Help finding some good TFL stretches

[Enkidu]

NOTE: For some odd reason, when I type "TFL" into the search bar for this forum, it gives me no results even tho I can find the term TFL used in a few posts manually.

Anyhow, I have determined recently that I have very tight TFL's, particularly my right TFL. Probably a tight gluteus medius too, but definitely a tight TFL. I can feel it cramping up when I do things like downward facing dog or reaching towards my toes on my right side in a half split position. It often cramps up when I am in a straddle position too.

I looked on Kit's YT channel and scanned the titles looking for something referencing the TFL, but didn't see any (although I am sure in one or more of the videos he must discuss it somewhere, but there are a LOT of videos on there -- which is awesome by the way!). Not being able to find any ST vids on stretching the TFL, I did some poking around on youtube and found a few videos from other people, but I was wonder if there was a ST/Kit recommended stretch for the TFLs and Glute Medius.

Thanks for you for your assistance!

[[DW]]

TFL is difficult to stretch well; especially in the beginning. I suggest getting into it with a ball. I can post a brief description of this later, but am needing to get my daughter ready now.. Better to focus on the structures that have caused TFL to become so tight, too.

[Kit_L]

Dave wrote that it is better to focus on the structures that have caused TFL to become tight: I agree with this position very strongly. And we do have some excellent TEFL stretches and I do have one on YouTube. One is a hanging side bend; and here is a clip with Craig and I demonstrating a ring hang.

In my experience, the most common cause of TFL and IT band tension is too much jogging and not enough attention paid to alignment and elegance in movement. I won't go so far as to say that jogging is the work of the devil but it's not far off! Far better to sprint and walk in my opinion.

Combining Dave's rolling suggestion and the ring hang (where you rotate the bottom hip slightly behind you to stretch TFL, and the contraction is to press the lower leg away from you; then restretch) can help if you find the precise line to work.

[Enkidu]

Thanks for the advice. Oh, and trust me, my TFL isn't as a result of jogging... I HATE jogging. That said, I do a fair amount of hiking up and down fairly steep hills.

I have been hitting the TFL with a lacrosse ball. It feels a bit like surgery without anesthesia, lol. I'll try that ring stretch of yours too! Thanks! Interestingly, I found this stretch on Youtube which I felt sharply in my TFL (whereas a number of other videos that I saw did little to nothing):

[Craig]

I have been finding that there are two stretches which really get into my TFL and the deeper hip complexes.

Both are kind of hard to explain but I'll try:

1) In a seated position, place the left foot over the right knee (like the beginning set up for seated piriformis stretch). Then as best you can, rotate your whole body in an effort to move the right knee away from the left foot. Then lean your weight forward over both upper legs. I aim to try to get the knees on top of each other and the body flat on top of the knees. then obviously do your other side.

2) in a crawling position (hands and knees), drop the hips to one side, without changing their orientation to the ground, i.e. both hips remain parallel to the ground, and both knees remain on the ground.

[Keilani Gutierrez]

eureka! i was just posting inquiring this

[Enkidu]

I have been finding that there are two stretches which really get into my TFL and the deeper hip complexes.

Both are kind of hard to explain but I'll try:

1) In a seated position, place the left foot over the right knee (like the beginning set up for seated piriformis stretch). Then as best you can, rotate your whole body in an effort to move the right knee away from the left foot. Then lean your weight forward over both upper legs. I aim to try to get the knees on top of each other and the body flat on top of the knees. then obviously do your other side.

2) in a crawling position (hands and knees), drop the hips to one side, without changing their orientation to the ground, i.e. both hips remain parallel to the ground, and both knees remain on the ground.

I am pretty sure I understand the second stretch, but I am not certain I understand the first.

[Craig]

Ill see if i can film it! I'm very tight in this line so it tends to look pretty similar to the piriformis stretch, although the sensation is completely different for me. The aim in both stretches is to pull the knee across the front of the hips while they are in some degree of flexion, that is, trying to get the knee across the centreline of the hips. Different levels of flexion (i.e. none, flexed to 90 degrees, or flexed to being completely closed) and different levels of external rotation seem to affect different parts of the hip

[[DW]]

Yeah, Craig - I've done both of those, and a few others that 'I can make work', personally...they seem to take a higher than average body awareness to get to really work well (I.e get a deep relax and re-map, over just feeling a stretching sensation in the area). IF you've found a stretch that hits TFL for your specific anatomy, use it!

[Adurst]

sounds over active and tight....

TFL has small man syndrome...always trying to prove itself....do stuff/heavy lifting it wasn't made for. the Napoleon of muscles!

