autostretching0082

THE HIP5.

Your difficulty is: Tight Muscles:

Equipment: Starting Position:

Stretching:

Stimulation:

Common Errors:

Notę:

Normal Mobility:

Moving your legs apart while turning them inward, hips bent.

Muscles that:

1    straighten hip

2    move legs together

3    tum leg outward.

Two cushions or other soft pads to let knees slide comfortably on floor.

Place one knee on each cushion and hands forward on floor; keep lower back straight. Tum legs inward at hips by moving lower legs and feet as far apart as possible. Keep heels as far apart as you can.

1.    Bend elbows so that body is lowered. Move knees and feet apart so that stretch is felt in buttocks and in inner sides and backs of thighs.

2.    Tense muscles as if to press thighs toward each other without knees moving; hołd for 5 seconds.

3.    Relax and move knees and feet apart to limit - maybe a little bit morę.

4.    Repeat until you feel you can stretch no further and muscles feel tight. Hołd this finał stretch from 15 seconds to a minutę or morę.

1.    Retain position; move knees and legs as far apart as possible.

2.    Alternatively, lie on back, feet in air, knees and hips at right angles, and legs turned inward to limit. Press knees out to limit, and resist with hands on outsides of knees.

3.    Hołd either position a few seconds.

*    Lower back arched.

*    Hips not turned inward (heels come closer together).

*    Hips straightened.

This exercise should be done with hips gradually bending morę and morę. If you find kneeling uncomfortable or difficult, try standing up with knees straight, legs turned inward and body leaning forward (straight back!) so that hips bend almost at a right angle. See iilustrations on right.

Standing up with legs turned inward, you should be able to move your legs apart until thighs form an angle of morę than 90 degrees.