Dr. Kelly Starrett

But if I'm squatting down and I stand up, people are like, I'm working on extension, working on extension all the time. I'm like, okay, now let's continue this extension conversation and bring that knee behind your butt into a lunge. And that's hip extension. And if there's one thing that I'm seeing across so many of the populations I work with

is we're starting to see changes and erosion in this fundamental expression of power. The only people we don't see it as are Olympic sprinters. And you'll see that pockets, like we work with the All Blacks, and we're obsessed on maintaining the hip extension of these very strong athletes because it means that they can run faster on the field.

is we're starting to see changes and erosion in this fundamental expression of power. The only people we don't see it as are Olympic sprinters. And you'll see that pockets, like we work with the All Blacks, and we're obsessed on maintaining the hip extension of these very strong athletes because it means that they can run faster on the field.

is we're starting to see changes and erosion in this fundamental expression of power. The only people we don't see it as are Olympic sprinters. And you'll see that pockets, like we work with the All Blacks, and we're obsessed on maintaining the hip extension of these very strong athletes because it means that they can run faster on the field.

Perfect. I'm going to use that same defense of petty cluster-ness, clustering the pettiness. I'm sorry, all the physical therapists out there, I haven't represented you in the way that you would like to be represented. I'll say, I'm just talking about my own experience.

Perfect. I'm going to use that same defense of petty cluster-ness, clustering the pettiness. I'm sorry, all the physical therapists out there, I haven't represented you in the way that you would like to be represented. I'll say, I'm just talking about my own experience.

Perfect. I'm going to use that same defense of petty cluster-ness, clustering the pettiness. I'm sorry, all the physical therapists out there, I haven't represented you in the way that you would like to be represented. I'll say, I'm just talking about my own experience.

Right. And I am trying to be very meticulous in my language today. I appreciate that. One of the things that we want to look at is, and this is a Philip Beach, Muscles and Meridians idea, is that there are contractile fields. And this goes along with, if we look at Thomas Meyer's Anatomy Trains, of seeing the system as a system of systems. So we start to look at your back and your erectors.

Right. And I am trying to be very meticulous in my language today. I appreciate that. One of the things that we want to look at is, and this is a Philip Beach, Muscles and Meridians idea, is that there are contractile fields. And this goes along with, if we look at Thomas Meyer's Anatomy Trains, of seeing the system as a system of systems. So we start to look at your back and your erectors.

Right. And I am trying to be very meticulous in my language today. I appreciate that. One of the things that we want to look at is, and this is a Philip Beach, Muscles and Meridians idea, is that there are contractile fields. And this goes along with, if we look at Thomas Meyer's Anatomy Trains, of seeing the system as a system of systems. So we start to look at your back and your erectors.

And then we tie that into the glutes. And then we tie that into the hamstrings to tie the calf. It's kind of almost wraps around the bottom of the foot, right? The plantar surface of the foot. So suddenly we're looking at this global system that's designed to create this mass extension position. locomotion, we start to lock some of those pieces down a little bit.

And then we tie that into the glutes. And then we tie that into the hamstrings to tie the calf. It's kind of almost wraps around the bottom of the foot, right? The plantar surface of the foot. So suddenly we're looking at this global system that's designed to create this mass extension position. locomotion, we start to lock some of those pieces down a little bit.

And then we tie that into the glutes. And then we tie that into the hamstrings to tie the calf. It's kind of almost wraps around the bottom of the foot, right? The plantar surface of the foot. So suddenly we're looking at this global system that's designed to create this mass extension position. locomotion, we start to lock some of those pieces down a little bit.

But one of the things that we've seen is that when you aren't competent in this position, your hamstrings, for example, have to do a lot more work because your butt is no longer working on hip extension. Your adductors are restricted and they're not bringing you back into flexion. So suddenly what we see is that your hamstrings are having to do the work of calf flexion,

But one of the things that we've seen is that when you aren't competent in this position, your hamstrings, for example, have to do a lot more work because your butt is no longer working on hip extension. Your adductors are restricted and they're not bringing you back into flexion. So suddenly what we see is that your hamstrings are having to do the work of calf flexion,

But one of the things that we've seen is that when you aren't competent in this position, your hamstrings, for example, have to do a lot more work because your butt is no longer working on hip extension. Your adductors are restricted and they're not bringing you back into flexion. So suddenly what we see is that your hamstrings are having to do the work of calf flexion,

But when your hamstrings are tight all the time, you don't have hip extension. So a simple test we do is called the couch stretch. And all you need to do is face a wall and turn away from the wall. So you're kneeling on the ground, hands and knees away from the wall. You're going to put one of your knees in the corner. So your foot is going straight up and down.

But when your hamstrings are tight all the time, you don't have hip extension. So a simple test we do is called the couch stretch. And all you need to do is face a wall and turn away from the wall. So you're kneeling on the ground, hands and knees away from the wall. You're going to put one of your knees in the corner. So your foot is going straight up and down.

But when your hamstrings are tight all the time, you don't have hip extension. So a simple test we do is called the couch stretch. And all you need to do is face a wall and turn away from the wall. So you're kneeling on the ground, hands and knees away from the wall. You're going to put one of your knees in the corner. So your foot is going straight up and down.

The knee is in the corner of the wall. And then I want you to see if you can squeeze your butt in that position. Still hands and knees, except one foot now is kind of in the corner, down the wall, going towards your butt. That's position one. And a lot of people are going to struggle with recruiting and activating their butt in that position because it's what I'm calling positionally inhibited.