How To Do A Banded Hip Extension (And Why)

Problem: the classic kneeling hip opener used by humans for ages does not account for the joint capsule, leaving a giant puzzle piece of tissue restriction on the table:

Solution: Hook the leg through a band, pull it up the butt crease, and create a little forward distraction. That tension force pulling the femur to the front of the hip socket idealizes the joint position, making it easier to mobilize all the musculature at the front of the hip structure.

With that in place, it's all about a little bit of play, moving through ranges of motion, dropping in isometrics, keeping the butt squeezed.

Drop this into your programming and see what it does to improve your hip extension!

Movement CHOICE is 🔑.

Without it we can see compensation, underperformance, pain, injury.

When thinking about the many ways we might squat as humans, access to rotation plays a big role. When in comes to missing range of motion, it's not just tight muscles that come into play. The joint capsule system accounts for a huge chunk of tissue restriction.

So, we want more movement choice when we squat and we know the joint capsule system demands consideration.

Enter the Hip Capusle Mobilization. We use the band to "distract" the hip into a good position, then play a bit – rocking, blocking, noodling in positions with that weight stacked over the front knee.

True story: Donnie Thompson used this technique to reclaim a better position and smash the World Record...after failing in his previous three attempts. The hip capsule mobilization was the ONLY thing he changed as he prepared for his fourth attempt.

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[AlanosaurusRex]

I don't see what the band is doing for the back leg in this position. If anything the hip and knee extensors on the front leg are resisting the pull of the band most.

[kevinorr]

I NEED some smart people to tell me how to bulletproof my reoccurring rib injuries. “Sprained ribs and old torn cartilage. Thank you.