The Hamstring Release You Didn't Know You Needed.
Or is it a quadricep release? Both, maybe. Either way, it's totally posture-changing. Ready to learn something cool today?
There is a spot in your body—it’s a sneaky little spot—that you wouldn’t dream is holding your hip/back/knee tension in place. This is a spot that stays tight after sitting for a while and because it’s so small and hidden, it can STAY tight and perpetuate all kinds of pain patterns. Let’s take a look at it and dissect it a little, so that you can visualize it when we roll it out together in the video below. Trigger warning there is totally a butt in this graphic. 😆
Okay. See the muscle labeled “biceps femoris?” that’s a very obvious hamstring muscle, right? Now, see the muscle labeled “vastus lateralis?” That’s actually a huge quadricep muscle, wrapping around to the outer edge of your thigh. The vastus lateralis is the muscle that lies underneath the IT band, and when people think they have IT band tension, it’s really usually the vastus that needs releasing. Okay NOW…see that little white triangle in between the two of them? THAT’S where you’re targeting. The white area is fascia that connects the biceps femoris to the vastus lateralis, and, deep to that, there are some really deep glute muscles that connect your tailbone to the head of the femur bone. Look:
Stay with me for a second. The muscles that attach from your tailbone to your femur bone are the ones that rotate your thigh bone outward or inward. When you’re stuck in either internal rotation or external rotation, these muscles and their fascia need to be worked through to help create more mobility between the tailbone and femur, i.e., more mobility of your hip joint. This is what this video will do.
Quick note, I keep referencing this amaaazing class that was also “released” on Patreon today. That was the plan, but I had some tech issues and couldn’t publish it today. Rest assured, if you want to know more and take up your rolling practice today (highly recommend) then there are many other classes on Patreon. Join! You’ll learn a lot, release a ton of tension and relieve major stress.
Okay now grab your roller and let’s see what we can find in this technique!
Are you awakened to the tension in your hips?! Low back?
Thanks for reading, watching, joining! We’re off in two weeks for the holiday but back with you the week after that! In the meantime, get yourself some more techniques. It’s $5/month! Nothing is that cheap!
Love,
Maggie