Banded Spider Straddle Leg Opens
Flexopedia > Hip External Rotation
Banded Spider Straddle Leg Opens
Muscle Group Strengthened: Hip External Rotators, Glutes
Type of Stretch: Active Dynamic
Difficulty: All Levels
Suggested Prerequisites: none
This drill works on strengthening our hip external rotators while we’re in a straddle position. This helps support wider straddles and middle splits (because our rotator muscles help stabilize our hips in those positions), and deeper straddle pancake forward folds (because our hip rotators are what help tilt/rotate our hip bones forwards in our pancake stretch).
How To
Step 1
Start sitting on the floor with your legs splayed out to the sides knees slightly bent, feet planted wide (basically a straddle with your knees bent - I like to think of a bent knee straddle as a “spider” straddle). Loop a light/medium resistance band around one thigh, and use your hand to anchor the band down on the floor inside the leg (this will be our working leg). You want to pull on the band enough that the looped leg rotates inwards slightly, pulling the knee towards your midline, with a little bit of tension in the band. The other leg (the one without the band) can stay bent, or you can flatten it on the floor if you prefer.
Step 2
Keeping the foot of your working leg in the same spot (don’t let it slide), engage your outer hips to push the outside of your thigh into the band (against the resistance) as you try to push your knee towards the outside. This will rotate your thigh towards the outside (that’s our hip external rotation!).
Step 3
Once you’ve opened your working leg knee as far to the outside as you can (thigh externally rotated), relax the leg and let the band pull it back to the starting position (thigh internally rotated).
Repeat for 8-12 knee opens.
Modifications
Need to make it easier?
Use a lighter resistance band, or no band at all.
Bend the working leg knee more.
Hold the resistance band in place with your foot instead of your hand so you don’t have to lean forwards.
Sit on a yoga block (or two!)
Want to make it harder?
Widen your straddle (but still keep the working leg knee bent)
Bend the working leg knee a bit less (you need some knee bend to be able to push into the band for resistance, so don’t straighten it entirely).
Related Content
Flexopedia: Banded Windshield Wipers
Flexopedia: Pendulum Leg Swings
Blog Post: 6 Exercises for Hip Internal and External Rotation
