Modi is on the money.
If you’re tight, foam rolling is helpful. It only feels good after you’re done and you notice how much looser you feel.
Being able to touch the ground doesn’t say anything about HF tightness, but it probably means that your hamstrings aren’t taking over, unless your hams are actually tight and your lower back is very flexible. How far down can you get if you keep your back arched?
Trying to roll your hip flexors can be a little hard, sometimes I use a tennis ball.
tom, great intip, tennis ball is a great idea, i use all kinds of PVC piping, whther its two or 6 inch, but i have been doing it for a while and regular foam rollers just dont do it anymore.
They are right about the fact that even though your hamstrings might be nice and flexible, they might not do the job because the rest of your body (back) is compensating for your gluteal weakness.
Foam rolling is Very painfull, but it feels great at the same time, i enjoy pain, so it actually feels great to me. But you wil lget used to it dont worry. and once you get it, not just for your glutes, but use it for all of your muscles
(which ever onces are possible) to get them nice and loose. But please do not use it (as somo protocols may indicate) as a balance and stabilization training tool. Too dangerous, stick with balls and stuff for that.
let me know if you have anymore guestions. GREAT INPUT GUYS
If I arch my back, I can’t get close to the same flexibility. So I guess my hams are tight?
[quote]Gaius Octavius wrote:
If I arch my back, I can’t get close to the same flexibility. So I guess my hams are tight?[/quote]
Maybe? Getting your palms on the ground is a combination of hamstring and low back flexibility, so one can compensate for the other if you’re just “touching your toes”, arching your back takes the low back flexibility out of the equation.
Can you get your torso parallel to the ground without losing the arch? I’m sure someone can give a better indicator, but that’s what I shoot for on that particular stretch. I’d imagine there’s a test (like the Thomas test for tight hip flexors) for hamstring tightness, I just don’t know what it is.
Here’s a thought: if you’re doing supine bridges, do your hamstrings try to take over for your glutes? If so, that’s definitely synergistic dominance.
[quote]tom8658 wrote:
Gaius Octavius wrote:
If I arch my back, I can’t get close to the same flexibility. So I guess my hams are tight?
Maybe? Getting your palms on the ground is a combination of hamstring and low back flexibility, so one can compensate for the other if you’re just “touching your toes”, arching your back takes the low back flexibility out of the equation.
Can you get your torso parallel to the ground without losing the arch? I’m sure someone can give a better indicator, but that’s what I shoot for on that particular stretch. I’d imagine there’s a test (like the Thomas test for tight hip flexors) for hamstring tightness, I just don’t know what it is.
Here’s a thought: if you’re doing supine bridges, do your hamstrings try to take over for your glutes? If so, that’s definitely synergistic dominance.[/quote]
I can’t get my torso parallel when keeping my back arched. And my hamstrings definitely try to take over when doing bridges. I’ve begun stretching them though, as well as my hip flexors. I’m also doing glute activation work. I’ll post how it goes when I start seeing some results.