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Work Sample 7: Personal Training Stretching Education

Hip Mobility and Flexibility

Having tight hips can impede your full range of motion and
eventually cause relative flexibility, or the tendency of the body to
seek the path of least resistance during functional movement
patterns. Tight hips can also cause back, leg, and knee pain.

Ways to Relieve Tight Hips

- Static stretching— Used to correct existing muscle imbalances and
lengthen overactive (tight) muscles. Can be used before exercise as
well as after exercise. Stretching performed daily causes increased
flexibility in the stretched muscle. – Touching Your Toes

- Active-isolated stretching—The process of using agonists and

synergists to dynamically move the joint into a range of motion. This
form of stretching increases motor neuron excitability, creating
reciprocal inhibition of the muscle being stretched. - Adding
movement to a static stretch

- Dynamic Stretching - Dynamic or functional stretching is used to

increase flexibility with optimal neuromuscular control – Warming Up

- SMR- self-myofascial release- Used to help correct existing muscle

imbalances, reduce trigger points (knots within muscle), and inhibit
overactive musculature. Can be used before exercise as well as after
exercise – Foam Rolling

- Autogenic inhibition- The process by which neural impulses are

greater than the impulses that cause muscles to contract, providing
an inhibitory effect to the muscle spindles - Fancy way of saying if
you apply pressure to the knot or tender spot long enough (30
seconds), you will confuse your brain into relaxing the muscle.
Example – SMR (Foam Rolling)
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Muscles Involved

Iliotibial Band (IT Band)

The muscles of the ITB flex, extend, abduct, and laterally and
medially rotate the hip. The ITB contributes to lateral knee
stabilization.

Tight IT Bands can occur when the IT band becomes tight,

irritated, or inflamed from overuse and repetitive flexion and
extension of the knees.

It can even develop from repetitively walking up and down stairs,

wearing high heels, or sitting for long periods with bent knees.
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Piriformis

The piriformis muscle is located deep beneath the gluteal (butt)

muscles and plays an important role in hip flexibility and stability.
This large, powerful muscle rotates laterally and works along with
other hip rotators to turn the hips and upper leg outward.

Strong and flexible hip rotators keep hip and knee joints properly
aligned. They also help prevent sudden twisting of the knee
during quick side-to-side movements, fast turns, lunges, or
squats.

Tight piriformis muscles can lead to lower back pain, and

ultimately disrupt the function of the sacroiliac joint. Injury or
irritation of the piriformis muscle can cause muscle spasms,
tightness, and swelling.
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Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL)

The TFL contributes to hip abduction (lifting your leg out to the
side), hip flexion (bringing your knee up toward your chest) and
hip internal rotation (rotating your hip to turn your toe and knee in
toward your other leg).

A tight, overactive TFL can lead to increased tension on the IT

Band. This can lead to knee aches and pains such as
patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee or jumper’s knee).

Tightness of the TFL can also restrict hip mobility and contribute
to excessive anterior pelvic tilt. Both things can lead to hip
and low back aches and pains.
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Hamstrings

The hamstring muscles are responsible for your hip and knee
movements in walking, squatting, bending your knees, and tilting
your pelvis.

When your hamstrings are always tight, they pull on your pelvis.
They make you round your lower back when you are bending
over to pick something up. This puts a lot of tension on the
muscles in the lower back, which can lead to muscle strain.

Tight hamstrings can cause the hips and pelvis to rotate back
flattening the lower back and causing back pain, knee pain or foot
pain.

Tight hamstrings can also be responsible for posture

problems and other back problems such as sacroiliac joint pain,
as they will pull the pelvis out of normal position.
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Reasons For Tight Hamstrings

 Too much sitting – When  Injury – when a muscle is

your knees are bent in a injured it may tighten to
seated position, your prevent further injury.
hamstrings are flexed and
 Pelvic problems –If there is
shortened. Change positions
any uneven pelvic pull that
every 15 minutes if you are
disrupts the way your body
sitting.
should stand naturally, it
 Problems in your lower could very well result in
back can put pressure on painfully tight hamstrings.
your sciatic nerve.
 Tight hip flexors can create
 Overuse – from lots of an anterior pelvic tilt
physical activity like running resulting in tight hamstrings.
and cycling or from
 Genetic – You can be born
prolonged sitting
with naturally short
 Compensation – the hamstrings. In general
muscle is compensating for women and children are
a weak muscle that has a more supple than men.
similar action example -
 Not enough movement – If
weak Glutes can lead to
you participate in a lot of
tight Hamstrings, or for a
sport and do not stretch
tight muscle that has an
properly then you are more
opposing action.
likely to have your
 Weakness – when a muscle hamstrings tighten up
is weak the nervous system
may tighten it to create
stability.
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Hip Flexors

