6 Best Bodyweight Exercises To Improve Agility For Hurdle Race

If you're preparing for a hurdle race, you need to exercise to boost your agility. The hurdle race is a track and field event where athletes run forward with their hands on a series of three or four hurdles.

Athletes must clear each hurdle while maintaining as much momentum as possible. The more momentum they can keep going forward, the farther downfield they can go before being forced to stop by hitting another hurdle or by reaching the finish line.

That means hurdlers have to train for both speed and agility to be successful at their events. Fortunately, there are bodyweight exercises you can do outside of practice sessions that can help improve your athleticism.

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Bodyweight Exercises For Improving Agility

We've put together our six favourite exercises below:

1) Single Leg Squat

A single-leg squat helps improve your agility, as it improves strength, balance and coordination one leg at a time.

Here's how to do it:

• Stand on one foot with your other foot bent as if you were going to sit down.
• While keeping your back straight and shoulders back, lower yourself as far as possible by bending at the knee till you feel a stretch in the hamstring of your standing leg (the thigh of the non-standing leg).
• Hold for a second, and push through that heel to return to a standing position.
• Repeat for ten seconds on each side before resting for 30 seconds. Repeat three more times per side.

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2) Inverted Row

Inverted rows are a great way to work the back muscles. They help improve posture and strength, which can be very useful when you're racing.

To do this exercise, you'll need an inverted row machine or something similar. If you don't have access to one, use a sturdy table that's about waist height.

Here's how it's done:

• Stand facing away from it and place your palms on top of it with your arms straight down by your sides.
• Bend forward at the hips so that only your legs touch the floor.
• Pull yourself up till your chest touches or almost touches the table.
• Slowly lower yourself back down till your arms are straight again.
• Perform eight to 12 reps.
• Take one to two minutes rest between sets, if needed.

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3) Lateral Plank Walk

The lateral plank walk is a great way to build ankle stability and balance. The exercise is simple: hold a plank position as you walk sideways.

Begin by walking straight forward, and walk back and forth while keeping your hips level and shoulders level with each other. Try not to let one hip drop lower than the other, or let one shoulder lower than the other. Doing so may indicate you're not engaging your core enough during this exercise.

Repeat ten times on each side before moving on to other drills like leg raises or jumping jacks (or even burpees if you feek adventurous.

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4) DB Lateral High Crawl

The DB lateral high crawl works your shoulders, core and hips. Start in a push-up position with your feet in the air and hands holding a dumbbell at your chest.

Make sure the dumbbell is on its sides rather than flat at its end. Slowly walk laterally across the floor or around an agility ladder while keeping your hands directly below your chest and the weight in front of you.

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5) Wall Sit

The wall sit is great for improving your ability to maintain stability in your hips and core while also improving your balance. This exercise helps you develop the strength required for maintaining a straight back during hurdle races.

To do a wall sit, stand with one foot close to a wall so that it touches the wall at about mid-shin level. Bend both knees till they touch or almost touch the wall on either side of your foot.

Keep both feet flat on the ground, and hold this position for as long as possible without leaning forward or backward or shifting from side to side on either leg.

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6) Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts (SLRDLs) are great for improving agility. SLRDLs are also known as single-leg deadlifts.

This exercise help you improve hamstring flexibility, which is critical for hurdle races. While you might think it isn't a bodyweight exercise, you can do Romanian deadlifts or just about any deadlift without weight. Simply add resistance by forcing yourself in the opposite direction of where your muscle is being directed towards.

Here are two main reasons why you should include SLRDLs in your training programme:

• They strengthen the hamstrings and glutes
• They can help improve balance and coordination.

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Takeaway

If you want to improve your agility for a hurdle race, the aforementioned six exercises are suitable for you.

They can help improve your coordination, balance and speed.