A move you should do Monday - Long sitting test

This week, it’s the long sitting test. This isn’t a move that is really that functional, unless you get out of bed a funny way. But, it is a great test to see if your abdominal muscles are working.

If you are one of those people who has to slowly roll out of bed and push yourself up to standing because your back hurts, you may have difficulty with this move.

Why is this significant?

In order for you to go from supine (lying flat on your back) to long sitting (sitting up with your legs straight in front of you), your abdominal muscles must be working. For most people, the inability to do this isn’t because your abdominals are weak, but rather because they are inhibited by tight hip flexors. The hip flexors (psoas major) is the antagonist to the rectus abdominus, the muscle that is responsible for this move. If the psoas major is over activated, the rectus abdominus will be weak.

Is this fixable without doing a bunch of sit-ups?

Yes! And you should fix it to save yourself some back stiffness throughout the day. Watch this video to learn more about this. And if you want to really keep your hip flexors behaving, download our Wipe Out Tight Hip Flexor exercises.

Because nobody has time to be in pain.

Until next time…