Do you do any stretching?
[quote]Sxio wrote:
Do you do any stretching?
[/quote]
Well I don’t do any major stretching prior to the workout (static stretching that is) as I have read numerous times that it decreases performance and can increase injury of risk. I do however, do warmup sets as well as dynamic warmup/stretching eg. 5 minutes on an exercise bike. Proper stretching I do after the workout as well as throughout the day (a way to try increase NEPA).
Riding a bike isn’t dynamic stretching, but in your case, dynamic stretching is not a great idea.
If I were you I’d cut down all leg volume drastically and concentrate on increasing ROM gradually.
Pay special attention to the hip flexors.
But honestly, from every response you’ve made you sound like you have it covered, or you know what’s happening. If this is the case, go to a professional. Noone’s gonna be able to help you over a message board.
Can it be that one leg is taller than the other or something like that, rather than muscle imbalances?
I’m following this thread very closely since I have exactly the same problem with my squats. My right foot wanders backwards, and ends up in the same position as you describe.
[quote]Fred_129 wrote:
Can it be that one leg is taller than the other or something like that, rather than muscle imbalances?
I’m following this thread very closely since I have exactly the same problem with my squats. My right foot wanders backwards, and ends up in the same position as you describe. [/quote]
Interesting point. What I want to add is that I went to a podiatrist because I was continually getting corns on the bottom of my feet. He made up some in-steps (orthotics), during which I needed some X-Rays of my legs. He told me that they are slightly different in length but that this wasn’t the problem. He said it was how the bottom of the spine/trunk was holding the one leg that made it appear/feel shorter and contributed to the problem. As if the hip joint was slightly rotated, probably due to natural imbalance/weakness in the interal stabilizing muscles.
X
PS: another way to describe the imbalance: When doing a quad stretch such as the attached image, the left leg I can lift up without a problem or body movement. The right leg however only gets about halfway. I have to bend my knees and tilt my upper body to the right in order to catch the foot and pull it up all the way. That is why I always think of it as flexiblity related.
[quote]xenithon wrote:
Fred_129 wrote:
Can it be that one leg is taller than the other or something like that, rather than muscle imbalances?
I’m following this thread very closely since I have exactly the same problem with my squats. My right foot wanders backwards, and ends up in the same position as you describe.
Interesting point. What I want to add is that I went to a podiatrist because I was continually getting corns on the bottom of my feet. He made up some in-steps (orthotics), during which I needed some X-Rays of my legs. He told me that they are slightly different in length but that this wasn’t the problem. He said it was how the bottom of the spine/trunk was holding the one leg that made it appear/feel shorter and contributed to the problem. As if the hip joint was slightly rotated, probably due to natural imbalance/weakness in the interal stabilizing muscles.
X
PS: another way to describe the imbalance: When doing a quad stretch such as the attached image, the left leg I can lift up without a problem or body movement. The right leg however only gets about halfway. I have to bend my knees and tilt my upper body to the right in order to catch the foot and pull it up all the way. That is why I always think of it as flexiblity related.[/quote]
I was about to suggest something like that when I read this post. I used to have a similar problem with my right hip and it turned out to be related to a lower back issue. Slight subluxation of the L5 vertibrae caused my pelvis to tilt a little bit and throw off the one hip joint. If you have one around it might be worth going to a chiropractor. I went fairly regularly for a while and he sorted out my back beautifully (I actually had middle back and neck problems caused by a lack of support due to the low back issue). If it is a lower back issue you’d be amazed at how many other problems they can cause throughout the body.
Good luck man.
Jay
Just went through some of that after a lower back flare-up. The muscles stabilizing the right side of my pelvis were completely locked up, even after my back started to recover. I had good results just seeing a sports therapist and picking up some beginner pilates movements to help strengthen/develop my core.
I have this exact problem. I finally sought out a coach for help. He diagnosed the following problems:
- Inner abs not firing correctly.
- Ribs and thoracic area not flexible, especially on one side. (I know I am not explaining this well; see the stretching exercises for the thoracic area in “Feel better for 10 bucks.”)
- Gluteus medius not firing correctly.
He gave me a series of drills that I do every day to help get these muscles firing properly. Simple stuff like bodyweight one-leg deadlifts, doing crunches while pressing on my knees to create inner ab tension, and side leg lifts. Seems to have helped.
[quote]Rocket Lax wrote:
He gave me a series of drills that I do every day to help get these muscles firing properly. Simple stuff like bodyweight one-leg deadlifts, doing crunches while pressing on my knees to create inner ab tension, and side leg lifts. Seems to have helped.[/quote]
Hey guys. Thanks for the great info. I actually totaly forgot about the hip and vertebra issue which was found in the podiatrist X-ray. I am sure that many issues can be caused by this, even though they may seem unrelated.
I have got an appointment next week with a chiro. Still have the X-rays from a few months back so hopefully those and some observation by the chiro can give insight into possible problems and solutions.
Rocket Lax - any chance you could jot down some of those drills you did? I am currently alternating every 2-3 days of doing posture exercises from T-Nation articles, and hip-flexor drills from other articles. If your drills are different I could have a day dedicated to that, until my chiro tells me otherwise 
X
Hi Guys. One more question I had: I have devised a set of drills to do every 1-2 days to build strength and flexibility in the hip-flexor, psoas etc. based on info I got from these posts, as well as articles on the site about “getting the butt into gear” and “caveman no more” etc. Should I try and work my right side (problem side) a bit more than the left?
X
BUMP…any idea about working one side more than the other?