How can i get my turnout more from my hips?

Question

I really want better turnout-- SOON! Do you have any exercises or stretches to help???

Answer 1

Hip flexibility IS important for your turnout, but like with anything, what good is flexibility if you don't have the strength to use it?! SO, one good exercise that helps you to improve your turnout is ron de jambe a terre. When done properly, your turnout WILL improve. Some things to think about to make sure you're doing it right:

1. Keep your hips still and keep them square.

2. Don't sit in your hips, stay lifted (just think of standing up super straight without tucking or arching your back).

3. Keep your supporting leg activated, don't ignore it, it is just as important as your working leg, it needs to stay actively rotated from your hip.

4. Keep your ron de jambe leg rotated as long as possible, and don't let it turn in when you reach the back.

5. Reach out as far as you can with your ron de jambe leg. Imagine a circle on the ground just outside your reach and reach for it with your foot as much as possible.

One last thing, some other stretches to do:

1. Sit down. Bend your left leg so the bottom of your foot is on the floor. Put your right ankle on top of your left knee. Gently increase the stretch. (This exercise stretches the rotator muscles, so that they don't get tight and can help you turn out easier) Repeat on other side.

2. Sitting down with your legs parallel, reach for your toes (or past your toes). Then let your legs relax in a turned out position (as far as they will go), and keeping your legs straight, reach for your toes again.

You can hold each stretch for 1 minute, or 30 seconds after you start feeling your muscles stretch out. I'd go with 1 minute. Also, you can do these stretches 2x a day (in the morning, and in the night)

Good luck! Work hard and you'll definitely get it!

Ps, one more thing: so you can feel which muscles help you turn out from your hips, try this: Sit down on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you, straighten your legs as hard as you can and flex your feet as hard as you can and then rotate your legs. You should feel the muscles right under your butt/at the top of your legs, those are the ones you want to use whenever your legs are turned out! :-D

Answer 2

this really will help. i promise!

do the frog position.

you lie on your tummy, then try to do a middle split, but obviously your not going to , but if you bend your knees and stay like that for a while when your doing homework, or even watching TV just relax your knees and all your mustles becuase if you dont it is posible to starin yourself. and this will reduce the knee damage.

here is an image i found on google.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

but just remember your first time doing this is not going to be like this perfect okay?

if you do this 3 times a day for maybe 10 minutes within a year you should have a perfect 180 degree turnout. but it depends some people are not flexble in their hips so u might not have a good turnout if youu are not flexible in the hips, but if over the past your turnout has improved you really have nothing to worry about TRUAST ME, i do this 6 times aday now becuase i have gotten down farther when im in the position, thats how you know its improving, and just allitle turnout 101, it comes from the hips, you have to squeeze your hips, at butt together and makesure you say to yourself, from the hips to the knee to the ball of the foot., and just imagine your a puppet and when ever you need to turnout say to yourself someone if pulling my strings and that is making my turnout hold, and turnout better. if that makes any sence.