This exercise is intended to continue the process of opening up the front of the hips, which will relieve tension in the low back and at the base of the ribcage.
To do this exercise you will need a mat, a magic circle, and a foam roller. Start by lying on your back with the foam roller underneath your pelvis. The foam roller will be perpendicular to your spine. One foot will be planted on the ground with the knee bent and the other foot and leg will be in the air. Wrap the magic circle around the ball of the foot that is in the air and hold on to it. Then you will begin reaching both legs long and across the body. The bottom leg will remain in contact with the floor as you reach it across your midline until the knee is straight. At the same time the top leg will cross the body as you straighten the knee. Maintain the tension on the magic circle to be sure that the lateral hamstring is stretching. Inhale as you bend both knees and then repeat again.
Things to think about
Like all hip flexor and psoas or illiacus stretches, it is important to keep your pelvis neutral or in a slight posterior tilt. If you let the pelvis move with the leg then the oppositional force is lost and the stretch is lessened. To increase the stretch use the exhale to find a slight hollowing in the abdomen so that the pelvis is being pulled away from the lower leg.
No comments:
Post a Comment