This is another twist on a classic yoga pose. Skritheads call this supta padangusthasana. My teacher, Jill Miller, creator of Yoga Tune Up, used to refer to this as “Leg Stretch No. 1” and has since renamed it “Hip Stretch No. 1.” Most of you just know that this as your standard supine hamstring stretch. I use two bands and a block which add a lot of cool features to this stretch.
- The band around the lower leg creates a closed kinetic chain and creates greater proprioception in the hip joint.
- The band around the lower leg also cues the athlete to keep extending the knee of the lower leg by pushing into the band and helps keep the toes pointing up.
- The band around the lower leg also wraps over the top of the stretched leg at the hip joint to create a distraction force that both creates more space between the Anterior Superior Illiac Spine and the Femur thus allowing greater flexion and depresses the right Illium which aligns the hips.
- The band around the foot of the stretched leg lets the athlete deepen the stretch by placing the band in the elbow crease, the athlete can relax their head, neck and hands and stay in the stretch longer without fatigue.
- The block under the Sacrum puts the athlete in global extension and creates a gentle stretch of the hipflexors.
Leg Stretch No. 1 from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.
Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.