At the start, I outlined how I had allowed my desk job to cause my posture to deteriorate such that I developed an overly excessive lumbar lordosis and an accompanying anterior pelvic tilt.  I explained that I was going to attack this problem with several different techniques, including:

• Stretching
• Soft tissue work
• Activation drills
• Strength exercises

What I haven’t done yet is to set out the programme that I’ve been following that involves all of these techniques.

My hip mobility programme

This is the programme I am doing at the moment.  It is by necessity slightly shorter than I would like but there are only so many hours in the day.  If I catch myself lying on the sofa for more than a few minutes in an evening, I will often get up and do an impromptu mobility session.  But it’s rare that this happens…

Every morning

Soft tissue work

• roll psoas major with baseball
• roll quads with foam roller
• roll adductors will foam roller
• roll tensor fascia latae with foam roller

What tends to happen here is that I grab both the baseball and the foam roller and lie down on the carpet.  I use the baseball on the psoas major for a bit and then switch to the foam roller to do my quads.  After that, I will generally do the adductors and the tensor fasciae latae on the same leg before swapping legs.  It just seems to be more efficient that way.

I will usually count the number of rolls back and forth rather than counting seconds and I try for around 10 good rolls per exercise, which probably takes around 30 seconds. 

Stretching

• lunge stretch
• standing lunge stretch
• groin stretches

Once I’ve rolled, I go on to stretching. I always do soft tissue work before I stretch.  The sports massage therapists that I have worked with in the past advised this.  I understand that the reason is that it is better to stretch a  muscle once it has had the knots removed rather than trying to stretch a knotted muscle.  I would like to spend longer stretching but this is where my time starts to get short.

At the moment, I am only doing each stretch once on each leg for 30 seconds each.  Ideally, I would prefer to do each stretch 3 times.

Activation drills

• Plate squats

I outlined a number of activation drills for the glutes and the abs but I also mentioned that I don’t tend to do many any more.  This is mostly because I do quite a lot of glute and ab strengthening work in my programmes.  I do, however, really like the way the plate squat feels.  My whole posterior chain seems to work more efficiently after doing this drill.

I usually just grab a plate as I get up from the stretches and do 5 reps going as low as I can without tucking my lower back.  As you might have guessed from my reference to carpet earlier in the article, I do this programme in my bedroom before getting in the shower in the morning.  So there is a mirror I can use to check my form.

Strength exercises

• Weighted pistols
• Weighted glute bridges 
• Weighted hanging leg raises

I have incorporated the above strengthening exercises into my regular workouts.  The weighted pistols are reportedly one of the best exercises for working the glutes and I definitely feel the weighted glute bridges in the right place!  Weighted hanging leg raises are the only specific abdominal exercise that I really feel in my abs (I do feel my abs after picking up a sandbag but that’s another matter).  You can see how I do these exercises in my workouts posts (and they tend to vary from month to month) but at the moment I am doing:

• Weighted pistols – 10 sets of 3 reps on 1:30mins with 25kg
• Weighted glute bridges - 10 sets of 4 reps on 1:00min with 50kg
• Weighted hanging leg raises – 10 sets of 3 reps on 1:00min with 2kg

Well, that’s what I’m doing at the moment.  I’m going to start assessing my improvement soon and I’ll let you know how it goes!

• Stretching
• Soft tissue work
• Activation drills
• Strength training

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Strength training for increased hip mobility

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve allowed my posture to deteriorate recently and I was shocked at how bad it had become when I saw my holiday snaps (check out the lower back arch!).

To reduce the classic “S” curve that I have developed, I am working on increasing the strength of the two muscle groups that will tip my pelvis into optimal alignment again, the abdominals and the glutes.

Not a good look

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Strength training for improving hip mobility and lumbar lordosis

When it comes to improving my hip mobility and reducing lumbar lordosis, I am looking to increase the strength of my abdominal and gluteal muscles  in order to change my posture and overall movement patterns.  I want to make the abdominal and gluteal muscles stronger so that they tend to pull my pelvis out of anterior tilt and into optimal alignment.

For the glutes, the best exercises I know of that strengthen the glutes are the weighted pistol and the weighted glute bridge. For more reading about this, Mike Reinold has some interesting data that he has reviewed that shows that single leg squats are the most effective exercises for recruiting the glutes.  For the abdominals, the best exercise I have ever used (and the only one that I ever feel in my abs) is the weighted hanging leg raise. 

