Other/Mixed QL stretch variations

[Nate]

These?

Yes. 2 leg is easier. On 1 legged, put your free knee in a 90/90 to keep pelvis straight. Those, or what I call Body Drag Curls are great too.

 

[watchnerd]

If you can't, Rip's cue is this: point the thing that's in the front of your pelvis at your knees. Most men can do that, and that helps to find the muscles that need to be active when squatting and deadlifting.

Oh, yeah....*that* was his cue for men.

Typical Rip.

 

[silveraw]

Test for control of the pelvis can be done in the standing position. Pretend that you pelvis is a bowl of water. Pour water out the back (posterior pelvic tilt). How did you do that? You tightened your abs and glutes. Now back to neutral/level. Now pour water out the front. Can you do it? If you can, how did you? Erector muscles in your low back. If you can't, Rip's cue is this: point the thing that's in the front of your pelvis at your knees. Most men can do that, and that helps to find the muscles that need to be active when squatting and deadlifting.

Once you've got pretty good control of the pelvis in standing position, practice in other positions. Practice lying on your back with knees up. Tip the pelvis forward and back, slowly. Lots of people don't have good control of these muscles. Practice is helpful.

Then, what @watchnerd is saying, is do that same thing while sitting in QL straddle position. Tip your pelvis forward by contracting those same low back erector muscles. This should put you sitting on your sit bones, and in a better position to stretch.

Oh wow.
Standing it seems pretty simple. When I lay down on my back with my knees up the mobility about halves, and in the QL position my hips feel frozen.

 

[silveraw]

Not a stretch per se, but this might help loosen you up:

I tried these at the suggestion of @elli they helped loosen me up a bit. It is interesting to explore for sure.

 

[silveraw]

So quick update, it seems that using a zafu cushion (I don't own a yoga block) to raise my hips on the QL straddle stretch lets me actually stretch in the movement. Breathing through the cramps that pop up is an interesting experience as well and seems to be working. @Anna C 's suggestion, the hip movement drill seems to be helping me be more mobile in the straddle position as well.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

[barrak]

I do well with stretches that let gravity to the work. That way you can breathe like Bauer mentioned and relax into the stretch. This one was recommendsd by a PRI doc & it did well for me.

View attachment 11985

THANK YOU for this tip. I have one of these yoga balls collecting dust. I just tried it and really felt the stretch.

You can relax and watch TV for a while in this position.

 

[Bauer]

Test for control of the pelvis can be done in the standing position. Pretend that you pelvis is a bowl of water. Pour water out the back (posterior pelvic tilt). How did you do that? You tightened your abs and glutes. Now back to neutral/level. Now pour water out the front. Can you do it? If you can, how did you? Erector muscles in your low back. If you can't, Rip's cue is this: point the thing that's in the front of your pelvis at your knees. Most men can do that, and that helps to find the muscles that need to be active when squatting and deadlifting.

Thank you Anna for that pointer! I used this cue today during my S&S warmup and could squat deeper with a more stable spine and hip I didn't know how to activate the erector muscles in the low back before - and wasn't aware that they should be activated during squats. I think this is a game changer, as I've always felt uncomfortable at the bottom of a squat.

 

[Anna C]

I think this is a game changer, as I've always felt uncomfortable at the bottom of a squat.

I agree, it can be a game changer! Many people that have trouble with the bottom of a squat think it's a mobility issue or they just have short hamstrings. As Rip says in the "Low Back Position" section of this article, after getting the knee position such that the hip joint can operate well, it's a matter of muscular control in the low back. "In effect, there is a war between the erectors and the hamstrings over control of the pelvis, and the erectors have to win if the back is to stay rigid and the hamstrings are to be stretched effectively." Essentially you have to teach those erector muscles how to do that work. Some people do it naturally, and others might learn it indirectly as they get stronger, but I've found that for many beginners AND many people who have been training a while but never really "got" this, it can really help to put a direct focus on it. In the article he says that they find that when they do a check in the seminars they find that 15% of people can't do it at all. From what I've heard and seen, many more people can't do it very well, and most can learn to do it much better with practice and focus. Not only is that useful in lifting, but as seen in this thread, it can also be useful for stretching as well.

 

[Bauer]

"In effect, there is a war between the erectors and the hamstrings over control of the pelvis, and the erectors have to win if the back is to stay rigid and the hamstrings are to be stretched effectively."

Oh yes, I could feel an unusual stretch in the upper hamstrings