Becoming a Supple Leopard

Mobility is one of those things you never pay attention to until the day you walk into the gym and realize you've lost some of it. Will have to check this out. For the first time ever, I injured my back and hip flexor doing some heavy leg press work. For years I have been walking in to the gym with like 4 to 5 minutes of warm up and then straight to power cleans or squats and never so much as pulled a muscle. This time, though, I eased the weight down on the leg press and I felt Satan run me through with a rusty pitchfork through my lower back. I know what caused it too. And the lowest loaded portion of the leg press movement, I tried for max range of motion (as I've always done) and my hips rolled up under me as I brought my knees to my chest. Something got hyper extended and- bam- no squats, deadlifts or back work for 4 weeks.
 
JBS said:
Mobility is one of those things you never pay attention to until the day you walk into the gym and realize you've lost some of it. Will have to check this out. For the first time ever, I injured my back and hip flexor doing some heavy leg press work. For years I have been walking in to the gym with like 4 to 5 minutes of warm up and then straight to power cleans or squats and never so much as pulled a muscle. This time, though, I eased the weight down on the leg press and I felt Satan run me through with a rusty pitchfork through my lower back. I know what caused it too. And the lowest loaded portion of the leg press movement, I tried for max range of motion (as I've always done) and my hips rolled up under me as I brought my knees to my chest. Something got hyper extended and- bam- no squats, deadlifts or back work for 4 weeks.
Click to expand...
Sounds like it could be your psoas also. I was getting a "pinching" sensation while doing squats. Air squats all the way up to heavy 1RM work. I always thought it was my hips based on the location of the pain. Nothing I did helped. Then, asked one of my CF coaches. "It's your psoas, do this..." 5 minutes later I was pain free.
Just my $.02
YMMV
 
I never knew there was even such a thing as a psoas. Thanks for the tip. In any case, I'm about 99.9% better now. I found a Reiki master / deep tissue masseuse who weighed about 94lbs, but with a grip like King Kong. I never knew it was possible for someone with a bodyweight in the double digits to produce so much force with her grip. She's a California girl with a headband and crystals (who walks barefoot everywhere) who did all kinds of massage and hot rocks and everything else I didn't ask for- took my leg and and turned it 180 degrees in my hip socket. She was like, "does this hurt?", and I was, "hell yeah". She was like, "it's supposed to." I dunno. But I'm squatting again. I'm just afraid of a possibility of recurrence, so I'm laying off the 1RM for a while.


SkrewzLoose said:
Sounds like it could be your psoas also. I was getting a "pinching" sensation while doing squats. Air squats all the way up to heavy 1RM work. I always thought it was my hips based on the location of the pain. Nothing I did helped. Then, asked one of my CF coaches. "It's your psoas, do this..." 5 minutes later I was pain free.
Just my $.02
YMMV
Click to expand...
 
SkrewzLoose said:
Sounds like it could be your psoas also. I was getting a "pinching" sensation while doing squats. Air squats all the way up to heavy 1RM work. I always thought it was my hips based on the location of the pain. Nothing I did helped. Then, asked one of my CF coaches. "It's your psoas, do this..." 5 minutes later I was pain free.
Just my $.02
YMMV
Click to expand...
What did you do?
 
SkrewzLoose said:
Sounds like it could be your psoas also. I was getting a "pinching" sensation while doing squats. Air squats all the way up to heavy 1RM work. I always thought it was my hips based on the location of the pain. Nothing I did helped. Then, asked one of my CF coaches. "It's your psoas, do this..." 5 minutes later I was pain free.
Just my $.02
YMMV
Click to expand...
Btw, Skrewz, you were spot on in your assessment. I jumped the gun and went heavy on DL probably 90% of 1RM and felt a twinge in the same area. Had it checked out with a sports therapist; it's the psoas.
 
I would be lying if I said I didn't think a "supple leopard" wasn't an especially flexible sub-type of cougar.
 
devilbones said:
What did you do?
Click to expand...

Get a softball, lay on your stomach and place the softball 1 inch over and 1 inch down from your belly button, move it around a bit until you find the sweet spot. So...lying on your stomach with the softball placed at the proper coordinates, you start doing "butt kickers". Pulling your heel to your butt by bending the leg at the knee. This is where you'll find the best spot for the ball because you'll be able to feel it. Yes, you'll be working out kinks in a muscle in your back by going through your stomach. It works, trust me. I do it every day now for about 2-3 minutes.

TLDR: Lay on stomach with softball 1" over/1" down from the belly button, put weight on the ball and bend your leg backwards at the knee. BAM!

JBS said:
Btw, Skrewz, you were spot on in your assessment. I jumped the gun and went heavy on DL probably 90% of 1RM and felt a twinge in the same area. Had it checked out with a sports therapist; it's the psoas.
Click to expand...
Just passing on some knowledge I picked up when nothing else seemed to work. I was convinced it was my hips until I talked to someone who know WTF they were talking about... Glad you got it cleared up!
 

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