We need hip extension to walk, and to run. Without it, the low back may
compensate by arching to get the leg behind you, to keep you moving
forward in space. Excessive arching of the low back can lead to tension in
the muscles next to the spine and compression of the joints – both of which
can lead to discomfort.
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Quads

Four muscles that work together to help you stand, walk, run, and
move around with ease. They also keep your kneecap stable.

Quad strength is important for good knee health, but flexibility can
play an important role as well in preventing injury and
counteracting lower crossed syndrome from sitting too much.
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Abductors

The abductor muscles are made up of the following muscles:

- piriformis
- Psoas
- Sartorius
- tensor fasciae latae (TFL)
- gluteus medius
- gluteus minimus

The hip abductor muscles are the group of muscles responsible

for moving the hip away from the midline of the body. Tight hip
abductors will adversely affect your low back function and you
walk and run.
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Adductors

The adductors are made up of the following muscles:

- Adductor Brevis
- Adductor Longus
- Adductor Magnus
- Gracilis
- Pectineus
Posterior

Anterior
Fibers

The adductors, or groin muscles, are a group of muscles that sit

around your inner thigh area. These set of muscles are attached
to your pelvis and connect to various places along your thigh
bone (femur). Their responsibility is to pull your thigh (femur)
inwards towards the midline of your body.
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Static/Active Hip Stretches

Pigeon- seated, elevated, or standing

 Sit down with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor in
front of you.
 Place your right ankle on top of your left thigh and flex your
right foot.
 Put your hands behind your body, fingertips facing away
from your body and begin to press your hips toward your
heels until you feel a stretch through your outer left hip.
 Keep your back tall and chest open.
 Hold for six to eight breaths.
 repeat on the other side.
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Kneeling Lunge Hip Flexor Stretch

 Kneel with your knees and hands on the ground, facing

the floor, and your back straight.
 Move your right foot forward so that it is on the outside of
your right hand. Make sure the right ankle is slightly in
front of the right knee.
 Extend your left foot back behind you so that your knee,
shin, and foot are touching the floor.
 Press your hips forward until you feel a stretch. Hold the
stretch for 30 seconds.
 Repeat the stretch on the other side of your body.
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Hip Abductors Stretch

 Lie on your back with legs extended.

 Bring the right knee toward your chest.
 Your thigh should be about 90 degrees to your trunk.
 Keep the right knee bent and left leg extended.
 Place your left hand on the outside of the right knee.
 Pull your right knee towards the midline of the body, only far
enough to feel a gentle stretch.
 Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
 Repeat same for other side.
 Stretch each side 3 times.
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Standing Adductor Stretch

 Stand in a straddled stance with the feet beyond shoulders-

width apart.
 Extend one leg back until the toe of the back leg is in line
with the heel of the other foot (Both feet should be pointed
straight ahead)
 Draw navel inward and posteriorly rotate the pelvis.
 Slowly move in a sideways motion (side lunge) until a stretch
in the straight leg’s groin area is felt.
 Hold for 30 seconds.
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Reclined IT Band Stretch

 Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
 Cross one leg over the other
 Bring both knees towards chest.
 Grab hold of your knees, shins, or ankles (whatever you can
reach)
 Keep your head, neck, and shoulders flat on the ground.
 Repeat on other side
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Stretching Video links

SMR- TFL and IT Band https://youtu.be/asigNf1sh-k

SMR- Piriformis https://youtu.be/djNRSC295-A
SMR- Hamstrings https://youtu.be/wQ6uUuBWCbw
SMR- Quads https://youtu.be/ERTVBjwgPS4
SMR- Adductors https://youtu.be/Nqol0T6rKDg

Static TFL https://youtu.be/ClJL9Kn5DHw

Static Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch https://youtu.be/UU7Nqd_Dric
Static Standing Hip Flexor Stretch https://youtu.be/Qmq5fGSrAmg
Static Supine Biceps Femoris Stretch https://youtu.be/isVJLPjp-hU
Active Supine Biceps Femoris Stretch https://youtu.be/A3fmhDWoSm0
Active Standing Adductor Stretch https://youtu.be/GeTGFgWiOVk