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Weighted pistols

You know what pistols are.  A true weighted pistol would be a pistol on the ground while holding dumbbell (or kettlebell or weight plate).  I tend to do mine off a 12″ box for two reasons.

Firstly, it means I can be a bit more relaxed about where I hold the weights, which helps me with balance (I used to be a swimmer, so on dry land I am about as useful as a penguin).  I tend to hold them out forwards and slightly lower than I would if I were doing a pistol off the ground.

Secondly, it means I can be a bit more relaxed about where the inactive leg goes, so it tends to drop a bit.  This means that I concentrate on the lift rather than holding one leg up in the air.  It is also much better for my lower back as the easier angle means that there is less lumbar rounding.

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Weighted glute bridges

These are just like the unweighted glute bridges I mentioned in my article about activation drills.  But with weight.

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Weighted hanging leg raises 

I was over the moon the first time I did a fully straight-legged hanging leg raise from a pull-up bar.

But when I discovered that it was possible to weight them using little more than a climbing sling and a dumbbell weight plate, that opened a whole new world.  Basically, you double up and loop a standard 2ft sling through a small dumbbell weight and then put your feet through the loops like this.

Try them if you find hanging leg raises too easy.  You’ll be amazed at how far a little weight goes when it’s suspended at the end of your legs…

• Stretching
• Soft tissue work
• Activation drills
• Strength exercises

Activation drills for increased hip mobility

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve allowed my posture to deteriorate recently and I was shocked at how bad it had become when I saw my holiday snaps (check out the lower back arch!).

Activation drills are of limited help to me this time around as I’ve done them a lot before.  However, I am doing them to a certain degree so I’m including them in this series.

 And as I mentioned before, I know I need to work on my upper back too but one thing at a time!

Activation drills for improving hip mobility and lumbar lordosis

When it comes to improving my hip mobility and reducing lumbar lordosis, I am looking to wake up my abdominal and gluteal muscles  in order to change my posture and overall movement patterns.  I want to make the abdominal and gluteal muscles fire so that they tend to pull my pelvis out of anterior tilt and into optimal alignment.

For the glutes, the best exercises I know of that help to activate the right muscles and enforce proper movement patterns are the plate squat, the glute bridge and the clam.  The plate squat is great for grooving the right movement and the glute bridge and the clam are better for actually forcing the glute muscle to work.  Together, they are a good combination!

Plate squats

As it says on the tin, you squat while holding a plate.  Only go as deep as you can safely without rounding the lower back.  A friend who can shout when your lower back dips comes in handy here…

Glute bridges

Lying on your back, you clench your glutes and push your hips towards the ceiling.  Hold the bridge for a couple of seconds to really activate the glutes.

Clams

This remarkably well-named exercise basically involves just opening and closing your legs while lying on your side.

Leg lowering

This looks so easy until you try and do it properly, i.e. without allowing your lower back to come away from the floor.  You lie on your back and extend both legs slightly so that you form a sitting position but horizontally, like in the first picture below.  Then try extending one leg slightly, while tensing your abdominal muscles.  When you feel your lower back start coming away from the floor, stop and pull your leg back slightly.  Pause for a moment and then try the other leg.

When you can do each leg on its own easily, try both legs at the same time.  But watch out for that lower back!

For all these drills, I tend to do a couple of sets of each for a couple of reps until I start to feel the movement.  Since I’m not really looking to build strength with these, I don’t do fixed sets and reps to progress.

• Stretching
• Soft tissue work
• Activation drills
• Strength exercises

Soft tissue work for increased hip mobility

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve allowed my posture to deteriorate recently and I was shocked at how bad it had become when I saw my holiday snaps (check out the lower back arch!).  I’m cross with myself and I’m ready to be a bit more aggressive with sorting the problem out.  Soft tissue work is going to be one of the tools I use to help.

Having said that, just thinking about being aggressive with soft tissue work is bringing tears to my eyes, but hey, I shouldn’t have let things get so bad in the first place…

 And as I mentioned before, I know I need to work on my upper back too but one thing at a time!

Soft tissue work for improving hip mobility and lumbar lordosis

When it comes to improving my hip mobility and reducing lumbar lordosis, I am looking to create an improvement in the tissue quality in order to change my posture and overall movement patterns.  I want to remove any knots and scar tissue in the muscles so that the muscles lengthen and relax.  I want to allow my hips to move more freely so that the movement that occurs when I flex or extend my legs at the hip happens at the hip and not at the lower back.