I find that laying on a cricket ball for 2-5 min/side can really help turn a muscle off prior to a workout/stretch and remove tension.

also..stretching and rolling all the other muscles that feed into the ITB will help

[oliviaa]

The position that has unlocked TFL in my right hip, which was preventing me from sitting in an open cross-legged position (one foot in front of the other, rather than ankles crossed) and having the right knee on the floor and no pain in the right knee, was this one (Look at the second of the two photos) from the unnumbered lesson in Stretching & Flexibility (p. 146). It looks like a badly done lunge, but its focus is on finding the hip alignment combined with arm pressing the torso away from the floor 'line' that gets into TFL for you. An additional cue is to actively reach the back leg out, as in a leg straightening plus hip extending action.

[Craig]

Thanks Liv!

I've been using Yuri's little moving variation of that one recently (so from that to lunge to cossack to low transfer to other side cossack to lunge to that again) with great effect! Maybe I'll spend some more time on the end position

[Enkidu]

Thanks Olivia. I will try that TFL stretch in the AM after I do my daily 5. I've got a big day planned of squatting tomorrow on my squat cycle (95%x3x2) so I need those hips as limber as possible!

[Enkidu]

Just in case anyone was wondering, I was successful in getting 2x3@95% on my high bar back squats (Olympic style, ass-to-ankles) today...

[Adurst]

Just in case anyone was wondering, I was successful in getting 2x3@95% on my high bar back squats (Olympic style, ass-to-ankles) today...

Good work!

What is your 95% relative to your body weight?

Such as if you weighed 80kg 1*bw would be 80kg on the bar or 1.5 = 120kg, 2 = 160kg.

How did you calculate what 95% is?

What has your lead in program been? Or did you just decide that getting close to your max strength today was a good idea/fun?

Do you have a particular goal? Weight? Or functional? Or skill? Etc.

Just interested

Cheers

Adam

[Enkidu]

Good work!

What is your 95% relative to your body weight?

Such as if you weighed 80kg 1*bw would be 80kg on the bar or 1.5 = 120kg, 2 = 160kg.

How did you calculate what 95% is?

What has your lead in program been? Or did you just decide that getting close to your max strength today was a good idea/fun?

Do you have a particular goal? Weight? Or functional? Or skill? Etc.

Just interested

Cheers

Adam

The weight used today was ~1.6x BW. My max Olympic squat is ~1.68x BW. It used to be significantly higher, back when I was powerlifting (my unequipped PL squat was ~2.5x BW and my Olympic squat was ~2x BW), but it has been a long time since I was in PL'ing and I am a lot older now and wasn't as focused on strength as the be-all, end-all of everything (Although it was nice having a 3x BW deadlift). I was strong as hell back in my PL'ing days, but slow, inflexible, unathletic, and everything hurt.

As far as the program I am using: I am following USA Olympic Weightlifting coach Tim Sword's 7-week squat program. The percentage are based off your 1 rep max at the start of the cycle, with the idea of getting you a 5% increase in your 1 RM by the end of the cycle.

My present program is as follows:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday -- AM workout involving either squat or front squat & push press or strict press; PM workout with the Olympic lifts & Olympic lifting assistance exercises.

Tuesday/Saturday -- Gymnasticbodies F1/H1 program (I do all 7 progressions of F1 + H1, divided over two different workouts). I will also do this workout on Thursdays if I feel up to it.

Thursday/Sunday -- active recovery involving hiking and a yoga DVD that last about 50 minutes. I try to do the yoga DVD 1-2 additional times during the week when I can fit it in.

My goals (as you can probably tell from my program) are related to strength, Olympic weightlifting, and competency in basic gymnastics movements. That has required me to get a lot more flexible and athletic at the ripe old age of 43.

[Adurst]

Cool thanks for the insight...always interested in what people are up too.

[Enkidu]

As a quick update, after hitting my daily 8 today (the daily 5 plus shoulder dislocates, a TFL stretch, and a calf/ankle stretch), I hit a single set of two very easy reps at my previous 1 rep max in both the Olympic Squat and push press this AM. Going for maxes on Friday!

[Naldaramjo]

On 5/20/2014 at 10:24 AM, Craig said:

Ill see if i can film it! I'm very tight in this line so it tends to look pretty similar to the piriformis stretch, although the sensation is completely different for me. The aim in both stretches is to pull the knee across the front of the hips while they are in some degree of flexion, that is, trying to get the knee across the centreline of the hips. Different levels of flexion (i.e. none, flexed to 90 degrees, or flexed to being completely closed) and different levels of external rotation seem to affect different parts of the hip

Hi @Craig, I was wondering: did you ever film this stretch? Try as I might, I can't seem to successfully visualize it. It looks like it might be a useful variant on the piriformis stretch. Cheers!