Flexible Legion,
Welcome to episode 4!
Today we are going to delve back into hip extension with a bit more focus on the big hip flexors that attach to the spine. Be clear, we are still going after hip extension, but we are
de-emphasizing the musculature of the front of the thigh and we are going a bit higher.
If you are that guy that wakes up in the morning with a sore back, this could be you.
We can’t stretch the psoas directly, but we can bias it with specific movements.
Test: Split Jerk Position with arms up in overhead position.
Wod: 4 min mobilization on each hip
Retest: Split jerk with arms up over your head
Bonus: 2 min to mobilize the thing you think you should be addressing but aren’t.
Caveat: Be cool. Keep your spine in neutral when applying the fulcrum. We never really need to hammer the spine to affect some other downstream tissue.
Homework: Sit in a chair at work and try to understand why we cue the quads to straighten the legs when doing a glute ham sit-up. And, try to begin to understand why sitting in a chair all day is the slow death.
Post revelation to comments.
56 Responses to “Episode 04: Silent P in Filet, Very Paleo”
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- WOD – 4/16/12 | CrossFit Regeneration
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Awesome, will def. give this a shot tomorrow.
"cause you can't see it on the camera anyways, it's too small"
Lol!
More valuable insight from the premier mobility Jedi. IF you haven't been to the cert…get there now and suck less thereafter.
P.J.
Coach Starrett, thanks for the great posts. Two questions I have are as follows:
1 – When is the optimal time to do the daily mobility WOD? (in relation to a daily workout)
2 – In addition to full body foam/lacrosse ball rolling, is there a standard dynamic warm up routine you recommend? (similar to the catalyst athletics standard warm up which prepares the body for just about any workout possible)
Thankyou for this blog, it is just what a big dummy like myself needs, a 10min daily routine, that is easy to follow. I'll be playing catch up now that I'm 4 posts behind!
THE most beautiful woman in the world is going to suffer from this post so be prepared. The good news is she can stitch us up after she has expressed her wrath.
Looking forward to it. Gave it a quick shot on the door jam (not as flexible as Boz). Thought I was going to feel it really bad in my lumbar and surprisingly didn't.
Please God don't make it suck tomorrow!
Day 1: 10 min in squat, just hung around not worrying about my back. Hips felt great but funny afterwards.
What Heavy Evy said! Thank´s!
You're brilliant – this is the best idea ever! Thank you!
Kelly,
Can you give us/me more info on rectifying damage done by sitting in a chair at a desk all day?
Unfortunatley that is my life.
Love the format! I hope you stick with it.
Learning that my 2 sides are very different from each other.
So we want to be sure the lumbar is flush with the bar/wall/jamb no matter what? Even if it reduces the angle?
I'm finding that I can't get much past 180 degrees without pulling the lumbar off… which I'm sure is the case for many of us. This isn't an issue for Adrian. But I'd like to see some of these demos done with inflexible people, so we can see how you address their deficiencies to put them in the right position.
(Another example: Day 2, I was too tight to push myself up into the 2nd position with the leg on the wall behind me. I had to drag a table over and use it to pull myself up off the floor and to a vertical torso position. This seemed to work, but I wonder if in doing so, I moved something out of place or messed something else up.)
3 days of mobility wods….hips are feeling great!
Hips are less rotated and torqued and starting to feel more power in the big lifts.
Looking toward a mobilizing those hammies soon.
Thanks K Starr, you da man!
Day 2 excercise felt great, much easier squat, great feeling.
Day 3 excercise was cool, no difference in squat but it felt great for my sore knee.
This is like christmas. Saving todays for tomorrow
While on the subject of squatting (good) vs sitting (bad), someone's done some research on another setting in which this appears to be true: http://www.slate.com/id/2264657/. Who knew?
@Gary, I know what KStar will tell you, and that's try try try to get your workplace to buy you a standing desk. We were not meant to sit in chairs.
I wonder, are those knee chair things any better at all than a standard chair if the standing desk is not an option?
I wonder, are those knee chair things any better at all than a standard chair if the standing desk is not an option?
I have long wondered that myself. Same with those things that prop up a swiss ball to a seat height.
I would imagine that the latter would force you into better posture… but you'd still be sitting.
First off. Thanks for this wonderful blog Kelly. I am one of those people who is chained to a desk all day, but I've been doing these WODs as a way to interrupt my sitting.
I would be interested in your thoughts on the ideal ergonomic setup and/or mobility routine for those of us who work at a desk or on a computer all day.
Kelly, I just found your blog! I'm IN, and ready to sign my mobility's soul over to you. I can't be trusted with it on my own!
Kelly, these are AWESOME. I have to admit, I'm too big a pansy to really try anything yet…i KNOW its going to be a car wreck. But the same way I trolled the crossfit mainsite for about a month before finally jumping into the deep end, when I do with this, I'll let you know! Put it this way: 4 days, 4 things I'm terrified to find out how tight/inflexible they all are. On top of knee pain!! (yeah, not sure why i haven't started yet…i know…)
Most uncomfortable one so far. Especially trying to move after. Love it. Worked on my scapulae with ball after.