So when I bring my knee up (in starting sprinting or stepping up) then my lower back doesn’t round outwards.  And when I extend my leg behind me (in jumping or as the tail leg in sprinting) then my lower back doesn’t sway forwards (as in the photo above).

What muscles are we working on?

The hip flexors.  And remember there are more than just two!  There are quite a few hip flexors, and they include:

• Iliacus
• Psoas major
• Rectus femoris
• Sartorius
• Tensor fascia lata
• Pectineus

The adductors, which contribute to hip flexion:

• Adductor longus
• Adductor brevis
• Adductor magnus
• Gracilis

Bascially, anything on the front of the leg and in the front of the groin acts to flex the hip in some way shape or form.  Look down in the bath and you’ll see them (unless you bathe in milk, in which case you won’t be able to).

Soft tissue work for hip mobility

For these soft tissue techniques, you will need a hard ball, like a baseball or a hockey ball, and a foam roller.  These are my tools of torture:

Psoas major

I’m using a hockey ball or baseball to roll the psoas major.  I have already noticed results with this technique and it doesn’t seem to hurt as much as, say, rolling the tensor fascia lata with the foam roller…

Rectus femoris

I’m using the foam roller to roll my rectus femoris.  It doesn’t really seem to hurt so I suspect there aren’t many knots.

Sartorius, pectineus and adductors

I’m using the foam roller for these simply because I can’t seem to get the ball to work properly.

Tensor fascia lata (TFL)

This is my nemesis.  It brings tears to my eyes and it is showing no signs of getting any better.  Watch this space.

I tend to work into the muscle until I find where the knots are.  I put pressure on the knot until it relaxes under the roller or the ball and then move on.  It’s a lot harder than it sounds to do.

• Stretching
• Soft tissue work
• Activation drills
• Strength exercises

Stretching for increased hip mobility

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve allowed my posture to deteriorate recently and I was shocked at how bad it had become when I saw my holiday snaps (check out the lower back arch!).  I’m cross with myself and I’m ready to be a bit more aggressive with sorting the problem out.  Stretching is going to be one of the tools I use to help.

 And for the avoidance of doubt, I’m not in denial about my upper back curving over but I’ll talk about straightening that out another day!

But isn’t stretching bad for you?

Since I can remember, there have been experts debating the pro’s and cons of stretching muscles.  Some argue that stretching is always bad for you and you shouldn’t do it.  However, most of the time, the argument for not stretching just relates to pre-workout or pre-game stretching.  These people argue that stretching should not be done as a warm-up as it has a negative effect on performance but don’t they comment on stretching for changing movement patterns or for postural improvement.

This article published in the New York Times quotes Malachy McHugh, the director of research at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who says:

“There is a neuromuscular inhibitory response to static stretching.  The straining muscle becomes less responsive and stays weakened for up to 30 minutes after stretching.”

So, for example, stretching your calves or hamstrings before a run would be frowned upon.  As would stretching your latissimus before doing pull ups or your triceps before doing dips.

Stretching for improving hip mobility and lumbar lordosis

When it comes to improving my hip mobility and reducing lumbar lordosis, I am looking to create a permament change in muscle length in order to change my posture and overall movement patterns.  I want to allow my hips to move more freely so that the movement that occurs when I flex or extend my legs at the hip happens at the hip and not at the lower back.

So when I bring my knee up (in starting sprinting or stepping up) then my lower back doesn’t round outwards.  And when I extend my leg behind me (in jumping or as the tail leg in sprinting) then my lower back doesn’t sway forwards (as in the photo above).

What muscles are we stretching?

The hip flexors.  I wasn’t going to get too geeky here but I was doing a bit of reading around hip mobility to see whether there were any different stretches I could do from the ones I already knew.  During my research, I kept reading articles in which authors referred to the hip flexors as the iliacus and the psoas as if there are only two hip flexors.  For the record, there are quite a few hip flexors, and they include:

• Iliacus
• Psoas major
• Rectus femoris
• Sartorius
• Tensor fascia lata
• Pectineus

The adductors, which contribute to hip flexion:

• Adductor longus
• Adductor brevis
• Adductor magnus
• Gracilis

Bascially, anything on the front of the leg and in the front of the groin acts to flex the hip in some way shape or form.  Look down in the bath and you’ll see them (unless you wear clothes in the bath, for some reason).

