Tight hips? Here’s your answer. The couch stretch is a daily habit for many of my athletes and can make a huge difference in not only mobility and injury prevention, but also performance.
WHY DO THE COUCH STRETCH?
The couch stretch is one of my all-time favorite mobility drills to open up the hip flexors, quads, and anterior (front) side of the body. Jumping, sprinting, squatting, and other major movement patterns are notorious for tightening up the lower body and creating stiffness in the hips.
Not only do all of these movements require a lot of power from the hips, but most people outside of training tend to spend a lot of time seated. Whether driving, or typing, flexion at the hip flexor (when you create a 90 degree angle between hip and thigh) tightens up all these frontal muscles. The less mobility you have in this area however, the smaller your range of motion and the less power you can produce through each rep. That’s why some type of mobility should be a part of your daily routine as an athlete.
By utilizing the couch stretch as a regular tool in your mobility and recovery routine, you keep the muscles of your hips, quads, and hips flexible and ready for any movement pattern you go through.
How to do the couch stretch?
To set up for the couch stretch, grab a knee pad or something to support your knee and head to the wall. Come to a half kneeling position just in from of the wall with the right foot flat on the floor and the left knee on the floor. Sit up tall and bring the knee pad below that left knee. Position the left foot now so that the bottom of the foot is close to your butt and the front of the foot is against the wall.
Continue to sit up tall to extend the torso. As you do you’ll feel an even greater stretch in the quad and hip flexor. You can make this stretch even more intense by lifting the left arm up into the air. You can watch how to do the couch stretch here.
Programming
Use this stretch after a warm-up so you’re nice and warm, but before you get into speed or strength work.
Perform 2-3 rounds of 30 seconds on each side. Go through a full rehab session here.
Common issues:
Avoid pushing too far, too fast. Ease into this stretch and allow your body to progress through the stretch gradually. Take slow, deep breaths through the nose to relax the sympathetic NS.
To become the strongest version of yourself you’ll need…
- Plyometrics
- Absolute Strength Training Modalities
- Speed Mechanics Drill
- Elastic Strength Training Protocols
- Advanced Core Stability Training
And a bunch more.
Thousands of athletes are currently using the Athletic Speed System to receive all those tools, and sprint faster than ever before.
If you’re serious about your speed, you should probably be doing the same.
You can find more info on Athletic Speed System below:
