By Elizabeth Towe
Objective:
We have talked previously about the role of the gluteus maximus in hip extension and its importance as a powerful hip mover. If the glutes get “shut off” because of an injury or opposing muscles that are short and tight, substitution patterns will ensue. You should keep a few gluteus maximus exercises in your tool box to revisit just to be sure that your glutes remain the primary mover in hip extension (think: your leg extending behind you right before swing phase in running – which is using your glutes to push you forward in space).
We are bringing another medium in which to rediscover your glutes, Supine hip extension on the foam roller.
Exercise:
- Lie on your back with a foam roller under the bottom of the calf and your arms across your chest (arms not touching the ground).
- Lightly brace the core by drawing the belly button in toward the spine, straighten the knees and contract the quadriceps muscles, THEN press the front of the hip joint up until the spine is in a neutral position.
- Your spine should be neutral and not arching. Do not let the legs roll out.
- Hold this position for 5-20 seconds. Pay special attention to squeezing the gluteus maximus muscles on the back of the hip. Notice if they are working with the same effort on both sides.
- Rest for a couple of breaths and repeat 5-10 times.
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Elizabeth Towe is a runner and a cyclist and the owner of Balanced Movement Studio in Carrboro. She graduated from East Carolina with a degree in exercise and sports science and has been personal training for over 20 years. Her ultimate goal for all of her clients is to help them realize and achieve the optimal quality in their life – and to remember to have fun doing it.