Stretches for hip mobility

Lunge

Lunge forwards with one foot and allow the other knee to drop down (gently) onto the ground.  Keeping your pelvis in alignment (i.e. don’t allow your lower back to arch – you may need to tense your abs quite hard to achieve this), push your elevated knee forwards.  Repeat on each side.

Standing lunge

As above, but in a semi-standing position.  Keep the back foot at a slight angle to stretch the groin muscles a bit more.  Repeat on each side.

Groin stretch

A stretch I learned to do studying martial arts as a child, I feel this quite acutely in my groin and I’m hoping that is a good thing!  Very simply, lunge sideways and drop the body over one foot.  Repeat on each side.  There are a couple of variants to this stretch and I have shown two of these below.  The variants shown are heel on the floor and side of the foot on the floor.  I haven’t quite got my toes vertical in the first picture but hopefully, you get the idea.

I tend to hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds or until I feel the muscles relax.  In an ideal world, I’d do each one 3 times but I usually stop after 2 from sheer boredom.  Unfortunately, there is always something more interesting to do than stretching but at the moment it’s probably the thing I need most.

In my two-part article on maintaining shoulder health, I covered:

• how soft tissue rolling is great for shoulder health; and
• how improving your thoracic mobility will do wonders for your shoulder dysfunction.

However, I didn’t mention that you can also develop an overly mobile lower back and tight hip muscles from sitting typing all day.  While the dangers aren’t as immediately obvious, they do have an impact on our long-term health and ability to lift.

What sort of back problems? 

Sitting down all day can cause two connected problems:

• lumbar lordosis (where the lower back sags forward too much); and
• anterior pelvic tilt (which can lead to tight hip muscles)

Lumbar what?

Lumbar lordosis is where your lower back caves in and your belly sags forward.  Imagine an old Italian man at the beach in his speedos and you probably get the idea.

Sitting down regularly with poor posture, slumping in other words, causes your lower back to get more mobile and your hip muscles get shorter and tighter.  For more details on this, see Mike Robertson’s article on force couples.  Your upper back hunches over and, when you stand up, this causes your lower back to round inwards to compensate.

Anterior pelvic what?

Anterior pelvic tilt is an anatomical extension of lumbar lordosis to include the hips as well as the spine.  If you look at the angle of the pelvis of someone with lumbar lordosis, the pelvis is usually angled towards the ground in front of them.  So their hip muscles get shorter and tighter.

Typically, if they are wearing a belt, that means that their buckle at the front will be lower than the back of the belt. 

OK, but it’s hard to imagine.  Give us a picture.

Very well.  This is a picture of me at the beach, not concentrating on my posture.  You can see how my lower back is arching forwards really badly and my hips are tilted forwards.  I am going to start a programme to sort this out.  I need more hip mobility and more lumbar stability.

Why are lower back mobility and hip inflexibility bad?

They stop hip drive while weightlifting.

Lumbar lordosis and anterior pelvic tilt don’t allow the body to function in the way it is intended.  Most anatomists believe that the majority of the body’s explosive force should come from hip drive.  The pivot should be the hips.

The hips should be mobile and the surrounding joints and muscles should be stable.  This position allows the major muscles (glutes, quads, hamstrings) to contribute the most amount of force about the fulcrum. 

If you have lumbar lordosis and anterior pelvic tilt, the reverse is true.  You have a mobile lower back and tight hip muscles.  This means that what your body does to mimic hip drive is actually lower back or trunk drive.  Your knees probably have to move more too.  Lower back drive is a poor second cousin to hip drive in terms of power and it’s also generally believed to be bad for your health.  The lower back can only stand so much flexion and extension before it pops.

In particular, a mobile lower back makes it very hard for the glutes to provide any power.  It’s like having a baseball bat with a floppy handle.  Or something like that.

Further reading

I’m not an expert, so check out these great interviews with Mr Lower Back himself, Dr Stuart McGill:

• By Eric Cressey
• By Marc Demers Part 2
• By Marc Demers Part 1

What can be done about it?  

There are four main techniques that I am going to use to get some hip mobility back.  They are:

• Stretching
• Soft tissue work (e.g. foam rolling and rolling with a ball)
• Activation of glutes
• Strengthening of abdominals

I’ll do posts on each of these topics over the next couple of weeks as I sort my own corrective programme out.