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Hip strength and flexibility exercises - Page 2

post #16 of 29
11/17/10 at 11:03am
Is there a particular concern or trouble spot in terms of hip flexibility?
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post #17 of 29
11/17/10 at 3:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shoe City Thinker View Post
Is there a particular concern or trouble spot in terms of hip flexibility?
+1. Whats the issue? A lot of things can contribute to, or cause hip (or other) inflexibility. (I know first hand) but a lot of flexibility issues can be lumped into the "muscle imbalance" category. Do your knees track well when climbing stairs or do they turn in or out? Is the inflexibility just in the hips or are your calfs and hams tight also? low back pain? Prior injuries? Lots of stuff to consider. If it's a muscle imbalance thats contributing to your problem then the phrase; "strengthen and lengthen" is something to look into, but applying it requires guidance based on a hands on, in person, targeted professional assessment . by professional, I don't mean "personal trainer" or "coach" or "guy who knows lots cause he had the same problem" (include myself in the last category). Professional means sports medicine Doctor, or a physiotherapist with their part B training. Someone with specific accreditation (vs general medicine) and experience. That'll be your shortest path to resolving it. You might very well get lucky with a trainer or advice from someone who sufferers the same issue but you may also just be wasting your time. ..though yoga and stretching, even if not applicable to your specific needs will likely yield some positive effects with little to no chance of harm. Good luck.
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post #18 of 29
11/17/10 at 3:34pm
i find doing a lot of glute bridges or arches help with flexibility and strength. MMA guys do it all the time for help in shooting off oponents from the top when they are on bottom. also develops a nice sleek line from your top of buttock to your lower, to your hamstring. makes for a nice silhouette.
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post #19 of 29
11/17/10 at 4:33pm
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Originally Posted by Rambo View Post
Tried the stretch with the foam roller last night. Interesting twist but I don't think it added much to the actual stretching of the flexor.

A common fault is to arch your back when doing this stretch. Your psoas will be shortened, and won't be stretched. Try to keep a neutral back, and keep your abdominals contracted (the same feeling as when you cough). On the other hand, from what you say below, it may not be your hip flexors that need stretching.

Quote:
I have limited flexibility in my hips. I can't cross my left leg over my right without swinging it up first or using my hands. I think its why my lower back keeps rounding when I squat. I feel them tighten frequently and I think it affects my piriformis and glutes as well. Those are probably overly tight also.

Do you mean when you're sitting, and trying to cross your legs? If so, that's pretty damned inflexible. There are several yoga poses that address this, like pigeon pose, and some of the seated twists. The problem is finding a good yoga teacher who knows body mechanics and isn't too new-agey. Professional dancers who also teach yoga tend to be pretty good, but there are still duds.

Another thing to do with your foam roller is to get your piriformis on the foam roller, and then cross your legs so that one ankle is on the other knee, and then roll up and down the muscle, holding at the really bad parts. Try to use your whole body weight, and as hard a foam roller as you can stand.

The holding the deep squat thing (I think Starrett wants 10 minutes in it) also helps a lot of things, and it's helped my squat go lower, though there is still buttwink, but I wouldn't worry about that.

