adequate core strength helps your speed endurance, which is the ability to maintain maximum velocity or a percentage of maximum velocity for a prolonged period of time or in a fatigued state. The best players and teams have excellent overall body strength, core strength and speed endurance (and they win the most games).

Several sports require speed endurance including football, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, field hockey and tennis. These sports require repeated sprints followed by short periods of rest (walking or jogging). Read my posts on speed endurance and metabolic training.

The fastest players don't get the prize----the players who can run faster for a longer period of time usually win games or individual competitions!

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rotational Power Is Needed For Many Sports

Some sports such as baseball, tennis, lacrosse and hockey require explosive levels of rotational core power. The medicine ball rotational throw should be done full speed to train your central nervous system and body to move faster and more explosive.

The medicine ball rotational throw is an advanced exercise and should not be done by those athletes with inadequate body strength and core strength.



1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place your left foot approximately one foot in front of your right foot.

2. Hold medicine ball with both hands and your arms slightly bent.

3. Swing ball over to the right hip and explosively underhand toss the ball forward to a partner or wall. Keep the stomach drawn in to maximize proper usage of muscle.

4. Catch ball on the bounce from your partner or wall and repeat immediately for the desired repetitions.

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workout and start changing your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
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