Exercise guide · evidence-graded

End-Range Hip Series

The end-range hip series is a slow, controlled sequence that takes the hips to the end of their range: 90/90 switches to turn each hip in and out, the kneeling butterfly position, and adductor rock-backs. It works the hips, glutes and inner thighs through their full rotation and is used as a goaltender's daily range work and as a warm-up before lifting.

Also called: Goaltender Hip Series, Hip End-Range Series, Hip Range Series · Equipment: stretching

Train this in VALDA Open in the app

How to do it

Step by step

Sit on a mat in the 90/90 position: front leg bent about 90° at the hip and knee in front of you, back leg bent about 90° out to the side behind you. Sit tall, with your hands on the floor behind you if you need them.
90/90 switches: keep both feet planted and lift your knees, turning them over to the other side so the legs swap roles. Take two to three seconds to arrive and pause in the new position.
Count one rep each time you arrive on a side and complete six to each side, sitting tall over the front knee at every pause.
Kneeling butterfly: kneel on the mat with your knees close together and your feet wider than your knees, insides of the shins flat to the floor.
Keeping your chest up, sit your hips back and down between your feet as far as you can control, pause, then press back up to tall kneeling. Complete six slow reps.
Adductor rock-back: from hands and knees, straighten one leg out to the side with the foot flat and toes pointing forward. Keep your back flat and push your hips back towards the heel of your kneeling leg until you feel the inside of the straight leg lengthen, then return. Complete six reps, then switch sides.
Move slowly throughout, breathe through each pause, and go only as far as you can control and stays comfortable.
That completes one set. Rest briefly and repeat for the prescribed number of sets.

Coaching cues

Slow into each end position, then pause
Knees move, feet stay planted
Sit tall over the front knee
Chest up as you sit into the butterfly
Flat back as your hips travel back
Only as far as you can control
Breathe through every pause

In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.

Muscles worked

What it trains

Muscle	Role	Evidence
Gluteus maximus	Prime mover	D
Adductors	Prime mover	D
Gluteus medius/minimus	Secondary	D
Hip flexors	Secondary	D

Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.

Common faults

What goes wrong, and the fix

Rushing the switches

Fix: Take two to three seconds into each position and pause before switching.

Slumping back in the 90/90

Fix: Sit tall with your chest over the front knee, hands behind you if needed.

Feet sliding during the switch

Fix: Keep both feet planted and let only the knees travel to the other side.

Forcing the butterfly depth

Fix: Sit back only as far as is comfortable and let depth build over sessions.

Rounding the back on the rock-back

Fix: Keep your back flat and push your hips straight back towards your heel.

Straight-leg foot rolling over

Fix: Keep the straight leg's foot flat with the toes pointing forward.

Programming

What the research says

General fitness

Warming up — A meta-analysis found warming up improved performance in about four in five of the outcomes studied.
Stretch length before lifting — A systematic review found holding a stretch for a minute or more per muscle before training was followed by small drops in performance, while shorter holds and moving stretches made little difference. This series moves slowly with short pauses.
Kneeling positions — Motion-capture research on goaltenders found the kneeling butterfly and reverse-VH stances sit at three to four times the hip inward rotation of the standing ready stance.
Range in hockey players — Elite hockey players have been measured with less hip rotation than sub-elite players and non-players. No study has tested whether hip range drills change this, or tested this series directly.
Range from strength work — A meta-analysis found strength training improved range of motion about as much as stretching did.
Dose — Hockey programmes commonly place hip range work before lifting; the in-season programmes this series comes from use 3 sets of 6 per side after a short bike. There is no research on the best dose.

Alternatives · VALDA FLEX

Swap it mid-workout

With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.

The evidence

The studies behind this guide

Graded A (strongest: trials and reviews) to D (coaching consensus). What each study found, in brief.

B
Across 32 high-quality studies, warming up improved performance in 79% of the criteria examined.
Fradkin et al. (2010) · Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
B
Static stretching of 60 s or more per muscle group before activity was followed by a larger performance loss (−4.6%) than under 60 s (−1.1%); dynamic stretching was slightly positive (+1.3%).
Behm et al. (2016) · Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
B
Strength training and stretching produced range-of-motion gains that were not statistically different (11 RCTs, n = 452; ES −0.22, CI crosses zero).
Afonso et al. (2021) · Healthcare
C
Hip muscle actions follow from each muscle's line of action relative to the hip's axes and vary with the biomechanical variables of position (clinical commentary, mechanistic).
Neumann (2010) · Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

Log the end-range hip series in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.

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General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.