Dr. Kelly Starrett

We want to see that tendon in a movement system.

Because that tendon oftentimes is just putting up with your crap.

It's actually doing the job of like three things.

Like, for example, we have a simple test called the couch stretch.

Have you ever done the couch stretch?

You put your knee in the corner.

Okay, okay.

So it's basically just a real simple assessment of some hip extension that...

So if you were kneeling facing away from the wall, you put your knee in the corner.

So your foot is going up the wall and then you bring your other leg up into a high kneeling position, right?

So it's kind of like a lunge, but your leg is really bent and going up the wall.

So it's a short lever lunge position.

And what we're looking for there is can you get your back upright without banana backing, without just kind of arching?

Can you take a breath there?

And then can you squeeze your butt there?

And what we often find is that people are so restricted in their quads, they can't even get into that test position.

because they're so restricted for whatever reason, but also it inhibits their ability to squeeze their butt.

So what we see is sometimes when people are missing hip extension, because this is really a simple test of looking at what the tissues should be able to do as we move towards extension, getting that knee behind my butt like a lunge or a run,

that butt gets inhibited because the quads are tight, the pelvis tips over, whatever reason.

The brain is basically like, we can't fire that glute against this resistance.