Improving Hip Mobility for Heavier Squats

Increase your Squat Depth – Get Your Hips Below Parallel and Knees Out

This sequence was inspired by Kevin Darby of the Canadian branch of the “Stretch-to-Win®” Institute (www.StretchtoWin.com).

As a Fascial Stretch Therapy™ practitioner, one of the ‘go-to’ stretches used on the table is traction of the hip joint from different positions.  50% of flexibility is in the joint-capsule itself, as Chris Frederick points out,

“If research shows that almost 50 percent of tightness is within the joint capsule and surrounding ligaments, the first step is to remove this restriction before stretching with traction.”  “The muscles that are the closest and deepest layers will react to positive or negative changes in the joint capsule – they are innervated by the same nerves that control resting tissue tone or tension as well as the nerves that make the muscles, with their fascia, contract and relax in response to all movements.  These muscles are shorter in length and anatomically and functionally closer to the joint capsule than the muscles that cross two or more joints; when released, therefore, they pave the way for the longer muscles to release faster and more efficiently.”

About the Hip-Traction Sequence
You will roll from the first position onto your side for the second position, then roll onto your knee for the third position, in a sequence.

The third position of this series allows for the best traction: exhale and lean forward for traction, then inhale and rock back.  Repeat this sequence a few times.

While it is normally better to synchronize your breathing and movement into a stretch and wait for the tissue to respond – rather than statically hold a stretch for a pre-determined number of seconds – this applies to stretching muscles and fascia, when tractioning the joint-capsule itself you will want to hold the position for 3-5 seconds, until you begin to feel a subtle release.  Then repeat a few times. 

Traction can be used before, between, and after stretches.  If you are extremely tight in the glutes and hip, you may want to begin with traction, stretch your hips and then traction again at the end.

Hip-Flexor Activation
After applying traction from the third position, you can perform a muscle activation sequence for the hip flexors.  The hip-flexors, while tight and contracted, are often inhibited and can benefit from a quick activation sequence.

Inhale: with 20% of your strength – pull your knee forward and hold for 5 seconds (using the band as resistance).  Exhale: release the leg and lean forward again into traction, before inhaling again and repeating the activation.

A Dramatic Improvement in the Squat
This hip traction series will free up the joint-capsule improving hip flexion and hip internal/external rotation for the…

SquatRx ‘Points of Performance’

especially…

#2: Hips Below Parallel
#3: Knees-Out
#5: Lumbar Curve

About Fascial Stretch Therapy™
Stretch-to-Win® is releasing a new book on manual assisted-stretching, which will soon be available on Amazon for pre-order, details here.  To find out more about FST™ you can visit: https://www.stretchtowin.com/workshops

– Kevin Kula, “The Flexibility Coach” – Creator of FlexibilityRx™

Tags: hip mobility drills, hips below parallel squat, improving hip flexibility, knee valgus squat, knees out squat, squat therapy, squatrx, Stretch to Win, tight hips squat