The Couch Stretch is super easy & super effective at opening the anterior hip & increasing rectus femoris (quadricep) length. It’s a great “bang for buck” stretch/mobility drill for anyone who sits most of the day but still needs to be able to open the hip up during sport (e.g. runners, weightlifters).
Brace your trunk into a neutral spine, get the knee as close to the wall as you can tolerate and tuck your pelvis into a posterior rotation…don’t forget to squeeze your glute to generate extension!! Remember, it’s hip extension, not back extension, so keep the spine neutral to open your facet joints. Aim to hold for around 2 minutes each side, repeat as often as necessary. It can also be done with your foot on the sofa (hence the name) if you find discomfort with the ankle position on the wall.
‘seventy9 Sports Therapy is a private sports injury clinic in Farnham, Surrey, specialising in the treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries across the entire activity spectrum. We pride ourselves on the delivery of a high-performance service, regardless of your physical or sporting abilities. Our skilled and experienced therapists use best evidence-based practice to restore full fitness and function across the spectrum of sport, exercise and occupationally related injuries, treating you as an individual and building bespoke exercise programmes to fit your lifestyle and schedule. Our therapists are all members of The Society of Sports Therapists.’
The structures of the posterior shoulder play a vital role in stabilising the ball and socket joint (glenohumeral joint) of the shoulder. When they are dysfunctional, they are unable to generate appropriate compressive force to the joint, leaving a feeling of disconnection in the shoulder girdle. This is particularly important in overhead athletes such as throwers and swimmers.
This exercise targets all of the structures in the posterior shoulder with the long lever position creating an additional load challenge.
Externally rotate from the shoulder (the elbow/forearm will subsequently rotate), before horizontally extending the shoulder joint, driving the movement by squeezing the shoulder blade (scapula) backwards into retraction. The movement should be smooth and controlled, yet with enough resistance to be a challenge.
‘seventy9 Sports Therapy is a private sports injury clinic in Farnham, Surrey, specialising in the treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries across the entire activity spectrum. We pride ourselves on the delivery of a high-performance service, regardless of your physical or sporting abilities. Our skilled and experienced therapists use best evidence-based practice to restore full fitness and function across the spectrum of sport, exercise and occupationally related injuries, treating you as an individual and building bespoke exercise programmes to fit your lifestyle and schedule. Our therapists are all members of The Society of Sports Therapists.’
Everyone understands that loading the glutes is important for hip & back health, as well as sports performance.
But do you load your hip flexors? Muscles in the body work as pairs (agonists & antagonists), with one accelerating a movement whilst the opposing muscle acts as a brake. Glutes are hip extensors, therefore the opposing muscle to the hip flexors (during hip flexion/extension).
Hip flexors get a bit of a bum deal – the thinking being that they’re a structure that is always tight & creating pain. However, improving their ability to produce force often improves this tight feeling as they handle daily activities without reaction. Additionally there are performance benefits to hip flexor strengthening for all athletes. These include a snappier first step, improved recovery mechanics in all runners which positively impacts run economy, & improved out of the saddle pedalling (including sprinting) for cyclists.
This bridge position with miniband hip flexor march is a great way of getting hip flexor load whilst bracing the trunk & recruiting the posterior chain on the opposite side, mimicking the muscle recruitment patterns seen during running.’
‘seventy9 Sports Therapy is a private sports injury clinic in Farnham, Surrey, specialising in the treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries across the entire activity spectrum. We pride ourselves on the delivery of a high-performance service, regardless of your physical or sporting abilities. Our skilled and experienced therapists use best evidence-based practice to restore full fitness and function across the spectrum of sport, exercise and occupationally related injuries, treating you as an individual and building bespoke exercise programmes to fit your lifestyle and schedule. Our therapists are all members of The Society of Sports Therapists.’
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