autostretching0084

THE HIP 6.

Your difficulty is: Tight Muscles:

Equipment: Starting Position:

Stretching:

Stimulation:

Common Errors: Notę:

Normal Mobility:

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

Primarily muscles that:

1 move legs togcther at hips.

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

Place one knee on each cushion and hands forward on floor; keep lower back straight. Push knees apart to limit, keeping heels together to tum legs outward.

1. Bend elbows so that body is lowered and move knees apart so that stretch is felt in buttocks and even morę in innersides and backs of thighs.

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

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

4. Repeat until you feel you can stretch no further and muscles feel tighL 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 outward 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.

* Legs not turned outward at hips (heels not held together).

* Hips straightened.

This exerci.se should be done with hips gradually bending morę and more. Ifyou find kneeling uncomfortableordifficult, try standing up with knees. straight, legs turned outward and body leaning forward (straight back! so that hips bend almost at a right angle. See illustrations on right.

Standing up with your legs turned outward, you should be able to mo\e your legs apart until thighs form an angle much wider than 90 degrees.