Restore: the legs program

mobility and self my0fascial release

 

In this area, you’ll find a variety of mobility/SMR tutorials to help you improve how you’re feeling AND moving. Enjoy the journey!

We’ll begin with this 3-video set below. 

A 3-video set to improve leg mobility and tissue vitality

Maintaining and even improving the health of our soft tissue is important for staying injury-free and getting the most from our training.  To help with this, see this 3-video set where I guide through these phases of training:

 

  1. Dynamic warm-up to get the blood flowing and activate the target tissues and areas of the body, specifically in this case, the Illiotibial band – quadricep and the hip girdle.
  2. Let’s do some self-myofascial release for these tissues, to mobilize and create some improved extensibility.
  3. We’ll want to finish with a few mobility drills to “imprint” the new ranges of motion. Here are two that I particularly like for this region.

Video 1: “Wounded Warrior” 

This is a dynamic warm-up drill that I really like to use PRIOR to some hip mobility training or when doing self-myofascial release for the hip or thigh (IT Band). Give it a try! 

Video 2: Self-Myofascial Release for the Quads and IT Band 

In this video, we’ll review some self-myofascial techniques for the quad and IT-Band. 

Kneading, compression, melting, shearing, flushing – it’s all helpful to mobilize tissue and improve its health and vitality!

Video 3: Two “Lateral-Line” Mobility Drills (IT Band-Hip)

Any time we do any kind of foam roll or self-myofascial release or even receive some massage – immediately after that experience your body will have move tissue extensibility, mobility, and range of motion.

As a result, right after it’s beneficial to go through a few movements which engage those specific tissues and are related, in order to ensure that your body “remembers” and is able to move well within this new range of motion. 

All Things TFL (Tensor Fasciae Latae)

The TFL is an active muscle in so many sports – lunging, squatting, and running and cycling also.

It has multiple roles in the gait cycle which is one reason why it can easily become overused or abused.

During the heel contact phase, it serves to counteract the posterior pull of the glute max, which has vast attachments along the posterior aspect of the IT Band.

During the swing phase, it assists the iliacus in flexing the hip.

It can become a dominant flexor of the hip if either the psoas or illiacus is weak.  Since its an internal rotator of the hip, if either of the aforementioned functions becomes dominant, it can produce increased internal rotation of the hip on a single leg, which could lead to a compensatory increase in foot pronation.

The bottom line: it’s a busy muscle and deserves good care! 🙂