Thanks very much for this great resource. I'm using them on myself and my clients. Lucky me, I benefit the most by doing them several times a day when demonstrating them!
hey – do we make these into a routine for daily practise or are these occasional as needed. I am stoked – my running has already improved and i felt a difference in my hips when I did the endurance WOD's long jumps. On the landings my butt was almost bouncing off the ground. COOOLLL – thanks
Didn't feel as tight as I felt on the other 3 days. Hell of a difference 4 minutes make though! I really love the feeling of muscle relaxation I felt after the last 2 mobility WODs.
Worked the calf stretch and hip opening wod's this am and it's amazing how different I felt in those areas after each one. Calves felt light and supple, and I could really feel a difference side to side in the middle of the hip stretch when I had to retrieve my 5 year old from a tree! I'll hit today's wod tomorrow!
K-Star!
Just found this blog and it will save my life.
Thanks for sharing man.
Great blog, Kelly!
A while back I heard about "the slow death" from you. Finally I got off my duff and bought myself a stand-up desk for work. Now, instead of sitting all day and taking standing breaks, I stand all day and take sitting breaks (tall stool). The major thing I've noticed is that my hips feel so much better (major DUH!). Highly recommend it to others. Just know that you need to give yourself time to adjust. First few weeks are rough.
Anyways, thanks, K-Star! And thanks for the blog — the philosopher and I are really enjoying it.
Olivia
Easier to accomplish than the last 3 days, but felt much more brutalized at the end! 2 minutes spent on rolling out my quads.
Made up yesterday's calf stretches before lifting today. Felt increased ROM in my ankles. Had difficulty with the knee to the wall part of the stretch – super tight especially through the ankle and lower calf.
After lifting did today's WOD in the doorjamb which was kind of awkward but worked. Right side tighter especially up through the lady belly. 4 minutes a side scapula ball rolling as a bonus.
I am absolutely stoked about this blog. I love everything you do and am very grateful that you are sharing this with the CF community. I made improving my mobility one of my goals this year and it is great to have an amazing guideline to get me there. Thank you so much
My quads are pretty sore right now as are my girlfriend Thomi's. I did the WOD as rx'd but broke it up in three sets on each side as it was pretty unbearable. Thomi has insanely tight hip flexors and cannot get into this position and maintain lumbar integrity so she foam rolled for the alloted time. After, I spent some time in pigeon… See ya tomorrow.
The most pertinent question have so far is how do I discover my totem animal?
Ow… Ow.. Kelly, you B@$#@rd!!!
Started out with a 500m row to get loose @ 1:41.
4 minutes per side of Psoas hell. followed by a few minutes of hip capsule stretches ala Jami's version of Kelly's stretch followed by Kelly's side of the couch stretch.
Thanks for putting this up. I've already noticed a difference.
You missed your opportunity to use "voluptua" in place of girl belly
4 min. in each side in the psoas stretch. For some reason I had a really hard time with my forward leg. The quad kept burning really bad.
Question: Do we need 4 straight minutes in the stretch or is there still benefit if I come out of it, shake it off and get back into position? (probably a 5-10 sec break)
Thanks so much! I'm loving these WOD's! Also, shared the calf stretch with the class while practicing Overhead squats. Squat form showed a change for the better after stretching!
Done. Cramped up in the supporting leg. The whole thing felt vierd like stuff does when you reach something you haven't reached before. Good stuff.
Sharing, Sharing, Sharing!
Thanks K-Star!!!!
No kidding, I dreamed about my spoas last night! This is such a gift you are giving us.
OHS this am with the class. Calf stretch makes all the difference in the world.
Difficulty pushing my lumbar spine back to the doorjamb. Difficulty holding the doorjamb above my head with arms completely extended. Hip extension feels a bit better, as I could bring my knee on the ground even to the doorjamb.
Although this was a bit less intense as the knee to the wall stretch for hip ext, it still highlighted my lack of hip mobility in the hip extension!
Thanks again, Kstar!
Kelly,
Great site, very helpful. Could you help with anterior pelvic tilt. I've been stretching psoas and want to make sure I'm headed in the right direction.
Thanks.
This one didn't bite as much as the other hip extension stretch, thank goodness!
There is some stuff in deep that's feeling stretched right now though, so I seem to have hit the spot and my pelvis is sitting more level
Of the 4 MobWODs done so far, this was the easiest for me to do. Still was able to find a discomfort zone to work. Felt good.
That was SUPER intense, and obviously the suck was worth it. Thanks KStar!
Went for a run today with not behind the knee pain. That calf stretch was great yesterday! Thank you so much!!
Most uncomfortable MWOD so far!! Thanks!
My hip flexors or psoas region were SO sore the day after this. Sorer then when I do squats. Just an ever-present, dull pain. Hoping this goes away soon, love the videos. Lord knows I need them.
wowza. effin eh. felt that it felt like everywhere – really noticed it in the adductors of the front leg at first, but towards the end of each side really started to feel it at what i’m guessing would be the femoral insertion. wow, holy sheet. followed by 1min ea side straight-legged gastroc stretch. thanks for the work today and the benefits tomorrow!
This MWOD was a challenge, clocked my 8 minutes on the psoas and then returned to 2mins hanging out in the squat (still leaning back off of the sofa though).
I wonder what day five will bring….