a good glute stretch

bitmover

bitmover

Cathlete
Hey Clarissa and all of you other knowledgeable people.... I need a good glute stretch. I don't know how to describe this without making all of you laugh, but my buns are so tender and it's as if they have knots in them. This is not just from working out -- they've always been like this, as far as I can remember -- must be something about the way I carry myself. I can put one cheek on a tennis ball and without putting all of my weight on it, get a sort of massage. If my husband tries to massage it for me, it's such a fine line between feeling good and feeling painful. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Do you have any stretches to recommend for me? Not a hamstring stretch, but a glute stretch.

That said, I did B&G in its entirety for the first time this morning, and realized that I think I have very underdeveloped glutes -- this all probably plays together. And no, that's not what caused my soreness -- I had the soreness last night. :)

Oh, and p.s., Karin, I did end up ordering #3 flexible warrior -- I've only done it once, but I like it. Karen said her orders have gone way up recently, so I think I'm not the only one here who ordered it on your recommendation.


thanks,
-Beth

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Hey, Beth, here are two that never fail to work for me; both are where you lay face-up on the floor:

Hook your right elbow under your right knee, let the heel hang down so that the calf is parallel to the back of the thigh; use your right arm to gently draw the rignt knee up until it is very near the right armpit, and hold for 10-20 seconds. Repeat on the left. This stretches the gluteus maximus primarily.

This next one is great for the "other glutes", the external rotators. Bring your right knee up, and turn right calf inward so that the calf is now horizontal to the chest. Place your right hand around the knee to the outer aspect of it, and place your left hand around the right foot around its outer aspect. In this fashion, draw the thigh toward the chest, keeping the calf in this horizontal position, drawing it as near to the chest as you can. Hold the stretch for 10-20 seconds. Repeat on the left.

HTH -

A-Jock
 
These are great suggestions from very knowledgeable ladies. The other one that is so helpful is a seated position, keep one leg straight and bend the other leg, crossing your foot over the other knee; take your opposite elbow to the opposite bent up knee and press the knee down toward your body (with the elbow) while looking behind you. You are pretty twisted up when you do this, but it sure feels great. This stretches primarily your gluteus medius (side of your hips when working hip abduction) but it sure feels great and stretches the whole butt! Hope I didn't confuse you too much w/ my explanation. Child's pose in yoga stretches lots of things too, including the glutes.

Clarissa ;)
 
Excellent suggestions, ladies. I've just done all of them, and I can tell that if I do them often and hold them long, they will help. Annette, I especially like the external rotator one you suggested.

thanks,
-Beth
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Ugh, I have the same problem, and the tightness radiates into the piriformis and gluteus medius, causing a nasty case of hip bursitis. Good for you for stretching! It looks like you've already gotten some great ideas for stretches, just wanted to also *highly* recommend a foam roller. It has been a Godsend to me!

Here's just one of the stretches I do with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Qw4aAFdbc

Also, this is not a stretch, but my PT has me doing bridges to strengthen the area. Similar to this, but I keep my leg straight out instead of bent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFQ6ez4H-Y&feature=related

HTH!
 
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