--Andre
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post #20 of 29
11/19/10 at 3:02am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by A Y View Post
A common fault is to arch your back when doing this stretch. Your psoas will be shortened, and won't be stretched. Try to keep a neutral back, and keep your abdominals contracted (the same feeling as when you cough). On the other hand, from what you say below, it may not be your hip flexors that need stretching. Do you mean when you're sitting, and trying to cross your legs? If so, that's pretty damned inflexible. There are several yoga poses that address this, like pigeon pose, and some of the seated twists. The problem is finding a good yoga teacher who knows body mechanics and isn't too new-agey. Professional dancers who also teach yoga tend to be pretty good, but there are still duds. Another thing to do with your foam roller is to get your piriformis on the foam roller, and then cross your legs so that one ankle is on the other knee, and then roll up and down the muscle, holding at the really bad parts. Try to use your whole body weight, and as hard a foam roller as you can stand. The holding the deep squat thing (I think Starrett wants 10 minutes in it) also helps a lot of things, and it's helped my squat go lower, though there is still buttwink, but I wouldn't worry about that. --Andre
I should have clarified. My fault. For the psoas stretch, I used a neutral pelvis, but I prefer the crescent moon yoga stretch. Also great for the hips. When I talk about crossing my legs I meant when I was sitting down in a chair. I can obviously get my leg up but I need a bit of a boost to actually put my foot on top of my leg. I can feel the strain in my hips when I do it as well. I foam roll my piriformis every morning, which hurts like a bastard, and have used the lacrosse ball a few times as well. I can manage the pigeon pose but not that well and I can never seem to make any gains on it. That's part of my frustration. Also, I didn't know that there were varying levels of foam rollers. The only ones I've ever seen have been a dense foamy material that's very tough. What the hell is a deep squat and who is Starrett?
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post #21 of 29
11/19/10 at 3:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sho'nuff View Post
i find doing a lot of glute bridges or arches help with flexibility and strength. MMA guys do it all the time for help in shooting off oponents from the top when they are on bottom. also develops a nice sleek line from your top of buttock to your lower, to your hamstring. makes for a nice silhouette.

Hmmm. I've never thought of it as making for a nice silhouette. I would just rather get the large man trying to punch my face and side off of me.

Come to think of it, you might try doing snake rolls (er, look it up on youtube). Going back to MMA and BJJ, this is the basis of the movement commonly called the "hip escape", and as you might expect, it strengthens and lengthens your hips.
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post #22 of 29
11/19/10 at 3:29am
Thread Starter 
Got a link by any chance? A google search comes up with figherman, metal gear solid, and kettlebell exercises.
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post #23 of 29
11/19/10 at 3:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LA Guy View Post
Yoga - really, I can't think of anything better not just for hip, but for overall, flexibility.

I'm being a hypocrite - the only yoga I've ever done was about 5 minutes of poses my wife taught me, but pretty much every jiujitsu teacher I've had has recommended it as a great way to be able to really make inroads on core strength and flexibility.

I don't do yoga but I like to steal some of their poses for my stretching and warmup routines. I'm going to add some of these to my routines since I've noticed some inflexibility recently as well:
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post #24 of 29
11/19/10 at 3:57am
Thread Starter 
Good lord that guy is flexible. I wouldn't be able to get half way through those stretches.
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post #25 of 29
11/19/10 at 6:14am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh-9r...CFC190&index=2

He isn't explaining all of the intricacies needed to actually make the escape effective, basing the foot, placing the feet and the toes, keeping space with the arms, etc..., but you can get the basis of the movement.
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post #26 of 29
11/19/10 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambo View Post
Also, I didn't know that there were varying levels of foam rollers. The only ones I've ever seen have been a dense foamy material that's very tough.

More rollers than you can shake a stick at:

http://www.optp.com/Foam-Roller-Therapy.aspx

I use the black ones, which have not changed shape in 3 years of almost daily use. And you can also use PVC pipe or kitchen rolling pins if you want harder. The conventional open-cell foam ones you can find everywhere eventually deform.

Quote:
What the hell is a deep squat and who is Starrett?

Kelly Starrett is the guy who says "unglue" a lot. Here's something about the 10-minute squat:

http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/2010...eat-downs.html

--Andre
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post #27 of 29
11/23/10 at 4:26am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the tips guys. I'll look into the harder foam roller after I adapt to my current one a bit better. I can't hit the lower back/leg exercises at the moment, since I tweaked my back, but I'll give them a shot once it heals up in a week or so. I've switched to sitting on my balance ball and that seems to have relieved a bit of my flexor tension as well.
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post #28 of 29
12/3/10 at 8:59pm
Pilates.
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post #29 of 29
12/6/10 at 4:06am
http://conditioningresearch.blogspot...un-faster.html Loose neck = more flexible hamstrings
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