Do them before your workout on training days, and intermittently throughout your workday or while winding down on your rest days, says Doug Kechijian, D.P.T., who created this routine.
Couch stretch how to#
Here’s how to do it: Perform each exercise every day for the prescribed time or number of reps. Want to get mobilized? Try the four stretching moves below. “Damn, the witch doctor got you jacked,” she said. Then one night, as I sank into the pigeon pose, I noticed my girlfriend staring at me. I was maneuvering my body into positions I’d never dreamed of reaching, like a deep squat.īeing more limber allowed me to use better form and build new muscles, but I’ll let my PRs speak for me: I soon doubled my pull-up and pushup numbers to 15 and 50, respectively, and I could run 1 ½ miles in under nine minutes. RELATED: The 4 Mobility Moves You Should Do If You Train Hard I ignored the odd looks from my coworkers and girlfriend, who dubbed Kechijian “the witch doctor.” On rest days, I did it in the office or at home in front of the TV. I felt relief after the first day, so I kept the circuit up.
Couch stretch series#
Instead of reps, each was done for a series of extremely deep breaths, a signal for your body to release muscle tightness. Other moves seemed meant for contortionists. This pose helps redistribute that weight.Īs I sank into it, the painful area in my hip felt like it was being pulled apart-in a good way. “Most people stand with their hips shifted to the right, which causes their left hip to tighten up,” Kechijian says. They felt more like kung fu than calisthenics. His prescription? Ten minutes a day of mobility moves. RELATED: RIPTENSITY: The New Training System From Men’s Health That Can Flatten Your Belly and Strengthen Your Body and Mind We sit too much and don’t put our bodies into enough different positions.
A stretching expert, he told me that everyone has imbalances and mobility restrictions. I called Doug Kechijian, D.P.T., of Resilient Performance Physical Therapy in New York City. I hurt my hip doing a leg workout and going running the same day, and had to shut down. It hurt to learn that I was wrong-throbbed like hell, actually. Why waste time sitting around when I could cram in more lifting?
Couch stretch free#
It's included in the guide above, but here's a link straight to YouTube in case you want to skip right to it:Īny questions at all, feel free to give me a shout and I'll help out where I can!Įdit - Wow this blew up more than I expected! Thanks for the support (and the YouTube subscriber boost).Like most guys, I hated stretching.
Couch stretch plus#
I also put together a 20 min follow-along hip mobility routine that contains the couch stretch, plus some myofascial release work for the lower back and hip flexors too. Here's a link to the guide if you want to check it out: So I put together a short guide with 5 variations of the drill - one that's a little easier to get into for most of us, and then four progressions if you want to take things further. The problem is, if you're super tight, sometimes even getting into the initial couch stretch position is a bit tricky. And you can do it whilst watching TV, so it's a win all around.
It's one of my favorite drills for opening up the front of the hip, releasing the hip flexors, and strengthening/activating the glutes at the same time.
A bit of anterior tilting is fine, but for some, it leads to a cascade of other postural issues and dysfunctions.Įnter the couch stretch, popularised by Kelly Starrett from Mobility WOD. Posted this over at r/flexibility last week and it seemed to help some people, so thought I'd give it a share here if that's okay!įreedom of movement at the hips and the ability to control the pelvis is pretty important - both for general posture and for sports performance.Ī simplified model is that excessive sitting leads us with tight hip flexors and weak core + glutes, which can anteriorly tilt the pelvis.
0 kommentar(er)
