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A couple of years ago, during a Jefferson Curl, I felt the femur heads of both hips slightly sub dislocating. It felt as the heads were forced toward the front. I stopped Jefferson curls and after a while, the discomfort went away. A year ago, I went through a period of intense stretching of the legs, using Stretching & Flexibility, especially the Hamstrings and Hip flexors (with partner variations). One night, before going to sleep, I did a relaxed pike in the bed, and again my hips sub-dislocated, exiting a little out of the sockets and going back. I stopped stretching and after a while, the discomfort went away. During the convalescence, the hips were loudly popping every time I made a Deadlift move (same kind of sound of when you crack your knuckles, with no pain, but with a distinct feeling of movement in the joint and a bit of discomfort). Even when picking up something from the floor, on the ascendendt phase, at around 90° of flexion of the femur in the hip, there was the popping. A week ago I had a popping with light pain, during a proper deadlift. A 85% of 1RM weight. I was fatigued as it was the 5th set, and I was generally on the verge of overtraining (I since started a deload period). I would like to understand the mechanics of this, could it be a Hip Flexors weakness? Any test I can do to narrow down the cause? if I do a pike with feet apart, shoulder width or more, no popping if I do a pike with feet pointing out (externally rotating the hip), no popping if I do a pike with knee in maximal extension (actually hyperextension, for me), no popping, it only happens when the knee are flexed little, as in a deadlift When I try to pike, it feels like the Hamstrings are pulling forward the head of the femur, kind of causing a joint distraction. I made a sketch showing the direction I feel the head of the femur going. Also the discomfort, slight pain I feel, is in the front region of the hip capsule. If, during the ascent of the deadlift, I consciously contract the glutei, the popping is greatly reduced or eliminated I tried light foam rolling of the area below the iliac crest, where the quads attach, the tensor FL, and immediately afterward, the pain/popping was greatly reduced or eliminated. Any thought/suggestion is greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone I've suffered a hamstring injury about 1 year ago doing a front split. After that, it was about 9 months of pain and restricted movement.. About three/four months ago, the injury started to get better as I started to strengthen the muscle group (mostly with hamstring curls and hip thrusts). It got better to a point where I would not feel acute pain sitting for long periods (what used to happen on the first 9 months) or doing any kind of leg extension.. But even though it got better, in some movements i still feel like there is a lock on my hamstring, a feeling of tightness that stops me from doing some exercises.. On the pictures, as you can see, I perform two different hamstring stretches: The single leg pike and the head to toe. On the single leg pike, I can barely touch the floor, as in the head to toe, I can progress much better (with some pain still).. It's worth to mention that I don't feel pain anymore doing the splits, but I do feel a little bit of a lock stopping me from touching the floor on it. Appreciate any help.

Hello guys!!! This is my first ever post here and I'm really looking forward to engaging with you guys. It's rare to see such an open group of kind encouraging people on fitness forums - I know I'll feel welcome here. Also a quick thank you to Kit. KIt you have allowed me to take my self mastery journey to new heights lately. I discovered you just over three weeks ago and bought so much of your VOD stuff. Very rarely do I find content that works so so so well. After a little help from a friend on my gracilis muscle followed by Liv's prep for pancake class my face touched the floor for the first time. I genuinely teared up...Seriously, then the same thing yesterday with the pike. I buried my whole head in my shins cackling like a little kid in disbelief. So thank you! you guys are doing wonderful things! Anyway, enough waffling. My question is one regarding flexibilty/strength for an L-sit to press handstand. Within Ashtanga Yoga you are probably aware of the repeated action of 'jump throughs' and 'jump backs'. see below video please to reference what I mean n order to do this I'm wondering what progressive loaded types of stretching one must do in order to get that initial lift so that one can take the l-sit back and then to either a handstand or a chaturanga dandasana. I cannot passively fold into a very deep pike. I have to assist myself with a little feet pulling and engage my shoulders. It looks like the bloke in the above video has some serious flexibility and that is what enables him to tuck like that into the l sit right?I understand that you are not a yogi but, surely someone can shed light on the many facets of strength and flexibility needed here. I for example am only able to go from a pike to a cross legged jump back and sometimes a handstand like this video below https://youtu.be/iV4iqS9leaY?t=29 Ultimately I would like to acheive this I hope my question is clear...Thanks!!!

Hi everyone ! I just bought "Master the pike" and I really don't know how it works, is it a program based on progressions ? I would like to know how to make a weekly schedule and how the workouts should looks like; I indeed had a acceptable pike, In a standing pile was able to touch the floor with fingers facing backwards but I had a little injury on my left hamstring and in consequence I lost some ROM and If I try to reach a very aggressive depth it turns somewhat uncomfortable at the area lower area of my left glut. Now I'm only able to touch the floor with my fingertips, but now with this program I'm hoping to recover my old ROM.

Hello all, Yesterday, I was working on some bent leg variations of hamstring stretches to improve my pike. When I did a retest of the pike, I got a strong, sharp pain on the lateral side of my left knee (think top of fibula). The best way I can describe it is by saying it was like an electrical impulse that started lateral side of knee and traveled down to the lateral side of my ankles (pain intensity decreasing the closer it got to my ankle). The pain was intense, so much so that I immediately stopped the pike and began rubbing the affected region. Has anyone ever experienced a similar sensation before? Does anyone have any ideas on how I can prevent this from happening again in my pike stretch? Thank you all

See here: I mentioned a little "breakthrough" stretch: this is one such, for me. I did not add the contractions (I demo all of them on the "half-pancake, in the Master the Pancake program), but this belongs there, IMHO. It targets the 'underbutt' in a unique way. Anyhow, try it and let me know what you think.