Circuit 1: Do you need to improve anterior Hip flexibility?
The very first skill you will learn in this program is how to establish a neutral pelvic position, or “neutral pelvis.”
This isn’t a position that you’ll always try to maintain or even anything magical as it relates to injury prevention or performance, but IT IS a great starting point for developing better overall movement quality, durability, and performance potential.
Neutral pelvis is a great starting point.
The challenge for many (that might be easily overlooked) is this:
Do we have the necessary (anterior) hip mobility/flexibility to achieve this position?
If we DO NOT have that necessary flexibility, then our attempts to get into this position are going to be met with frustration and perhaps also a training plateau at best, or a setback at worst.
Let’s talk about this and address head-on. Keep reading and watching!
In the video below, I address the importance of hip flexibility and balance and then get right into some Self-Myofascial Release for the Iliopsoas muscle group, followed by some activation drills.
Be sure to see the OTHER tutorials on soft tissue care for the entire hip girdle – restoring balance in this region will help you to achieve better pelvic positioning and core/hip control.
NOTE: If you’re unfamiliar with the “shin-box” position I refer to in the video, go back to the Performance Portal and review the Running – Specific Flexibility Assessment area HERE. Look for the video titled “Piriformis – Hip Flexibility in Shin-box.”
And yes, even if you’re not a runner and never plan to be, this is still very useful for you. Why? Movement is universal – how you choose to demonstrate it is when a sport or activity comes in.
Iliopsoas (Iliacus + Psoas Major): Warm-up, SMR, Activation
To learn even more about your anterior hip (flexor) flexibility, don’t forget you can review HOW to assess the length of this area with a detailed video inside of the Performance Portal’s “Testing Running Specific Flexibility.”
To go directly to that page, simply CLICK HERE.
Don’t forget to come back here when you’re done to keep learning. 🙂
Here’s How to Passively Stretch Your Entire Hip Flexor Region:
After going through the run-specific flexibility assessment inside of the Performance Portal (I highly recommend this!), or… after having gone through some of the Iliopsoas SMR and activation that you may have just reviewed…
…have you discovered that you would benefit from some additional passive length/flexibility?
If the answer to that question is “YES!,” I’ve got you covered.
Review the 8-minute video below where you will learn one very good approach to passively stretching the entire hip flexor region.