Alright you Pliant Warrior,
Pop Quiz Hot Shot! If I say to you mobilize your hip into external rotation and flexion, what movement am I asking you to mobilize? Don’t watch the video yet, take a minute and see if you can figure it out.
See? It’s the squat. We tend to make things way more complicated than they need to be.
Your brain is wired for movements, not muscles. Attempting to stretch short hip rotators and then hoping that it improves your squatting fails to take into account ALL the bits that may be limiting your movements, like skin, fascia, the joint capsule, surrounding musculature, etc.
Stretching a muscle is akin to trying to make your pecs strong and hoping that it helps your bench.
This is a type 1 thinking error nicht, nicht.
Test: Your squat
Mob: Hang out on the box going back and forth between legs. Try and collect about 6-8 minutes here.
Hit your calves for 2 min a side. (Did you fall for it? I meant, work on the dorsiflexion of your ankle?)
Retest: Squat
Homework: Wiki the short rotators of the hip. We love to talk about the periformis. Can you name the rest of the PGOGOQ complex?
Kstar
ps. Tomorrow is Champagne Friday. Don’t let me down.
18 Responses to “Episode 13: It’s Just Movement, Break it Down”
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Great video. Some of these stretch techniques are very similar to physiotherapy techniques I learnt in hospital.
KStar, I've been doing the wiki homework, but I'm still feel overwhelmed by all the terminology. Are there any books you suggest reading?
Thank you for keeping these simple yet effective. In just a few minutes, I am able to get prepared for better movement no matter what the wod.
p.s. – one day, I hope to be able to squat as much as Diane.
Actually I can name that complex. I'm a big nerd. Kind of sad that I haven't put that knowledge to use at all…
This is my new favorite site on the internet, FWIW.
MWOD… Nothing quite like the feeling of a properly rotating femur!
Piriformis
Gemellus inferior
Obturator internus
Gemellus superior
Obturator externus
Quadratus
AKA: The junk in the trunk.
Ian- An awesome get started book is Anatomy of Movement.
K-Star: Buckminster Fuller would be proud
Have I mentioned how much I love this stuff!! Did this pre-workout (5/3/1)and felt so damn good.
Thanks Kelly! I hope the audience numbers are high enough to keep you motivated to keep doing this for all of us… our whole box is referring to them now!
Thanks Kelly!
Hemp for freedom!
KStar –
After watching this hip internal/external rotation video I decided to video a run and OHS (WOD's), and guess what I found. My right foot faces outward while running – left is neutral, and the rt foot does the same during the OHS with a tendency to overpronate when going heavy. Shoes, flat and hard.
Relative to range of motion, my ROM is pretty close to Adrian's. Regarding pre-exisitng / slightly chronic conditions, the following applies: lower lumbar has some type of kink which I can trigger to release with thumbs or EMS unit, but does reappear. Nagging the hell out of me with occasional twitch up to lower thoracic. Every now and then when stretching I can experience full relief, and for quite some time, but I haven't been able to isolate this.
I'm a one-legged dinged-toed freak! For the love of god, help me brother! Even a referral to a DPT just east of Wash DC (Northern Virginia) would help. I am about to conduct bathroom surgery with my Ghurka knife…make it stop!
Yes! Finally was able to hold the squat to ankle position without holding onto anything. 1 week in and I feel like I’ve come so far already
This post is gold. I’ve been working through the series and so many things are freeing up and working much better now in my knees and hips. Just had to say thankyou for all the time you spend on this. It’s making a big difference.