SMR Glutes with Lacrosse Ball: Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to use a lacrosse ball for glute SMR to relieve hip pain, improve mobility, and release tight knots with our expert instructional guide.

How to Perform

  1. Sit on a firm surface or the floor with your knees bent and feet flat.
  2. Place the lacrosse ball under one glute, specifically targeting the fleshy area between the tailbone and the hip bone.
  3. Cross the ankle of the leg being treated over the opposite knee to open the hip joint and expose deeper tissue.
  4. Lean your body weight onto the ball while using your hands and opposite foot for balance and pressure control.
  5. Smallly oscillate or roll over the area until you find a point of significant tension or a trigger point.
  6. Hold your position on that sensitive spot for thirty to sixty seconds while maintaining deep, diaphragmatic breaths.
  7. Reposition the ball slightly to address different areas of the gluteus maximus and medius before switching sides.

Common Mistakes

  • Holding your breath which causes the muscles to tighten against the ball.
  • Moving too quickly over the tissue instead of allowing the ball to sink in.
  • Applying excessive pressure that causes sharp pain or numbness.
  • Rolling directly onto the sit bone or the greater trochanter of the femur.

Muscles Worked

Primary movers

  • Glutes

Stabilizers

  • Piriformis
  • Hip Flexors
  • Lower Back

Related Guides

Glutes · Strength