The Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) Can Cause Hip and Back Pain: Here are Some Ways to Help
WTFL???? What is the Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) The Tensor Fasciae Latae, or TFL to its friends, is a small muscle in the outside front of the hips that works very, very hard. The TFL is a multi-tasker. It does hip flexion, hip abduction, internal rotation, and it even internally rotates the lower leg through its attachment to the IT band. Because the TFL has so many abilities, it is often overworked. It’s just so easy for other muscles to lay back and let the TFL take over. The TFL is also
You Can Be a Bendy Badass with Any Body Type
“A cultural fixation on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty but an obsession about female obedience.” ― Naomi Wolf Sometimes I get my body type shamed. At the time of this writing I am just shy of 5’2”, 43 years old, and 138 lbs, which is on the upper side of what is considered a “normal” body type for my height. I have a lot of muscle—I can load up the leg press with 700 lbs and still get a good range of motion for 10 reps. I also have some
Ask Fit & Bendy 11: Backbend Flexibility Q&A
We just finished up another action-packed Q&A on back flexibility for the Worldwide Splitters' Network January Backbend Challenge. This one is jam packed with juicy tidbits on alignment, control, and how to backbend safely in various common poses.
What Should I Feel When I am Stretching?
You will learn to abandon, modify, or correct stretches that aren’t right for your body and find a deep joy in the stretches that are, even when they “hurt.” Listening to your body ensures that you are doing stretches that are good for you and helps you to enjoy your flexibility training instead of just suffering through it! One of the primary objections to a regular stretching practice is that stretching hurts. While there is no magic to prevent all challenging sensations from occurring during your stretches, it is important to distinguish
Casual Fridays: Musings on Warming Up
What is a warm-up? It is an essential part of your workout, so don't skip it! Your warm-up should serve the following fuctions: Move through your joints. Move through the full range of motion of every joint in your body paying particular attention to the joints that you use for your activity (if you are a dancer or aerialist that means all of them). This is not stretching, it is just moving and breaking up the stiffness that accumulates when we sleep or sit around. Get the body warm, of course.