Psoas Press

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31st Extended -- Psoas Press

Use this SMR exercise AFTER the Quads Roll. 

This SMR exercise is to address the knots in your Iliopsoas group, primarily the psoas muscle.

If you have tightness or discomfort in your hip or lower back, then this exercise is likely to help.

Although not immediately obvious, this one SMR exercise can provide you with relief of thigh, hip, and lower/mid-back dysfunctions.

The Iliopsoas Group (and the psoas in particular) is the most influential collection of hip & spine flexors in the body and therefore they are the most influential muscles in the body.

You should do this SMR exercise at least once every 2 weeks. (more often is better) If you have psoas tension you should be doing the Supported Corpse Stretch every single day until that tension is gone. Practicing the Psoas Press first, then the Supported Corpse is an effective one-two punch for hip flexor tension and lower back pain.

For written instructions, click here to download a printable PDF of the Psoas Press

For our downloadable video instruction, click here

Click here to see the rest of the SMR Techniques.

Be sure to post your questions and comments below. We want to provide the best instruction to help you recover from your workouts.

**All information is provided for educational purposes only. You should consult your doctor before attempting any exercises you read on this page or any page on this website.** 

2 thoughts on “Psoas Press”

  1. Hi Jeff,
    I have a very, very deep lordotic curve which I am trying to correct because my lower back is constantly tight and is causing me discomfort. The left side of my psoas is extremely sensitive and tight. Can I do the psoas press daily as long as I don’t experience any negative effects in my hips and lower back?

    I have many areas in my legs, lower/upper back, and hips that I can tell require a LOT of SMR. How many different muscle groups do you recommend doing in one day? My quads feel absolutely great after rolling on them but I haven’t had any releases yet. I feel like I could do this stuff all day but don’t want to overtrain and reverse my progress!

    -Ryan

  2. Ryan, If your muscles respond by getting LESS sensitive and you can move better each time you practice rolling our with a ball or roller then continue to do it. Each of us has a unique limit to how much is “too much.” However, all of us will begin to exhibit the same signs of overuse when we do too much SMR–the muscles you are addressing will get MORE sensitive and your movements will not improve (they might even get worse).

    We recommend 2-3 areas within a specific region each day. There are many areas you can address using a variety of tools. Work your way through each major region (hip, thigh, calves, shoulder, arms) by doing 2-3 of the techniques for that region each day. Then do 2-3 different techniques the next day, and so on until you have done all of the techniques for that region. Repeat through the list as many times as is necessary to achieve relief of your issue. Seek professional help as needed, as you likely need at least a massage therapist to assist you with some of the denser issues that you can’t quite work out by yourself.

    Additionally, if you aren’t yet practicing the “Supported Corpse Stretch” (http://smr.networkfitness.com/files/2012/06/Supported-Corpse-2012.pdf), you should be! Do it every single day until you no longer feel any tightness or discomfort in the front of your hips or lower back. If the 6 inch diameter roller is too high of a lift for your hips to be safe for your back, then use a book or yoga block that is not as tall. Work your way to the 6 inch diameter of a large roller over time. Within a few months you should be able to lie completely motionless for 5 unbroken minutes without any tension in your hips or back. Once you get to that state, use the Supported Corpse Stretch as an assessment every two weeks.

    Good luck, and let us know how your hips & back are coming along!

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