Today I'm going to discuss a muscle that is overlooked, chronically tight and very important. Train this - and your turnover will improve.
Most athletes spend hours strengthening their quad, hamstrings, glutes and claves.... But if you want faster stride frequency - the rate at which you take steps- there is a much more overlooked muscle you need to focus on - the iliopsoas.
Let's see the break down.
What is the iliopsoas?
How it control your stride frequency
How to train the iliopsoas
The iliopsoas is a powerful, deep hip muscle made up of two smaller muscles: the psoas major and the iliacus. It connects your lower spine directly to your femur (thigh bone), making it the primary driver of hip flexion - lifting the knee towards the chest,
You use the iliopsoas every time you walk, sprint or climb stairs. If you feel stiffness when lifting your knees or you struggle to move your legs quickly during a sprint - this muscle could be part of the problem. A properly functioning iliopsoas doesn't just allow for bigger strides, it enables quicker, more efficient steps, which is exactly what sprinting demands.
Stride frequency is determined by how fast your leg can recover after push-off and get back into position for the next step. Research shows that at higher sprint speeds, the iliopsoas becomes much more active, rapidly flexing the hip to allow quicker turnover. If the iliopsoas is weak, the swing phase will be slower and overall sprint speed will suffer. One clear sign of a weak hip flexor during sprinting is a large gap between the knees.
The trail knee moves too slowly to close the distance making each stride longer and slower. Strengthening the iliopsoas shortens this cycle time, increase stride frequency and allows you to take more steps per seconds, which directly translates into faster sprint times.
The iliopsoas is trickly to train because it is smaller, delicate and prone to fatigue if overworked. The best way to approach it : First, restore mobility. If you sit a lot, your iliopsoas is in shorten position. Loosen it up with daily hip flexor stretches before you even think about strengthening.
Second, train with high reps and low resistance. This muscle is designed for endurance and quicker contractions, not max effort load like a squat.
Think volume and speed, not brute force. Third, use resistance bands whenever possible. Bands allow smooth loading throughout the movement, mimicking sprint mechanics more naturally then cables and machines.
Here are a few exercises I personally recommend;
Banded Hip flexor raises (3x5-20 reps)
Hanging knee drives (3x10-15 reps each leg)
Seated banded marches (2x20 reps per side)
I can assure if you commit to this consistently, you'll strengthen the muscle that many sprinters overlook and you'll be one step closer to unlocking elite stride turnover.
Click on the link below to read earlier article on this same muscle