Tight glutes

Hi everybody.

I just started GST and I like it so far! :-)

My glutes are very tight to the point, where I will fail to make any progress very soon if I dont increase their mobility.

Can any one help me with good stretches/mobility exercises? Please note duration, sets, reps etc.

Thank you!

Steffen

Have you begun the stretch courses yet?

Yes, all three and I think it is very limited focus on the glutes. 

But I have found some good exercises elsewhere, so it is starting to improve :-)

It took a really long time for me before my glutes started to release. I just completed the MSs and I really felt my glutes release this time. I actually never felt it like that before. When the did release it allowed my to get deeper into the stretch. I think, in my case anyway, that they are staying tight trying to protect my back because the body is unsure what to thing of the new range of motion. I still don't feel much in the piriformis stretch but even it is getting a little better. I usually will pause the audio on the stretch series until I feel like I am in position and then I will hit play again. That way I am not fumbling around trying to find the correct positon where I feel it and waste a bunch of time. I listen to it on my phone so its right by me allowing easy access to pause and play.

That sounds interesting, it would be nice if it happened for my glutes too :-)

Thanks for sharing!

I also do piriformis and glute stretches in addition to stretch. I agree with you that it doesnt target them very well, but its awesome for everything else. If you have tight glutes it also puts extra pressure on the lower back which you don't want. If you feel your lower back after stretch, you should review your form, especially looking at pancake progressions.

Can I see the MNse6 please?

I am only at the stage of MNpe 5 so I can't really show you that :-)

Any progress on tips for tight glutes? I always end up feeling a pinch in the lateral glute after hip opening exercises (swivel hips, skier squats, ISO middle stretch, etc.). I do the piriformis stretch but am so stiff in my knees that I can't get very deep to where I can feel a serious stretch (so I end up infinitely augmenting this stretch to try and 'feel' it better).

Maybe rolling on a tennis ball would help ?

9 hours ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

Any progress on tips for tight glutes? I always end up feeling a pinch in the lateral glute after hip opening exercises (swivel hips, skier squats, ISO middle stretch, etc.). I do the piriformis stretch but am so stiff in my knees that I can't get very deep to where I can feel a serious stretch (so I end up infinitely augmenting this stretch to try and 'feel' it better).

 

Hi Daniel,

I'm having very similar issues. What I think helps is rolling on a tennis ball or similar immediately before getting into the piriformis stretch. I started doing that only recently but it feels like it's helping with getting piriformis stretch. My glutes for sure have been much more sore afterwards.

I have been rolling on a lacrosse ball at least two times a day for the past couple weeks me I am noticing a huge improvement. Feels much better

If you're considering or already using a tennis ball as a myofascial release tool for your butt, two things to keep in mind:

1) Your piriformis may not be the only muscle that needs help. When your hip is flexed, femurs externally rotated and abducted such in pancake work, the other deep external rotator muscles are or should be working pretty hard. Make sure to scan other spots lower than piriformis, between your sacrum and closer to your femur (greater trochanter) where those hip external rotator muscles insert.

2) You may want to place the ball on a yoga block or elevated surface (like a step platform or shallow box) so you have more angles to navigate the areas in question. I prefer using a bigger ball and dig in gently with a broader contact surface first, for a more enjoyable experience. Sometimes, less a aggressive approach does the trick with connective tissue.

Been doing a supine piriformis stretch and reading in supine pigeon (both yoga poses) and they've been tremendously effective. Think I got overzealous of the ready-made daily limber and slacked on my intermittent yoga limbering (which to be fair focuses on glute stretches a lot more). So going to keep on it and see how it goes with MSs this Friday.

Regarding the best tool to dig and release your piriformis, all the glutes, TFL, and even great for the hamstrings—even better than tennis/lacrosse or softball… The SuperNova blue ball from Rogue fitness. It's a firm plastic, with many different dents/peaks on the surface so it gets the tissue really beautifully. A little pricy, but so worth it. I think that's the only place you can find it, Rogue's website. I carry the ball in my purse everywhere with me. All my clients/athletes call it horri-ball   :-) It's that great. 

