While doing some research on some great ways to stretch the hip/but tmuscles, I came across this video by a physical therapist. I believe she has a practice in Santa Monica, CA. While she does not seem to be too thrilled to be on camera (see looks bored), the hip/but stretching exercise is a great one for increasing flexibility and range of motion in the Piriformis muscles and the other hip lateral rotators.
The piriformis muscle is part of the lateral rotators of the femur along with, the quadratus femoris, gemellus inferior, gemellus superior, obturator externus, and obturator internus. The piriformis laterally rotates the extended thigh and abducts the flexed thigh.
We always recommended that a static stretching session follow the core part of any workout, be it cardio or resistance. Such stretching will aid in the recovery of the muscles as well as increase the range of motion for better athletic and fitness performance.
We recommended that this stretch be held for 15-30 seconds on each side. As you get better and are able to relax more, the duration of the stretch may be lengthen.
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