Protect Your Hips, Back & Knees... Stretch Your Butt! (Part 1)
Weak, tight Gluteus Maximus muscles cause instability to low back, hips, and knees, often resulting in stress and damage to the associated joints. In this video, learn how to get and maintain flexible gluteus maximus muscles, a key part of a stretching routine that will help you maintain healthy hips, back, and knees. If you enjoy the video, give us a thumbs up and do leave us a comment. We love feedback.
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Gluteus Maximus (Part 1) Video Transcript...
Today is about the Gluteus Maximus. You're going to learn how to stretch and keep them flexible. Weak, tight Gluteus Maximus muscles cause instability to low back, hips, and knees, often resulting in stress and damage to the associated joints.
Hi Dan Rioux with YouStretching.com. Two of the most common functions performed by the Gluteus Maximus involve extending your hip and externally rotating your leg. Think climbing the stairs or standing from a sitting position. Quick changes in direction while walking or running is an example of externally rotating your hips. They really shine with power moves like sprinting, jumping, or rock climbing.
Now to get these muscles flexible and keep them that way, I'm going to show you how to stretch them using the Two-Second Stretching Technique. It’s a highly effective technique, painless to perform, and safe, especially if you deal with issues like low back pain or knee pain. To learn more about this technique just click the link below to get our free ebook about Two-Second Stretching.
To stretch your Glutes you're going to need something comfortable to lay on, like a massage table or bed with a firm mattress. Other options include a yoga mat on the floor, a padded carpet, or any place where you can lay comfortably while still supporting your lower back. The Glutes are a complex muscle with fibers that run vertically, horizontally, and even diagonally. To stretch all of these fibers we're going to need to do three separate stretches. Today I’ll teach you the first stretch which will address the vertical fibers.
Let's get started by laying on your back with your legs flat on the surface. Now bend the knee of the target leg. This is the starting position. Without any assistance from your hands, bring your knee forward along the outside of the torso towards the shoulder. Once your leg can no longer move the knee on its own, wrap your hands around the back of the thigh and assist by pulling gently. Once you feel slight discomfort, hold the stretch in that position for two seconds. Then slowly release the leg to the starting position. You've just completed the first rep.
Now let's incorporate some slow rhythmic breathing to make sure that the muscles are getting plenty of oxygen. So as you begin the next rep, slowly exhale while bringing the knee towards the shoulder. Then, slowly inhale as you release the leg to the starting position. As you continue doing more repetitions make sure that the knee travels along the outside of the torso as it moves towards the shoulder. This will insure you're getting a more thorough stretch than you would if the knee was traveling towards the center of the chest. Repeat the stretch up to ten times or until you begin feeling fatigued, whichever comes first. Then, repeat with the other leg.
There's benefit in doing a maximum of three sets. The number of reps and sets you do will depend on a number of variables. For more guidance on that, click the link below for a video on reps and sets. The important thing to remember is you should only do as many reps and sets as you can do slowly, under control, and without pain or fatigue.
Well, that's it. Try doing this stretch daily and monitor your progress over the next few week. I would love to hear from you about your progress, questions or issues. So do give us a thumbs ups and leave us your comments below. Be sure to share this video with family members, friends, and anyone who could benefit.
I'm Dan Rioux and if you're watching this anywhere other than at YouStretching.com, be sure to head over there, where we have a growing library of free videos. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe so we can keep you posted about our new video releases. As a welcome, we’ll send you our free eBook, “Guide to Active & Pain-Free Two Seconds at a Time”. So until next time, I hope you stay excited about living an active pain-free lifestyle, and committed to the self-care that makes it a reality.