Do not work on glutes with tennis ball or hard ball. if you push against a nerve with the risk of damage you will obtain only higher pain then before. glutes needs months of not years in order to be correctly mobilized. 

3 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Do not work on glutes with tennis ball or hard ball. if you push against a nerve with the risk of damage you will obtain only higher pain then before. glutes needs months of not years in order to be correctly mobilized. 

 

Well, that solves that. I've been doing various yoga poses that aren't too intense throughout my day to keep it loose and limber. I tried using a lacrosse ball one night, but I woke up to a more sore glute (so intuitively I stopped doing it). I do try the piriformis stretch, but my mobility really limits me from getting deep enough to where I can feel it in my glutes (so for now I the "fake piriformis" stretch as @Coach Sommer refers to it), until one day, eventually, in the distant future, when I can drop down into the stretch appropriately. 

Well think that i'm working on piriformis at least since one year before the stretch course release.

18 hours ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

Well, that solves that. I've been doing various yoga poses that aren't too intense throughout my day to keep it loose and limber. I tried using a lacrosse ball one night, but I woke up to a more sore glute (so intuitively I stopped doing it). I do try the piriformis stretch, but my mobility really limits me from getting deep enough to where I can feel it in my glutes (so for now I the "fake piriformis" stretch as @Coach Sommer refers to it), until one day, eventually, in the distant future, when I can drop down into the stretch appropriately. 

for periformis i noticed that the more i extend the rear leg(like a front split ) the more i can get deeper in it first i was trying the MSS periformis stretch then when alex mentionned the other variations i started doing it first it was difficult and session after an other it became easier 

12 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Well think that i'm working on piriformis at least since one year before the stretch course release.

@Alessandro Mainente may I ask what it is you do to work on the glutes? Obviously for limbering and flexibility, strengthwise, the SLS. Progressions are pretty well laid out.

Usually tight glutes are confused or better...masked by very tight posterior hips capsule, that's the fact. in order to mobilize the capsule I needed years somply because I did sports without exploring this range of motion. personally for me the piriformis variation of the stretch course at different angles was the solution, every single day for 10 minutes at least.

2 hours ago, Oussama KHELLADI said:

for periformis i noticed that the more i extend the rear leg(like a front split ) the more i can get deeper in it first i was trying the MSS periformis stretch then when alex mentionned the other variations i started doing it first it was difficult and session after an other it became easier 

I've too noticed this helps feel the stretch more. I try to reach the trailing leg further back, straightening as much as possible without compromising the form.

21 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Usually tight glutes are confused or better...masked by very tight posterior hips capsule, that's the fact. in order to mobilize the capsule I needed years somply because I did sports without exploring this range of motion. personally for me the piriformis variation of the stretch course at different angles was the solution, every single day for 10 minutes at least.

noted thanks 

20 hours ago, Greg White said:

I've too noticed this helps feel the stretch more. I try to reach the trailing leg further back, straightening as much as possible without compromising the form.

also i add that every time i get deeper the hips turn out a little so i manage to turn it back to be square so i dont mess up the form

SO, after taking great care to not aggravate or strain my glutes/piriformis during my Middle Split Series stretch today, I inadvertently did exactly that during the ISO middle split stretch. What I came to realize is that that that stretch has likely caused a lot of issues (as well as also over relying on my glutes in other pancake work). To avoid this in future sessions what would be the best course of action? Reduce ROM until I feel the ISO middle split stretch only in my adductors or continue to work on my glutes so that they will be less likely to cramp during this stretch. Regardless, I will continue to work on my glutes/piriformis since the piriformis stretch (from MSs, as well) is still not to a respectable degree of flexibility, but I want to walk away from my MSs session without my glutes feeling cramped and tight, which has almost always been the case. Thoughts?